California Getaway Weekend - Northern California
What to do with a weekend in Northern California? Oh, heck, there are so many things. But, if you're looking for a few choice ideas, here are some California getaway weekend ideas sure to please:
San Francisco
San Francisco's one of my favorite cities. To visit. I tried living there and found I loved my car too much. But, I love going back for a visit over and over again.
The thing about a getaway in the San Francisco Bay area is that each getaway can be different. One weekend can focus on shopping in Union Square, while another weekend can be hiking Angel Island. And, if you've never taken a ferry to Angel Island to walk or hike around, then you really should make that a priority on your next visit to San Francisco.
You can also take in the tourist sites of Alcatraz and Fisherman's Wharf, which every tourist ought to do at least once. If you've ever lived in San Francisco, however, the tourist spots aren't places you're like to gravitate to, so I tend to stay away.
Golden Gate Park is also a spot which can take up a day's visit, with walking through the Park, maybe taking a peddle boat ride on the lake, then leaving the Park for shopping on Haight Street.
Of course, San Francisco's a city of walking, and there are plenty of walking tours you can take, some free, some with a small fee. Do take a walking tour to Coit Tower if you want a little history.
Wine Country
Napa Valley, north of San Francisco, is the most-often visited of the "wine countries" of California. But, it's not the only wine country there is in Northern California. There's also neighboring Sonoma County, which includes the quaint town of Sonoma, as well as the Russian River town of Guerneville, which is always a fun little getaway. Just north of Napa you'll want to discover Lake County with it's numerous wineries, as well as Clear Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in California and, some say, the oldest lake in North america.
North of Lake County lies Mendocino County, with many spectacular wineries to visit, and home of one of my favorite wines, Lolonis.
When deciding which wineries you will visit, it's a good idea to research the different areas and wineries before setting out on a wine tour on your own. Get a wine map which shows which wineries are open to the public, their hours, as well as their fees. Some, though not many, pour wine samples for free. Others charge a small fee. A map can really help you organize your time, so you're not just driving down country rodes in hopes of spotting a winery sign.
There's also the option of joining a tour bus, though, to be honest, some wine tour buses have bad reputations because the tourists arrive drunk at the wineries and can get quite loud and unruly. Just be respectful when visiting a winery, and don't treat it like it's a bar. For a fun wine adventure, you can also take the Napa Valley Wine Train, which, according to Sherman's Travel, is one of the Top Ten Train Trips in the world.
Monterey Bay
Montery Bay is a couple hours south of San Francisco, and includes the cities of Monterey, Pacific Grove, and Carmel. While there you'll want to do the 17-mile drive, which allows you to see some of the most spectacular scenery on the California coast. There is a slight per-charge fee to make the drive, but it's certainly worth the money, which I think is about $8.50 per car. There are numerous turnouts so you can get out and take pictures.
Other must-sees in Monterey are the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf, which is pretty touristy, but, again, if you're a tourist you have to do some touristy things, right? For less touristy things, go to neighboring Pacific Grove and, in the winter and spring, watch the Gray Whales migrate, or, if you're there between October and March, watch the Monarch Butterflies congregate.
Visit a Ghost Town
Okay, this might be a bit out of the way (located northeast of Yosemite), but I liked it so much when I visited that I'm including it among Northern California getaway weekends. It's called Bodie State Historical Park, and it's home to the ghost town of Bodie, one of the largest, and certainly most preserved, ghost town in America. It's kept in a state of "arrested decay," meaning it won't deteriorate any further. There are numerous streets with buildings as they were when they were deserted; you can look inside and see things left as they were.
In it's heyday as a gold rush town, Bodie was such a lawless place that many feared going there, in particular one little girl who wrote in her diary after learning her family was moving to Bodie: "Goodbye God," she wrote, "I'm going to Bodie."
San Francisco
San Francisco's one of my favorite cities. To visit. I tried living there and found I loved my car too much. But, I love going back for a visit over and over again.
The thing about a getaway in the San Francisco Bay area is that each getaway can be different. One weekend can focus on shopping in Union Square, while another weekend can be hiking Angel Island. And, if you've never taken a ferry to Angel Island to walk or hike around, then you really should make that a priority on your next visit to San Francisco.
You can also take in the tourist sites of Alcatraz and Fisherman's Wharf, which every tourist ought to do at least once. If you've ever lived in San Francisco, however, the tourist spots aren't places you're like to gravitate to, so I tend to stay away.
Golden Gate Park is also a spot which can take up a day's visit, with walking through the Park, maybe taking a peddle boat ride on the lake, then leaving the Park for shopping on Haight Street.
Of course, San Francisco's a city of walking, and there are plenty of walking tours you can take, some free, some with a small fee. Do take a walking tour to Coit Tower if you want a little history.
Wine Country
Napa Valley, north of San Francisco, is the most-often visited of the "wine countries" of California. But, it's not the only wine country there is in Northern California. There's also neighboring Sonoma County, which includes the quaint town of Sonoma, as well as the Russian River town of Guerneville, which is always a fun little getaway. Just north of Napa you'll want to discover Lake County with it's numerous wineries, as well as Clear Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in California and, some say, the oldest lake in North america.
North of Lake County lies Mendocino County, with many spectacular wineries to visit, and home of one of my favorite wines, Lolonis.
When deciding which wineries you will visit, it's a good idea to research the different areas and wineries before setting out on a wine tour on your own. Get a wine map which shows which wineries are open to the public, their hours, as well as their fees. Some, though not many, pour wine samples for free. Others charge a small fee. A map can really help you organize your time, so you're not just driving down country rodes in hopes of spotting a winery sign.
There's also the option of joining a tour bus, though, to be honest, some wine tour buses have bad reputations because the tourists arrive drunk at the wineries and can get quite loud and unruly. Just be respectful when visiting a winery, and don't treat it like it's a bar. For a fun wine adventure, you can also take the Napa Valley Wine Train, which, according to Sherman's Travel, is one of the Top Ten Train Trips in the world.
Monterey Bay
Montery Bay is a couple hours south of San Francisco, and includes the cities of Monterey, Pacific Grove, and Carmel. While there you'll want to do the 17-mile drive, which allows you to see some of the most spectacular scenery on the California coast. There is a slight per-charge fee to make the drive, but it's certainly worth the money, which I think is about $8.50 per car. There are numerous turnouts so you can get out and take pictures.
Other must-sees in Monterey are the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf, which is pretty touristy, but, again, if you're a tourist you have to do some touristy things, right? For less touristy things, go to neighboring Pacific Grove and, in the winter and spring, watch the Gray Whales migrate, or, if you're there between October and March, watch the Monarch Butterflies congregate.
Visit a Ghost Town
Okay, this might be a bit out of the way (located northeast of Yosemite), but I liked it so much when I visited that I'm including it among Northern California getaway weekends. It's called Bodie State Historical Park, and it's home to the ghost town of Bodie, one of the largest, and certainly most preserved, ghost town in America. It's kept in a state of "arrested decay," meaning it won't deteriorate any further. There are numerous streets with buildings as they were when they were deserted; you can look inside and see things left as they were.
In it's heyday as a gold rush town, Bodie was such a lawless place that many feared going there, in particular one little girl who wrote in her diary after learning her family was moving to Bodie: "Goodbye God," she wrote, "I'm going to Bodie."
Comments