Local fun

Muir Woods National Monument

You will fall in love and never look back. Reserve your parking in advance.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

The entire town of Monterey is incredible! The city of Carmel nearby is also highly recommended.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

You'll drive through the woods to get there — a little winding but not too bad.

Willow Glen Downtown

Want to see the best of San Jose? This cute town is the place to be for shopping and dining!

Santana Row

Fancy date night spot — higher scale shopping and dining. Really nice! Can get busy.

Los Gatos

Adorable ritzy town. Option to hike Los Gatos Creek Trail!

Pier 39 in San Francisco (and Ghirardelli! Square!)

Visiting SF is fun! It's also a little more involved, so we recommend this if you have a day to really enjoy it! Parking can be a little pricey. Bring cash for that and any tolls. What's up there? Cool sights, amazing food, people watching, The Exploratorium, and more.

Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

Great hiking!

Mount Madonna

Beautiful hiking getaway about an hour south of the San Jose area

Winchester Mystery House

Explore the historic — and mysterious —home of the late Sarah Winchester.

Roaring Camp redwood train

See the ancient coastal redwoods on a fun steam train ride!

Alcatraz Island

Visit one of the most notorious historic prisons in American history (get tickets early!).

San Pedro Square Market Bar

Yummy row of restaurants!

Historic town of Niles

Cute historic town with antique shops and ice cream!

Napa | Sonoma | Calistoga

Into vino? Visit the wine region up north, known for hillside vineyards!

Fort Point National Historic Site

Famous masonry seacoast site, on the southern side of the Golden Gate at the entrance to San Francisco Bay.

Golden Gate Bridge

Golden Gate Park (and Botanical Gardens!)

Beloved and iconic urban park of San Francisco — garden oasis stretching to 1017 acres of land

Palace of Fine Arts

Half Moon Bay

Our favorite restaurants

FREMONT: 🍔 Billy Roys (you NEED to try the butchers cut) 🇹🇭 Sala Thai 🇯🇵 Aniki's Sushi 🇫🇷 Papillon (french; beef Wellington!) 🇮🇹 Strizzis Italian 🇮🇹 Federicos (in cute area called Niles) 🇮🇹 Ristorante il Porcino 🇮🇹 Mountain Mikes pizza 🇮🇳 Namaste (Indian pizza!) 🇬🇷 Nick the Greek 🍔 Five Guys burgers MILPITAS: 🇯🇵 Sen Dai sushi (excellent) OTHER 🍔 In-n-out burger (a Cali fav) 🐟 Nick's Rockaway (in Pacifica) 🐟 Monterey’s Fish House (in Monterey) SAN JOSE 🍕 Patxis (deep dish) 🥩 LB Steak 🥗 Aqui LOS GATOS 🥩 Forbes Mill Steakhouse