Things To Do
Petaluma
This is the town Nancy and her family are from! Travel around and see where she grew up! Head to Sax's Joint for Bryan and Nancy's favorite breakfast/brunch! For lunch, you can go to Dandy Sandos to get AMAZING sandwiches. You cant go wrong with Everest (the best Indian food you'll ever eat), Cucina Paradiso (Italian food, we strongly recommend their Rigatoni Alla Carcerata with extra sauce), or Plaza Tequila (their Quesabirra is BOMB). If you like to shop, Ooh La Luxe is our favorite local boutique for cute clothes! This picture is from downtown Petaluma. Walk along the brick path next to the water (Petaluma River) in Downtown!
Wine Tasting In Wine Country
If you're coming to the Bay Area in California, you HAVE to go wine tasting in WINE COUNTRY!!! Gloria Ferrar and Domaine Carneros are my family's favorites! I included a link of a couple of different wineries depending on the vibe you want to go for!
Baker Beach
To visit the spot of many of our engagement photos, head to Baker Beach! Its close to a lot of the other nice beaches nearby. WARNING San Francisco has a lot of car break ins, so make sure you take everything out of your car! The view of the Golden Gate Bridge from Baker Beach is breathtaking!
Muir Woods National Monument
To do something fun outdoors under the infamous California Redwoods, head to Muir Woods for a beautiful hike under the trees! Parking is by reservation in advance ONLY, so make sure to buy your parking pass far in advance!
Fort Point National Historic Site
Walk though more California history as Fort Point defended the San Francisco Bay following California's Gold Rush through World War II. This is one of our favorite view points of the Golden Gate Bridge. WARNING: Car break ins in SF. Empty your cars!
Broadway Plaza
For guests that love to shop, Downtown Walnut Creek is one of our favorite places to do so! Its in a safe area, and there are larger malls as well as so many stores/boutiques along the area within a couple mile walk! For food, there are TONNNS of restaurants. Buckhorn is good for bbq, there’s also Nick the Greek, Cheesecake Factory, and Gotts Roadside (for burgers) are some of our favorites. Nancy got her wedding dress from downtown Walnut Creek/Concord!
Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden
A super cute photo op and super close to 2 of our other favorite spots in SF (Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach! Depending on the time of year, it might have a bunch of tulips in bloom right next to a windmill that looks like it was from the Netherlands! WARNING: There are a ton of car break ins in San Francisco. So make sure there's nothing in your cars!
Sonoma Square
On Tuesday nights, there is a huge farmers market in the cute little Square where you can try local food trucks, listen to live music, walk around the square to have a picnic in the park, browse local stops, and check out the Mission San Francisco Solano across the street for a little piece of history! We love the Tuesday Night Farmers Market here!! Check out Sonoma Cheese Factory by the park for local cheese, and Harveys Mini Gourmet Donuts for small donut holes that you can see being made on site!
Point Reyes Lighthouse
A gorgeous hidden gem nearby beautiful California beaches! Walk down the stairs to see another piece of California History and then venture to Drakes beach nearby!
Drakes Beach
Next to the Point Reyes Lighthouse, this is another beautiful beach in California that we have been to!
PIER 39
This is one of the first places Nancy took Bryan on his first visit to CA! It is right by the shore, and close by to the tour of the famous CA Prison: Alcatraz. Within pier 39, there are more shops where you can buy plenty of SF themed souvenirs, as well as cute ocean themed restaurants ! WARNING: There are a ton of car break ins in San Francisco. So make sure there's nothing in your cars!
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz reveals stories of American incarceration, justice, and our common humanity. This small island was once a fort, a military prison, and a maximum security federal penitentiary. In 1969, the Indians of All Tribes occupied Alcatraz for 19 months in the name of freedom and Native American civil rights. Take a journey through Californian History and see the prison where Al Capone was held!
California Academy of Sciences
If you want a full on tour of many different science disciplines, the California Academy of Sciences is one of our favorites! They have an aquarium, dinosaur exhibition, a planetarium, a giant terrarium, and an albino alligator!
Lagunitas Brewing Company
The Country-known beer company had its big break in Petaluma! Come visit the first brewhouse of Lagunitas!
Farmers Markets
Some of our favorite things to do are to go to local farmers markets and get fresh produce! Here are some of our favorites! 1) Petaluma Tuesday Morning Farmers Market (10am-1:30pm) 320 N. McDowell Blvd. Petaluma CA, 94954 2) Petaluma Saturday Late Afternoon Farmers Market (2pm-5pm) 201 Fourth St. Petaluma CA, 94952 3) Sonoma Square Tuesday Evening Farmers Market (3:30pm-8pm) W Napa St & Broadway, Sonoma, CA, 95476
Jelly Belly Factory Tour/Candy Store
Tour the Jelly Belly Factory and take some candy for the road at their gift shop!
Yosemite National Park
You truly can’t go wrong with Yosemite National Park. It is absolutely gorgeous. You can hike, camp, explore the beautiful mountains, etc! It is 4 hours away from Vallejo, so it is a bit of a drive. We’d love to go, so if anyone is interested in going after the wedding, let us know and maybe we can figure out a group trip! Directions are set to the Yosemite Visitor Center where you will find maps and gift shops before going into the park. Since Yosemite is very large, it can be hard to navigate. Physical maps are recommended in case cell service is lost.
Lake Tahoe
There are ENDLESS things to do in Lake Tahoe!! Swim, boat, camp, spas, hike, shop, go to a beach, see beautiful landscape, zip lining, etc. We recommend looking at multiple tour websites for all the recommendations to see if any of them fit what you want to do there and your interests! It is also about 3-4 hours from Vallejo. So plan accordingly if you want to go. We’d also love to go there too. So if you are interested in visiting Lake Tahoe after the wedding, let us know!