Weekend Trips out of San Francisco
San Francisco is pretty amazing, but sometimes the urge to get “out of the city” is a strong and valid urge. What are the most awesome things you can do? My favorites are covered here.
If you have a car, skip this part:
Many SF locals and visitors don’t have cars. You might have to rent one. Luckily, you can get one cheap as balls. Usually, the best prices can be found at priceline.com (not a sponsor). You’ll probably have to take public transit to the airport to get the best rates. Lucky for you it’s pretty easy to take BART to the airport. When I wrote this I found a weekend deal at $19/day with unlimited mileage. Prices are higher now, so shop around. Make sure you don’t get scammed for “insurance”. Call your credit card or debit card to see if they cover you for insurance on rental cars. Most do.
NOW, THE TRIPS:
Far from SF, but Awesome:
California Redwoods in Mendocino (2-3 hr)
California is known for its redwood forests, because they’re amazing. Drive through them. While you’re there, ride the Skunk Train, because it’s a train that trains its way through the Redwood forest. (These days it runs shorter trips out of Fort Bragg or Willits, not the whole route.) Serious. Train. On your drive there (or back) I’d recommend mapping at least part of your drive on the coast (highway 1). It takes longer, but is really scenic. What, are you in a hurry? Rock it.
Hearst Castle (4 hr)
DAMN. William Randolph Hearst was once one of the richest men in the world, and it looks like he spent most of it on his house. While you’re down there, pop over to Solvang, the only traditional Danish town in all of California. While there, eat DANISHES, duh.
Lake Tahoe (4 hr)
Lake Tahoe is great in the winter, and just as beautiful in the summer. Europeans call Tahoe the “Switzerland of America,” because I guess Switzerland is nice like that. I’ve never been to Switzerland, but I’ve been to Tahoe, and it’s nice like a nerdy boy trying to cozy up to the prom queen. Stay on the South Shore where there’s more to do. Casinos, and whatnot! Go see a show.
Yosemite National Park (4 hr)
If you like nature and shit, Yosemite will blow you away. It’s famous for a reason. Check nps.gov/yose before you leave, because some seasons require a reservation to get in. Then just go. Go.
Less Far. Slightly Less Awesome.
Still Awesome.
You don’t want to drive that far, ’cause that’s how you are.
Wine Country (1.5 hours)
You want to go to the wine country, right? You’ll meet good people, and while you’re up there you’ll find tons of other great stuff to explore.
Search for “Sonoma County attractions” or next-door “Napa County attractions”. I’m not your Mom. Use Google. One tip: Probably stay in Healdsburg. It’s quaint like you wouldn’t believe, and central in the area.
Safari West (1.5 hours)
It’s like Lion Country Safari without the Lions. But it does have TONS of other animals who hang around all day because there’s no lions eating them. You ride on a kick-ass WWII off-road truck through a massive game preserve and look at all the animals, 50% of which have horns. Super fun.
You could do Safari West on the same trip as Wine Country. AND, although you can stay here, I wouldn’t. It’s kind of “eh” at night. Nothing to do. Go during the day.
Sacramento (1.5 hours)
The State Capitol is super interesting. Check that out. Old Town Sacramento is super interesting. The California State Railroad Museum is super interesting. By the time you’re done visiting those spots, you’ve run out of interesting things to do, but that’s cool because it’s time to go home!
Plus, you can take the Amtrak train to Sac Town if you don’t want to drive (you start at Emeryville, with an Amtrak bus connection from San Francisco).