Things to do / Travel Guide
Walking Tours in San Francisco, California
For fans of the Grateful Dead and the other psychedelic wonders of San Francisco, check out the Haight-Ashbury Flower Power Walking Tour. Taking about two hours from start to finish, this walking tour will take you around to Janis Joplin's house, the famous street corner that is synonymous with 1969's “Summer of Love,” as well as the “Grateful Dead House.” The cost of this walking tour is about $15 per person (of course, they only take cash), reservations are required and tours only run on Tuesdays and Saturdays, leaving from the corner of Stanyan and Waller Streets starting in the morning.
The eccentrically entertaining Jay Gifford leads the Victorian Homes Historical Walking Tour through San Francisco. Setting out from the lobby of the Westin St. Francis Hotel, this 2½ hour tour leads visitors around to all the sites that were destroyed or damaged by the fire of 1906 and through Japantown, Pacific Heights, and Cow Hollow. This walking tour is especially worthwhile because some of the places that are visited are inaccessible by the large tour buses that shuttle people around the town and, what's more, you get to see the places where they filmed movies such as “Mrs. Doubtfire,” and television shows such as “Party of Five,” and everyone's favorite, “Full House.” At the end of the walking part of the tour, guests are invited to climb aboard a trolley bus which will whisk participants though Union Square and Chinatown before dropping them back off right where they started at the Westin St. Francis (options to start and end at Union Square are also available). Tours are offered daily from April-December and on Thursdays-Mondays from January-March. This tour generally costs around $20 per person.
Another popular walking tour is the Javawalk Waking Tour which takes place every day except Fridays in San Francisco. The Javawalk is a walking tour that takes visitors around to the various coffee shops of North Beach and is spiced along the way with historical, architectural, and coffee-based trivia. This tour is recommended for caffeine-addicts and costs less than $5 per person.
Boat Tours around the San Francisco Bay Area
Operated by the Blue and Gold Fleet and leaving from Pier 39, the Golden Gate Bay Cruise takes visitors around to Sausalito and Angel Island before coming back around to the prison island of Alcatraz. This tour's best feature is its comprehensive overview of the area - it only takes about an hour and costs around $20 a head. For those who want to visit Alcatraz Island specifically there is the extremely popular Alcatraz Tour which can take you out to the island via boat and then on a guided audio-tour of the now defunct facility. The prices is less than $15 per person. You can also go on an “Alcatraz After Hours” tour, which is lead by a guide who narrates as they lead and costs about $20 per person.
Based out of Fort Mason, the Oceanic Society Expeditions can take guests on a boat tour to various locations and sights throughout the Bay Area, such as the Farallon Islands. Tours run from June until November, and from December through May whale-watching trips are available. Prices for these boat tours range between $50-$70 per person.
Wine Tours in Napa Valley and Sonoma County, California
Why not take a wine tour of Sonoma County where you can visit various wineries and vineyards via sedan (for up to five people), or by SUV or limousine for larger parties. This way, you will get a sample of some of the delicious wines produced in Sonoma County and not be burdened by having to drive yourself, which may be difficult after a few wine samples. Prices for wine tours by car in Sonoma County are not as reasonably priced as other tours in this region.
Here's a unique way to check out the Napa Valley and Sonoma County wine country: by boat. The Culture of the Vine cruise is a four-day, three-night boat tour that sets off from San Francisco and takes guests past Sausalito and up the Napa River to various wineries that are generally not open to the public for tasting. Prices for a four-day cruise start at around $700 per person based on double occupancy. Another boat tour of the Napa River and the Napa Valley and Sonoma County wine country is the American Safari Cruise which goes up both the Petaluma and Napa Rivers, taking guests to various wineries. Be aware that this tour is rather pricey.
Train Tours in Napa Valley, California
Take a train for 18 miles from the town of Napa to St. Helena, the Napa Valley Wine Train tour includes wine tasting as well as a hot meal as it takes tourists up to the wine country of central California. This is a very popular tour and reservations are required. Prices vary; the price for just the train tour is roughly $50, the price for the train tour and a meal start at $90.
The Big Trees Railroad links Santa Cruz to the city of Felton using a 100-year old steam engine that makes a loop around the nearby redwood forest. The Big Trees Railroad also has various themed events, such as the Halloween Ghost Train, the Mountain Man Rendezvous train, as well as the Pioneer Christmas train. Outside of these specific events, the Big Trees Railroad runs daily from spring until November and costs about $15 a head.
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