I got an email from a reader the other day asking if I’ve ever been to San Francisco. She’s heading out there for vacay and wanted to know if I had any recommendations on what to do/see.
Indeed I have been, and do! Ben and I spent a week in the bay city a couple years ago, pre blog, and it ranks as one of my all-time favorite places in the entire country (just behind NOLA…maybe…eek, they might be tied!)
With spring break just around the corner, I thought I’d share my top 10 things to do in San Francisco in case any of you are headed there! I’m leaving out popular and trendy restaurants, because honestly SF has thousands of them and we had great meals wherever we went. What made my list is a mix of touristy sights, outdoor activities and stuff you won’t find anywhere else except this fabulous, NoCal gem! :)
My Top 10 Things To Do in San Francisco
1. Hike around Sausalito Island.
Sausalito island is located at the non-San Francisco end of the Golden Gate Bridge and is home to some incredible homes and views.
We took a ferry there from Fisherman’s Wharf and spent the afternoon hiking in the sunshine and peeking over the sheer cliffs to the ocean below.
2. Rent a car for the day and drive to Muir Woods.
Muir Woods is home to the world’s oldest and tallest redwood trees. It is impossible to capture how. freaking. huge. they are with a camera.
Walking amongst them will seriously blow your mind and make you want to cry.
In a good way!
3. Drive along the coast.
The views and beach pit stops will have you asking, “Wait, so WHY don’t I live here again??” Get some good friends to show you around too, if you can! ;)
4. Visit Alcatraz Island.
This is simply a San Fran must-see and I learned so much about the island. Like how the guards and their families including their children lived on the island with the inmates!
Make sure to play a fun game of “I won’t talk to you until you say ‘Welcome to the Rock!’ in a Sean Connery accent” like Ben did to me.
5. Go to Bourbon and Branch for a cocktail.
Look up the secret location and entrance password on the Internet, then ask them to take you to “the library!”
6. Shop at the Ferry Plaza and Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market.
THE best outdoor Farmer’s Market and indoor market, um, ever. Just go. Trust me!
7. Lombard Street
They don’t call it the crookedest street in the world for nothin’! (poor Ben being blinded by the sun light but still smiling his little heart out!!!)
If you still have that car from Muir Woods and your coastal drive, give driving down it a shot. Hey, it’s a rental! ;)
8. Eat at the Fog City Diner.
Ok, so there IS a restaurant on my list! My Dad told Ben and I about this place. It’s an old diner with white tablecloths and INSANE food. Best meal of our trip.
9. Visit Ghirardelli Square for free chocolate, then visit the little wine/beer tasting place in the same square for a beer while overlooking the bay.
FREE CHOCOLATE!!!!! ’nuff said. And get the Anchor Steam Beer – mmmm.
10. Explore, explore, explore!
Get off the beaten path and find your own discoveries,
restaurants,
and fun!
And for Heaven’s sake – have some candy. You’re on vacation!
Gosh there’s like a MILLION other things I could tell you about – but this should get you started!
What are your San Fran favorites?
Where’s your favorite city to travel to in the US? (or in your country if you’re outside the US?)
I heart ketchup in any form, but really cold ketchup is THE BEST!
My favorite spot in San Fran is Fisherman’s Wharf! So much to see! And stone crab from one of the little vendors? Insane! If you liked the history at Alcatraz, you should read Al Capone Does My Shirts. It’s for kids, but it’s about a family living on Alcatraz in the 30s. I teach it to my class & the kids love it!
I <3 San Fran! I have relatives out there, so I've been out numerous times and enjoy anything and everything. This may sound so cliche, but my favorite thing is Alcatraz Island. I kind of geek out when I visit historical places, so this is right up my alley!
Favorite place to visit in the U.S., hmm.. Dallas/Ft. Worth. Maybe I am biased though. ;)
That sandwich looks so tasty! I am definitely saving this recipe to make sometime. Yum!
I’ve actually never been to San Francisco before! I’ve always wanted to go there though. It looks like an amazing place! One of my favorite cities to travel to is Boston, Mass. I love it there especially in the fall! I haven’t been there in several years and I am dying to go back. :)
Niwot, CO is one of the favorite little towns in CO and the US in general. It’s so cute and quaint. I also love Minneapolis, especially Uptown which is so urban and fun. I do love the little village that is just up the mountain from me, Mijas, Spain. I love how all the buildings have to be a “certain” kind of white and everything is so old. I see everything, every inch as a photo-op and tourist site…even after 3 years!
For any Americans (or other foreigners) thinking of coming to South Africa, Cape Town is the most beautiful city in Africa (I might be biased,but it’s true!).
We have everything you could want,right near the city.Wild animals,majestic mountains,gorgeous beaches,great shopping,fun wine-tasting tours,whale watching and shark cage diving.Everything and more.
Chinatown has some of the best dim sum restaurants ever! Plus, clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl!
I loved San Diego. I have been there only once but because it is filled with animal stuff (Seaworld, Zoo and Wild Park) I fell in love with it. I guess the West Coast is pretty popular =)
As newbies to the bay area we are working our way through this list of 100 restaurants to try:
So far it has been right-on with the recommendations.
The ABSOLUTE BEST time we had was when we rented Segways on Angel Island. We were all grinning like little kids when we got off. :)
I cannot recommend this highly enough!
Also, I took a seaplane tour a couple weeks ago from http://seaplane.com/. The views of San Francisco were amazing!! Very fun experience!
Just curious – would chicken bullion work alright?
You bet!
Love, love, love San Francisco! My husband and I were lucky enough to go TWICE last year… once for a work conference for him and again for a work conference for me. I definitely agree with your picks of Muir Woods, Lombard Street, and of course the Ferry Building! Some of my favorite food stops were egg tarts at A&A Bakery in Chinatown, a meatball focaccia sandwich at Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store in North Beach, Swenson’s Ice Cream on Russia Hill (get the Turkish Coffee cone), and breakfast at Lori’s Dinner (there are several locations around the city). I could go on. You won’t leave San Francisco hungry!
Oh! And my favorite city to visit is Key West! We went for a week this summer and I fell in love!!
This is a great list! Muir Woods was awesome, we did a tour from Fisherman’s Wharf that was 4 hours at Muir Woods and then drove to San Jose to see the Winchester Mystery house, it was a long day, but a lot of fun and pretty affordable since we didn’t want to rent a car/pay $50 for overnight parking at our hotel!! My fave SF restaurant is Sam Wo’s in China Town…love it! And I highly recommend the night tour at Alcatraz, the park guides give special talks and you get a different experience than the busy day tours (i.e. our tour guides showed us how the doors operated, by opening and closing all the cell doors on all 3 tiers at once!)
PS – my grandparents lived in New Boston IL and I always remember going to Maid Rite/them making Maid Rites at home when I’d visit when I was little!
As someone whose family is from the Bay Area as well as my husband being from there, we’ve definitely worn out that city in a good way, and will continue to do so year after year. Here is our top ten, and in our opinion, the best top 10 ever! :)
1-Eat at Red’s Java House. Located just under the Bay Bridge. Seriously, you won’t find a better burger joint, EVER!
2-Rent bikes near pier 39 and ride them on the trail that lines the bay.
3-Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge
4-Lounge at Baker Beach. Heaven!
5-If the Giants are in town a game is always a must. AT&T Park, aw, heaven. I think everything is heaven there. Too bad it’s still spring training and they won’t be playing yet.
6-Head into Sausalito/Tiburon area and go eat at The Spinnaker. To.Die.For!
7-Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, the ferry building, basically the whole Embarcadero is great to hang out on.
8-Shopping at Union Square.
9-Driving along Hwy 1, I agree, you’ll wonder why in the world you’re not living there.
10-And I’ll agree with you again, Alcatraz is a must see. Then go home and watch Escape from Alcatraz. Crazy stuff.
San Francisco is one of the most amazing cities ever. You won’t want to leave. I can guarantee that.
Well i have to say, not a big fan of ground turkey, so no to the Maid Rite. Orginally from Des Moines so i love my Maid Rites with ground beef.
I live in San Diego, so love it, but when you go to SF you must try the Stinky Rose if you are a fan of garlic.
Having grown up just north of San Francisco, I have tell you that it is properly called “NorCal” not “NoCal”. :) Gotta represent!
And you gotta say, “hella” in the bay area. “It’s hella good ya know?” ;)
I have to add to the list! When in SF you must walk the stairs up to Coit Tower. The houses along the way are beautiful as is the view! I can’t pick a favorite city…..Chicago would be #1 since I grew up there and New York City is #2. I’ve been there twice and look forward to going back again soon!
Omg we were drooling over those houses on the Coit Rower climb!!!
Hey! That’s Lea :) Looks like you had a fun trip.
I loved SanFran and a friend goes to UC Berkley and there were all sorts of little eateries I enjoyed!
Being in Florida for 3 years now I absolutely LOVE Miami. You can walk in South Beach, hit a great Cuban restaurant, go back to the beach, then walk to you hotel, and it has great night life. Of course if you keep driving, the Florida Keys are their own vacation.
Man, I’m ready for summmer!
First off, I totally live in the city where Maid-Rites were invented – Muscatine, Iowa. :) LOVE it! And that crazy street reminds me of Snake Alley in Burlington, IA (southeast Iowa on the Mississippi). Ever been there? Small town, but kinda cool. I lived there for a summer volunteering.
My favorite city to visit….hmm. That’s really tough. We roadtrip from Iowa to New Hampshire every year and see so many cool places along the way. I guess my favorite big city is Chicago. I’m an Illinois girl, though on the other side of the state! ;) I love all the museums, the fact that it’s home of the Bears, looking out over Lake Michigan. I also like Boston, though since I’ve only been there once, there is much more exploring to be done! I love the pictures – I still haven’t yet been to the west coast.