California Official Visitor's Guide 2022 - 170

san francisco bay area
OAKLAND
African American Museum & Library at Oakland.
Dedicated to the discovery, preservation, interpretation,
and sharing of historical and cultural experiences of
African Americans in California and the West. 510/6370200;
oaklandlibrary.org/locations
Chabot Space and Science Center. In the Oakland
hills' Redwood Regional Park, this state-of-the-art
museum has interactive displays on the wonders of the
galaxies, visitor-accessible telescopes, and a first-rate
planetarium. 510/336-7300; chabotspace.org
Oakland Museum of California. View collections
dedicated to state history, art, and the natural world.
Exhibits are animated by innovative interpretive tools
and interactive features. Don't miss the terraced roof
gardens and koi pond. 510/318-8400; museumca.org
USS Potomac. Take a tour of Franklin D. Roosevelt's
presidential yacht, the " floating White House. " The
165-foot vessel is open for dockside tours and two-hour
cruises from June through November, and on weekends
in December. 510/627-1215; usspotomac.org
PACIFICA
Pacifica State Beach. Also known as Linda Mar, this
crescent-shaped beach is located at the mouth of San
Pedro Valley. Take a stroll along the oceanside trail or
surf the break. 650/738-7381; parks.ca.gov
PALO ALTO
Museum of American Heritage. Discover inventions
that shaped America, displayed in a century-old home
and garden. Learn about domestic technologies that
shaped the 20th century. Permanent and rotating
exhibits. 650/321-1004; moah.org
PESCADERO
Año Nuevo State Park. Take a 3- to 4-mile hike to view
elephant seals; obtain a free visitor's permit daily from
the entrance station. Explore the natural history exhibit
within the Marine Education Center. 650/879-2025;
parks.ca.gov
Pescadero State Beach. Hike the mile-long shoreline
to discover sandy coves, rocky cliffs, and tidepools.
Across the highway from the beach, find a marshlands
preserve, popular with birders. 650/726-8819; parks
.ca.gov
Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park. The
115-foot-tall lighthouse, dating back to 1872, is one of
the tallest in the U.S. Hike along the coastal areas to
spot seals in the surf. 650/879-2120; parks.ca.gov
PETALUMA
Marin French Cheese Co.-California Original
Since 1865. The country's oldest cheese company is
handcrafting traditional award-winning, soft-ripened
cheeses with milk from local neighboring dairies. Stop
by our cheese shop and scenic picnic by the pond. Open
daily. 707/762-6001; marinfrenchcheese.com See ad,
pgs. 166-167
Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park. Tour the largest
privately owned adobe structure built in Northern
California in the 1830s-40s. Volunteers donning period
clothing transport you back to the adobe's heyday.
707/762-4871; parks.ca.gov
Visit Petaluma. Wine country starts here, 32 miles north
of SF. Enjoy boutique and antique shopping, superb
dining, river recreation, and craft beer and wine bars in
historic downtown. Near the Sonoma coast, redwoods,
and wineries. 707/769-0429; visitpetaluma.com See ad,
pgs. 166-167
PLEASANT HILL
Pleasant Hill is at the center of everything in the Bay
Area. With an array of outdoor hiking and walking trails,
wineries, restaurants and shopping outlets, whether
you're visiting friends and family or just stopping
through, enjoy our picks of the best things to do and
see. staypleasanthill.com See ad, p. 163
PLEASANTON
Visit Tri-Valley. Local California-walkable downtowns,
al fresco dining and trails to tickle every fancy from craft
beer to hiking to ice cream. For California's oldest wine
country, largest premium outlets, and sunshine you can
count on, visittrivalley.com See ad, p. 163
POINT REYES STATION
Point Reyes National Seashore. More than 100 square
miles of pristine ocean beaches with excellent hiking
and backpacking opportunities, plus 1,500 species of
animals and plants to discover, including a large herd of
tule elk. 415/464-5100; nps.gov/pore
RICHMOND
Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National
Historical Park. Learn about the sacrifices made by
civilians on the home front during WWII. The museum's
collection includes written narratives, photographs,
personal belongings, and defense industry equipment.
510/232-5050; nps.gov/rori
SAN CARLOS
Hiller Aviation Museum. Celebrate the spirit of
discovery and innovation of aviation pioneers at this
museum, located, appropriately, at the San Carlos
Airport. Open daily. 650/654-0200; hiller.org
SAN FRANCISCO
Alcatraz Island. Located 1.25 miles offshore from San
Francisco Bay, Alcatraz has served as a fort, a military
prison, and a maximum-security federal penitentiary.
Sign up for a behind-the-scenes tour. 415/561-4900;
nps.gov/alca
Asian Art Museum. Take a free guided tours of this
museum's collection, a veritable panorama of Asian art
and culture. Special exhibitions and self-guided tours
are available daily. 415/581-3500; asianart.org
Cable Car Museum. Learn about the inventor,
technologies, builders, and expansion of the cable
cars of San Francisco. Admission is free. Located in
San Francisco's Washington-Mason powerhouse and
carbarn. 415/474-1887; cablecarmuseum.org
Chinatown. Discover shops filled with food, herbs,
porcelains, furniture, fabrics, and curios from China,
Hong Kong, and Taiwan in this historic area, one of the
country's oldest and most established Chinatowns.
sanfranciscochinatown.com
Exploratorium. The Exploratorium is more than an
iconic museum-it's an all-ages gateway to joyful
exploration of science, art, and human perception.
Uncover your wonder at Tripadvisor's #1 rated museum
in SF. Pier 15 on the Embarcadero. exploratorium.edu
See ad, p. 171
Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. Visit a Ghirardelli Ice
Cream and Chocolate shop for a one of kind chocolate
experience. Try a variety of delicious sundaes including
the World Famous Hot Fudge Sundae made with
handmade Ghirardelli hot fudge! See ad, p. 169
PIER 39. The Embarcadero @ Beach St. Two levels
of dining, entertainment, shopping and attractions,
surrounded by unbeatable views of the city and the bay.
Take it from our world-famous sea lions: a visit to San
Francisco starts at The PIER. 800/325-7437;
pier39.com See ad, p. 53
SAN GREGORIO
Pomponio State Beach. Wide, sweeping beaches and
roaring surf makes this beach a popular destination.
With on-site picnic tables and barbecues and plentiful
parking, this day-use beach is open from 8 a.m. to
sunset. 650/726-8819; parks.ca.gov
SAN JOSE
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose. Kids
get to learn about science in real-life ways-from
fossil-digging to bubble blowing and gardening-at
this hands-on museum, with around 150 exhibits.
408/298-5437; cdm.org
Visit San Jose-San Jose Convention and Visitors
Bureau. 408 Almaden Boulevard. In the heart of Silicon
Valley, you know San Jose for innovation. What may
surprise you are the diverse neighborhoods and natural
beauty. Three hundred days of sunshine make dining al
fresco a year-round event. 800/SAN-JOSE;
sanjose.org See ad, p. 2
SAN RAFAEL
Downtown San Rafael Arts District. Enjoy galleries,
open studios, art exhibits, and more within this district,
founded with the goal of promoting socioeconomic
and ethnic diversity through local arts and culture.
415/451-8119; artsanrafael.org
Marin Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Home to
pelicans, diving ducks, grebes, and terns, this 339-acre
refuge is also the largest heron and egret rookery of the
San Francisco Bay Area. 510/792-0222; fws.gov
SANTA CLARA
Mission Santa Clara de Asís. Dating back to 1777, this
mission remains an active church today. In addition to
regular services, the mission hosts choral, orchestra,
and other Santa Clara University musical events. 408/
554-4023; scu.edu/missionchurch
SANTA CRUZ
Lighthouse Field State Beach. Surfers, beach lovers,
birds, and monarch butterflies (during winter months)
are all drawn to this sandy stretch. After a day in the
sun, take a tour of the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum.
831/423-4609; parks.ca.gov
Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park. Learn about
the legacy of the Spanish mission system from the
Native American perspective at this historical site; the
remaining early 1800s adobe structure used to house
Indian residents. 831/425-5849; parks.ca.gov
Visit Santa Cruz County. Located on California's
iconic Highway 1, Santa Cruz County is the birthplace
of mainland surfing in the U.S. Coastal air, breezy
forest trails, and a classic west coast vibe combine with
boutique wineries, farm-to-table freshness, and 29
miles of coastline. 831/425-1234; 800/833-3494; Let's
Cruz at VisitSantaCruz.org! See ad, p. 119
SANTA ROSA
Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center.
Visit the largest collection of original Peanuts comic
strips and learn about Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the
rest of the Peanuts gang! For hours, exhibitions, and
events, visit schulzmuseum.org See ad, pgs. 166-167
SARATOGA
Hakone Gardens. Enjoy the serenity and beauty of a
historic (built in 1917) Japanese garden estate as you
stroll through the authentic Hill-and-Pond style strolling
170 | VISITCALIFORNIA.COM

http://www.pier39.com http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/locations http://www.staypleasanthill.com http://parks.ca.gov http://www.chabotspace.org http://www.visittrivalley.com http://www.cdm.org http://www.museumca.org http://www.nps.gov/pore http://www.usspotomac.org http://www.sanjose.org http://parks.ca.gov http://www.nps.gov/rori http://www.artsanrafael.org http://www.hiller.org http://www.fws.gov http://www.moah.org http://www.scu.edu/missionchurch http://www.nps.gov/alca http://parks.ca.gov http://www.asianart.org http://www.ca.gov http://parks.ca.gov http://www.cablecarmuseum.org http://parks.ca.gov http://parks.ca.gov http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com http://www.marinfrenchcheese.com http://www.VisitSantaCruz.org http://www.exploratorium.edu http://parks.ca.gov http://www.schulzmuseum.org http://www.visitpetaluma.com http://www.VISITCALIFORNIA.COM

California Official Visitor's Guide 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of California Official Visitor's Guide 2022