Point Reyes Books deserves a look-in while you’re here. *Restrictions Apply. The Bay Area has become somewhat of a craft beer capital in the US, giving way to hundreds of local breweries with their own unique creations. The butterflies begin arriving in October and usually stay in the area until about March when they depart for their Spring migration. When you’re done enjoying the many different activities that the park has to offer, return to your room at The Majestic Yosemite Hotel, which is known for its history and beautiful architecture. This Bay Area weekend getaway destination is in Sonoma County, about 90 minutes from San Francisco and not far from the Napa Valley. Phone: 435-631-2527 This historic town set in the Sierra Nevada foothills features shops and restaurants preserved to evoke the 1850s Gold Rush-era. Here you can enjoy rare mud baths and thermal springs. But, if you’re in the Bay Area, Half Moon Bay is only about an hour’s drive so it’s not too far to drive a couple of times if you’re trying to catch the competition. If you’re lucky you’ll catch a big wave contest. For a different kind of unwinding, visit the Jikoji Zen Center. Winter Adventure Day Trips in the Bay Area - Fremont, CA - If it's winter sports you seek, make it a long day and hit the ski and tubing slopes three … The menu has upscale pub food (think reuben pastrami, yam chips, or tuna melt with aged cheddar on griddled challah), and there are 25 craft beers on tap. Copy Link . Dog walkers and couples stop by in the afternoon to enjoy the view from the sheltered cove. Their selection is vast, with beer-flavored jelly beans, bacon candy stripes, an ice cream counter and a cotton candy machine. Relaxing, charming and providing impressive views of the yacht -dotted bay Sausalito is the perfect low-key day trip. Before you head home, take a leisurely stroll through Shoreline Park for a glimpse of the San Francisco lighting up the evening across the bay. Most locations that participate offer a prix fix menu highlighting their most popular dishes, which means you can usually get a great deal on a few succulent bites. People come from across the globe to try flights of everything from hoppy IPAs to dark stouts throughout the year, but February’s SF Beer Week is the best time to wet your taste buds. For a light lunch, head to The Barlow, a cluster of restored warehouses once home to an apple processing plant. Best of all, the abundance of Dungeness crab in the winter season means you can order these clawed creatures whole. After all that garlic action, you might want to air out before heading home. Laura Morton/Special to The Chronicle Show More Show Less 3 of 51 West Marin could easily be a day trip for most Bay Area residents, but staying overnight is a … Outside, the flagstone courtyard is a pleasant place to sit back and people-watch. Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Markus Spiering, Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Brent De Vries, Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Steve Dunleavy, Photograph: Courtesy Thomas Fogarty Winery, Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Ray Bouknight, Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/, Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Kai Schreiber, Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Thomas Hawk, Photograph: Courtesy the city of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Don DeBold, Photograph: Courtesy Gilroy Welcome Center, Photograph: Courtesy Angel Island Company, The 10 best weekend getaways from San Francisco. For dessert, amble down the street to the James Beard-anointed America’s Classic Duarte’s Tavern for a slice of their olallieberry pie. Pop over to Garlic World on Monterey Road to immerse yourselves in all things vampire-repelling—from seasonings to dips to garlic-flavoured almonds. 88 Howard St.San Francisco, CA 94105(833) 600-3689Text: (833) 600-3689. Phone: 619-283-2012 In the park, the winter season boasts several activities such as skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, and snowshoeing. That open up numerous opportunities to make the most of these months through a wide variety of incredible Bay Area activities. Fax: 888.343.2953 If you’re looking for a fun winter getaway from the Bay Area, you have lots of choices! Up to 8 weeks FREE plus enter to win $5,000! Strategically located between beaches, redwoods and mountains, one of the best things about San Francisco is the ability to easily escape for a weekend of fun. Six Flags, Winterfest, and more offer plenty of family-friendly fun in the form of larger-than-life holiday attractions. Sometimes it gets scheduled for a certain day but gets postponed at the last minute because the swells just aren’t big enough. The festival keeps things fresh by switching up acts throughout the show. Cowgirl Creamery churns out its award-winning artisanal cheeses on site—in a restored hay barn—and the Cowgirl Cantina has creamy tomato soups, cheddar toasties and the classic organic ham and Mount Tam sandwich. Ten minutes away is Thomas Fogarty Winery—it’s a short drive, so don’t miss the few unmarked vista points along the way—where you can catch panoramic views of the ocean across rolling hills. Performers put on sketches, do improv, stick with traditional stand-up or even try out a little alternative comedy. You can catch them in hordes gathered along the pier as they bark and waddle around. A small detour to nearby Guerneville would be worth your while, if only to check out Guerneville Bank Club, a historic bank building now housing the INIZI wine tasting room, a corner store specializing in handmade crafts, and the Nimble & Finn's ice cream parlor. We’re working hard to be accurate – but these are unusual times, so please always check before heading out. The Gold Rush pretty much jolted San Francisco (along with the rest of California) onto the world map, so a list of day trips would be incomplete without a visit to Gold Country. © 2020 Time Out America LLC and affiliated companies owned by Time Out Group Plc. Indulge in scones with Devonshire clotted cream and mixed berry jam, together with traditional English cucumber sandwiches. Food options abound in nearby Point Reyes Station, a small rustic town at the mouth of the bay. The Bay Area is touristy throughout the year, but few people tend to travel out here in winter. When you head back to Tiburon, make a stop at Luna Blu, a waterfront Italian restaurant that serves English afternoon tea. Copy Link ... Other fun day trips in the winter are Half Moon Bay – especially when the Mavericks date is announced – or Point Reyes in the North Bay. Those who prefer to remain on terra firma (and are visiting during the colder months) should try and catch the impressive butterflies residing in the eucalyptus trees at Monarch Grove, in Natural Bridges State Beach. If you’re looking for a fun winter getaway from the Bay Area, you have lots of choices! End your day at Pescadero State Beach: Park at the northernmost parking lot if you want long sandy beaches, or at the southernmost lot if you’d like to clamber over rocky outcrops, inspect tide pools and watch the surf from the top of a sandstone bluff. Bay Area history buffs shouldn’t miss a trip to Quicksilver Country nearby: Mercury was being mined in New Almaden before the Gold Rush, and the New Almaden mines were the most valuable in the state, attracting Cornish, Chinese and Mexican settlers.