day trip from San Francisco

Hey, On our last day in the states we have a free day in SFO is there anywhere within an hour or twos drive that would be nice for us to drive to. Thanks in advance.

day trip from San Francisco

(This is a trip I recommended to someone who wanted to see redwoods...it is a really nice day trip.)

There is a marvelous and large redwood preserve in the Russian River area not far north of San Francisco, called Armstrong Grove Redwoods National Preserve.

There is a circle day trip you can take to see them which will also take you on the Sonoma Coast and through some of the wine country.....easily.

Ready?

Cross the Golden Gate Bridge and drive to Petaluma on Hwy 101, less than an hour. Take the East Washington St. exit, drive through town and stay on course. This puts you on the Bodega Highway through some pretty pastoral countryside and takes you to Bodega Bay, a fishing village. Part of Alfred Hitchcock%26#39;s ';The Birds'; was filmed here. Stop and poke around the fish market and the gift shop. This is maybe 45 minutes or so from Petaluma.

Now drive north on Hwy 1. You will pass several State beaches, all easily accessible. Not for swimming though, the water is COLD. They are nice to walk on. My favorite is just north of Bodega Bay, called Salmon Creek. Depending upon the tide, a lagoon forms here where the creek comes into the ocean and the water can be warmed by the sun enough to wade in.

The last of these State Beaches is Goat Rock State Beach. Watch for the sign. If you drive down there you can watch the Russian River enter the Pacific and if the tides and wind are right it can be quite dramatic.

Back up on Hwy 1 the road shortly crosses the Russian River.

You have now come 10 miles from Bodega Bay.

After the bridge, leave Hwy 1 and turn right on Hwy 116. You will be following the Russian River. In just a few miles you will be in Guerneville. Stop and ask directions for Armstrong Grove. Depending upon the time of day you are here you might have picked up some picnic supplies in Guerneville. There is a large Safeway there with a deli.

After you have explored the park, stay on 116 going in the same direction until you get to Hwy 101. You will be in Santa Rosa. Turn south on 101 and watch for the Hwy 12 sign. This is less than or about an hour.

Hwy 12 will take you through the Sonoma Valley, past many vineyards and wineries. You can stop and taste and tour if you like. One of the favorites is a slight detour to the village of Glen Ellen and the Benziger Winery which has interesting tram tours of its biodynamic vineyards.

Continuing on Hwy 12 you will come to the historic town of Sonoma, built during the Mexican occupation days of the early 1800%26#39;s around an 11-acre Plaza, surrounded by historic adobe buildings, now housing a couple of hotels, lots of boutiques and restaurants and wine tasting venues, besides the historic remains of the barracks and the General Vallejo compound. It is only 20 miles from Santa Rosa to Sonoma, so you have time to explore.

If you find yourself here in good time you can actually park around the Plaza and walk to Sebastiani Winery. Just walk east on Spain Street through a residential area, about three or four blocks, and you are at the edge of town and at the winery. Another winery close to town is Buena Vista, on Old Winery Road. It was here that the Hungarian Colonel, Agostin Haraszthy brought the first wine grape cuttings from Europe to California, thus starting the whole thing. The winery is a small and charming stone building in a pretty setting under oak trees.

The town is known for its restaurants, and is less than an hour from the Golden Gate Bridge, so if you want to have dinner before returning to San Francisco, it would be a reasonable thing to do.

Recommended are The El Dorado Kitchen in the historic El Dorado Hotel on the corner of Spain Street and First Street West. Do not be put off by its name, it is not a ';kitchen';, but a classy restaurant. Across Spain Street, in the also historic Sonoma Hotel, is The Girl and the Fig which is smaller and has more of a bistro menu. A few doors up from that is the Swiss Hotel, also historic, and which has a traditional Italian restaurant.

All three of these restaurants have patio seating as a choice.

To get back to the city, just continue south on Hwy 12 (Broadway in town), turn right at Hwy 121, right again at Hwy 37 and get on Hwy 101 toward San Francisco.

day trip from San Francisco

Puter%26#39;s trip is great but is long and requires crossing a bridge which could be problematic depending upon time of day.

Don%26#39;t know what you%26#39;ve already seen but you could get over to Half Moon Bay easily. From the airport go north just a bit to Hiway 380 west. Connect to Hiway 280 south. Drive about 15 miles to Hiway 92 west. It%26#39;s another 5 miles on Hiway 92 to Half Moon Bay.

There are some shops and restaurants in Half Moon Bay or drive a bit south (17 miles) to the town of Pescadero and take in Duarte%26#39;s Tavern ... known for their artichoke soup and ollalaberry pie!

Another option is Monterey, which is a two-hour drive from San Francisco (take 280S to 85S to 101S 10 156W 1 1S). Once here, I recommend a few hours exploring at Point Lobos State Reserve (about 4 miles south of Carmel on Highway 1). You%26#39;ll see amazing ocean views and probably spot some sealife (otters, seals, maybe dolphins). If you like aquariums, Monterey%26#39;s is word class. I think in 2 to 3 hours, you can enjoy it. A lot of people enjoy driving the 17-Mile Drive through Pebble Beach. There are some wonderful stops along the way (Seal Rock, Bird Rock, Lone Cypress, etc.) It does cost $9.50 per car to get in. If you stop to eat (Stillwater Grill at the Lodge is great for lunch--nice views, your gate fee will be refunded. Some people object to the fact that for part of the drive, you%26#39;re driving past people%26#39;s mansions--for me, no big deal, but some people don%26#39;t like that.

I don%26#39;t find Half Moon Bay very interesting, frankly, a cute little town with a sometime farmer%26#39;s market. Not on the coast, unless you drive down there, and yes Duart%26#39;s Tavern in Pescadero is kind of interesting, if you happen to be going down that way, but I would not make either stop one part of an interesting day trip from San Francisco.

Speaking of traffic.....yes you will cross the Golden Gate Bridge to take my recommenced tour.

I am intereted in Sal%26#39;s commendt that it could be a problem.

Done it forwver...not prob.

Your call.

I love the previous suggestion for the Carmel/Monterey area. We just spent 4 days in this gorgeous area of the coast. The scenery is beautiful in this area, there are many great restaurants and the Monterey Bay Aquarium is not to miss. Have fun on your trip and with your research! :)

Thanks for the advice guys ive got alot of thinking to do.

I would recommend at trip to Carmel/Monterey. It is some of the most beautiful coast in the world. It%26#39;s much wilder and more cliff-like than your Bondi beach but somehow more scenic. Take a trip down 17 mile drive, there are many great areas to stop for pictures. Have a little lunch on ocean ave. in Carmel.

Puter, my comment about the bridge was in reference to possible traffic. I don%26#39;t know what OP%26#39;s time frames are. Traffic can make the trip an extra 30 minutes ... but of course, you would know that, wouldn%26#39;t you?

I would drive south down the 101 to the 152 east to Casa De Fruta! Its a hoot.

Who cares about a little bridge traffic? Maybe the Golden Gate is no big deal to people who live in the Bay Area, but it%26#39;s one of the most iconic structures in the world, and crossing it can be a transcendent experience. Frankly, I wouldn%26#39;t mind being ';stuck'; in traffic on that bridge. I highly recommend at least one Golden Gate passage for any San Francisco visitor.