Day Trip from SF North Bay
 

Hi all, I'm living in Sonoma county now for the past month, have been to Napa plenty, and lived in both San Francisco and the south bay (Los Gatos). I'm trying to arrange a day trip, maybe 2-day for my first anniversary on March 23rd and have been racking my brains for an enjoyable day away... to no avail... please help!

We're looking for something different to see and do, no kids, just us 40 year olds. We were in Mendocino last year, so I don't know what else is possible. I thought maybe Livermore, but I'm wondering if that's going to be a big let-down by comparison to gorgeous Sonoma county!

Any suggestions? We like activities -- hiking, biking, cute towns, events... but we don't care for spectator sports and aren't huge shoppers. Where would you go??

What if you check out the wine area in Amador County?

What about Yosemite?

How about Pacific Grove/ Carmel Valley area? Plenty to do and wineries too.

Livermore (my neck of the woods) is definitely an idea...

It is no Sonoma or Napa but there are over 20 wineries in the valley and several great restaurants.

http://www.livermorewine.com/wineries.html

Downtown Livermore has had a huge facelift and downtown Pleasanton is always great to stroll around. On Saturday morning they have a farmers market right downtown.

Hotels
Rose Hotel in Pleasanton http://www.rosehotel.net/
Purple Orchid Inn in Livermore (out in the vineyards)
http://www.purpleorchid.com/index.htm

Restaurants
Wente Winery - http://www.wentevineyards.com/
Haps Steakhouse in Pleasanton

Several of the wineries do themed dinners on the weekends.

Hiking
Del Valle Regional Park
Sycamore Grove Park - 5 mile roundtrip paved trail through the countryside
Sunol and Pleasanton Ridge also have nice day hikes.

Would you find a night on a riverboat romantic? Check out this website, they also have theater and mystery dinners

http://www.deltaking.com/

In addition to the other areas mentioned, have you been up to Humboldt County to the old growth redwoods?

I love the old growth redwoods. So amazing.

Humboldt County sounds interesting too, a must-visit. I found that they have evening kayaking, which sounds like great fun. Would it be better to wait until it gets warmer there, though?

For the redwoods, I wouldn't worry about waiting until it is warmer - it is the coast and rarely gets particularly warm. Besides, redwood forests are at their best when there has been rain recently.

How about Mendocino area? Or the coast by Sea Ranch and Gualala. Weather depending of course.

For Redwoods, I'd go to Avenue of the Giants and stay either at Miranda Gardens or Meyer Flat B & B. Check at the ranger station for wonderful trails. Heavenly.

Or go to Gold Country. Hwy 49 has a lot of interesting places. Look at your map and pick one.

Check out the Benbow Inn - a REALLY lovely historic inn near the northern Redwoods. http://www.benbowinn.com/benbow_inn.html

How about Oroville and eastward, in the Feather River area? Great drive on Route 70, then you can connect to where Route 49 begins and wind down towards the Amador area.

The north end of Hwy 49 is great - put it on the list, but not for your anniversary in March. The elevations up there are pretty high, so they get a fair amount of snow. I'd wait until at least June to head up that way.

About 25 miles south of Eureka is the Victorian town of Ferndale. I believe the whole town is designated as a historical monument or some such. Cute B&Bs for an anniversary. The town is very small but has some good hiking nearby.

Ferndale is a great suggestion. My mom stayed at the Gingerbread Mansion a few years ago and loved it:
http://www.gingerbread-mansion.com/

Oh, speaking of Hwy 49, I like the Nevada City. Also, old town Auburn is fun to visit.

Come down here to Carmel. You can do everything you listed and experience the most beautiful area on the planet.

J_Correa,
Thanks for the reality check on the March weather/snow possibilities. I do recall seeing the roadside markers showing the snow levels, but that was on my trip in the burning October sun and it just didn't register, I guess! I loved the drive from Oroville up to the little town of Quincy, especially through the very dramatic tunnels blasted through the cliffs.

TTess, I'm coming down soon (from San Jose) as that Carmel/ PG dining list made me realize what I've been missing lately!