• San Juan Bautista Mission Courtyard Palms
    Day Trips from SF Bay Area,  Local Discoveries

    San Juan Bautista – The City of History

    What do Alfred Hitchcock, the grim tale of the Donner Party, and a historic Catholic Mission have in common? Visit San Juan Bautista, California, and discover this curious connection! Cruising along Highway 101 in the Greater SF Bay Area, some of you might be familiar with Highway 156 WEST going through Castroville (The Artichoke Capital of the World) and out to the coastal villages of Monterey County. But just 3 miles EAST on Hwy 156 you’ll find San Juan Bautista, a town where 19th century California comes to life! Once upon a time (1850-1880), San Juan Bautista was a bustling town. Home to The Coast Line Stage Company, it was…

  • Baylands Natural Preserve Panorama
    Hikes & Outdoor Activities,  Local Discoveries

    Baylands Nature Preserve: Outdoor Adventures in San Francisco Bay Area

    Driving east on San Antonio Road in Mountain View, we discovered the isolated marshlands of the San Francisco South Bay, Baylands Nature Preserve. Not knowing what to expect, we were amazed by the vast variety of birds there! We were so taken by our discovery that we wanted to encourage you to put it on your outdoor activities list for Palo Alto or Mountain View in the San Francisco Bay Area. We’ve seen this marshland area many times from a plane as we approached San Francisco or San Jose International Airports. From above, the area appears as empty wilderness, islands of grass, and well… marshes… What could possibly be there?…

  • Entrance to the Blackhawk Museum, Danville, California
    Local Discoveries,  Museums & Cultural Sites

    The Blackhawk Museum: Best Eclectic Museum in the SF Bay Area

    The Blackhawk Museum is, in our opinion, one of the best museums in the entire San Francisco Bay Area, and you’ve probably never even heard of it! Located in the posh Blackhawk neighborhood tucked away in the town of Danville, California, the museum caught our attention with the public opening of a new “Into China” exhibition. We decided to check it out and fell in love not only with this collection but the entire museum complex! Into China The “Into China” exhibition opened to the public on January 25, 2020, just in time to celebrate the Lunar New Year. We were curious about the exhibit but did not expect such…

  • Local Discoveries,  Weekend Getaways

    Solvang, CA: Town of Sweet-Tooth Vikings

    Did you know that the Danish Capital of America is actually in California? No? Now you do! 😊 Solvang is about 4.5 hours’ drive south from the San Francisco Bay Area, or about an hour drive north of Santa Barbara. And, if you are fulfilling your dream of driving along Pacific Coast Highway, it’s just a 20-minute detour inland to visit this charming Danish town of California. Solvang, meaning “Sunny Field” in Danish, was founded around 1911 by 3 Danish immigrants heading west to California to escape the colder weather back east. Their hope was to create a village for other Danish and European immigrants to settle. The warm sunny…

  • Panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean & Pigeon Point lighhouse
    Day Trips from SF Bay Area,  Local Discoveries

    Fun Things to Do on Pacific Coast Highway near SF Bay Area

    Once you’ve found “the way to San Jose”, there are so many different options for things to do and see, both in and out of town. This post is for those of you who love hopping in the car and taking casual day-trips just to see what’s out there. On this local adventure, we drove west out of San Jose to Santa Cruz, then up the coast on Hwy 1 or the “PCH”. And now we will share our tips on the fun things to do on the Pacific Coast Highway near the San Francisco Bay Area. Seymour Marine Discovery Center Our first stop was at Seymour Marine Discovery Center.…

  • Bridge in Alum Rock Park, San Jose, California
    Hikes & Outdoor Activities,  Local Discoveries

    Alum Rock Park: Outdoor Adventures in San Francisco Bay Area

    Alum Rock Park in San Jose, California is one of our recent outdoor adventures we’d love to share with you. Can’t believe we’ve lived in the SF Bay Area for years, and this was our first visit! Don’t make our mistake. If you are near San Jose and looking for a beautiful hike in a historical setting, Alum Rock Park is a great place to start. Alum Rock Park History and Curiosities Founded in 1872, Alum Rock Park is the oldest municipal park in the entire state of California! Modeled after European spa retreats, the park boasted close to 30 mineral hot springs, baths, pavilions, Tea House, and even a…

  • Panoramic view of San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, California
    Hikes & Outdoor Activities,  Local Discoveries

    San Jose Rose Garden: Outdoor Adventures in San Francisco Bay Area

    San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, voted “America’s Best Rose Garden”, is one of the most popular urban outdoor places for visitors and residents alike. Nestled on the corner of Naglee and Dana avenues, it’s just a couple of minutes away from the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. There, now you have a whole day planned! 😊 We love visiting the garden, whether it’s for a relaxing stroll along the rows of rose bushes (over 3,500 of them with 189 varieties!), have a picnic or kick off the ol’ shoes and enjoy a book on the lush grass lawns. If you’re lucky, you might even get a chance to observe a wedding by…