Things to Do: Napa/ Sonoma County

A Wine Country escape is a prized ritual in Northern California. Tastings are a given, but add in the hiking, biking, spas, and hot springs, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. We’ve narrowed down the possibilities and divided them evenly by county. Choose your own adventure, just be sure to stay safe on the roads (or up in the air, or on the river, as the case may be).

NAPA 

- Sample some of Wine Country’s best cocktails. Meadowood Restaurant Bar (St. Helena) 

- Steep in a mud bath. Golden Haven Hot Springs (Calistoga)

- Fire up your quads with chef Michael Chiarello and his fellow chef-cum-pro-cycling buddies. Bottega Gran Fondo (Yountville) 

- Gape at the panoramic vista of Napa during a hike. Skyline Park (Napa) 

- Get a taste of Coombsville, Napa’s newest appellation. Farella Vineyards, Meteor Vineyard, and Sciandri Family Vineyards (Coombsville) 

- Lounge in a private cabana. Clos Du Val (Rutherford) 

- Get scooped at Three Twins Ice Cream. Oxbow Public Market (Napa) 

- Splurge on the $445 tasting menu (with wine pairings, bien sûr). The French Laundry (Yountville)

- Explore the hidden enclave of art galleries. St. Helena (St. Helena) 

- Greet the sunrise with a hot-air balloon ride. Napa Valley Aloft (Yountville) 

- Take a wine-tasting class. CIA at Greystone (St. Helena) 

- Marvel at the epic valley view at sunset. The Terrace at Auberge du Soleil (Rutherford) 

- Just once, hop aboard the Napa Wine Train. (Napa) 

- Sip bubbly in historic caves by gothic candlelight. Schramsberg Vineyards (Calistoga) 

- Book a tasting in the Chandelier Room inside the caves. Hall Wines (Rutherford)

- Tour a contemporary art museum. Hess Collection (Napa)

- Picnic on the patio under 100-year-old olive trees. Silverado Vineyards (Yountville) 

- Partake in an I Love Lucy–style grape stomp. Various wineries (Napa) 

SONOMA 

- December 18, 2015 is coming around the corner, geek out to one of the best Star Wars memorabilia collections. Obi Wan Ranch (Petaluma)

- They've done it! World's Best Coffee! Blue Beagle Coffee (Larkfield)

-Bring the kids to Traintown (Sonoma)

-Take a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory. Jelly Belly (Fairfield)

- Spend an afternoon picking Golden Delicious and Fuji apples. Gabriel Farm (Sebastopol) 

- Explore tide pools and then grab a cup of chowder. Spud Point Crab Company (Bodega Bay) 

- Eat, drink, and listen to live tunes with the locals. Tuesdays in the Plaza (Healdsburg)

- Rent a boat and cruise. Lake Sonoma (Geyserville) 

- Take a beekeeping, shrub-making, or butchery class. Shed (Healdsburg) 

- Zip-line through the redwoods. Sonoma Canopy Tours (Occidental) 

- Hit the track in a sports car. Simraceway (Sonoma)

- Lounge poolside. Francis Ford Coppola Winery (Healdsburg) 

- Bubble up after a hike at Armstrong Redwoods. Korbel (Guerneville) 

- Stay sustainable. h2hotel (Healdsburg) 

- Partake in the annual Lazy Bear tube ride. Russian River (Guerneville) 

- Watch the goats clear grass. Hamel Family Wines (Sonoma) 

- Get a hot cedar mulch immersion treatment in a Japanese tea garden.Osmosis (Freestone) 

- Investigate Bordeaux-style winemaking. Dry Creek Vineyard (Healdsburg) 

- Learn to make cheese. Achadinha Cheese Company (Petaluma) 

- Rub elbows with Top Chef hosts at the annual Pigs & Pinot. Hotel Healdsburg (Healdsburg) 

- Get your show tune fix with Broadway Under the Stars. Jack London State Park (Glen Ellen) 

- Be transported to Victorian times. Madrona Manor (Healdsburg) 

- Take your dog for a horse-drawn vineyard tour. Landmark Vineyards (Kenwood) 

- Indulge in a three-course food-and-wine pairing inside the Bubble Room. J Vineyards & Winery (Healdsburg)

- Awaken the child within on a rope swing. Scribe (Sonoma) 

- Get up close to seals, otters, and sea lions. Goat Rock Beach (Jenner) 

- Make s’mores. Farmhouse Inn (Forestville) 

- Visit tulip and daffodil gardens in spring. Ferrari Carano (Healdsburg) 

- Run wild with cheetahs, rhinos, and giraffes. Safari West (Santa Rosa) 

- Book a private tasting where the wine is curiously made using all of the grape skins. A. Rafanelli (Healdsburg) 

- Sit in the Big Blue Chair. Cornerstone Sonoma (Sonoma) 

Things to Do: San Francisco 

Ready. Steady. Go. 

- Bask in the sunrise. Bernall Hill (Bernal Heights)

- Enjoy the best part of waking up. Philz Coffee (Mission) & Blue Bottle (Hayes Valley)  

- Hit the streets on a self guided Banksy San Francisco Tour. Sightings (San Francisco)

- Make a Vertigo-inspired pilgrimage. Fort Point (Presidio)

- Pump your brakes down one of the city’s steepest streets. Filbert Street (Telegraph Hill)

- Hike a trail of wildflowers. Perimeter Road (Angel Island)

- Picnic with the Painted Ladies. Alamo Square (Alamo Square)

- Coast down concrete slides. Seward Mini-Park (Dolores Heights)

- Grab some fresh produce, Korean Tacos from Namu, Porchetta Sandos from Roli Roti, Best Damn Cheeseburgers from 4505, and Chilaquiles from Primavera . Ferry Plaza Farmers Market (Embarcadero)

- Lunch among the redwoods. Transamerica Pyramid Center (Financial District)

- Sip an Irish coffee at its US birthplace. Buena Vista Cafe (Fisherman’s Wharf)

- Unearth antiques. Alemany Flea Market (Bernal Heights)

- Race to the top. Coit Tower (Telegraph Hill)

- Browse hip designer boutiques, brunch at Absinthe and a beer at Suppenkuche. Hayes Street (Hayes Valley)

- Catch the beat. Hippie Hill Drum Circle (Golden Gate Park)

- Meditate in a labyrinth. Grace Cathedral (Nob Hill)

- Play 18 holes. Golden Gate Park Disc Golf Course (Golden Gate Park)

- Go on a mural walking tour. 24th Street (Mission)

- Dine on dim sum. Yank Sing (SoMa)

- Bypass the hills on your bike. The Wiggle (Lower Haight)

- Go on the road with Jack Kerouac. The Beat Museum (North Beach)

- Climb the public art. 16th Avenue Tiled Steps (Sunset)

- Instagram the ruins. Sutro Baths (Richmond)

- Drink with the fishes. Academy of Sciences Nightlife (Golden Gate Park)

- Admire a Daniel Libeskind masterpiece. Contemporary Jewish Museum (SoMa)

- Have your fortune told. Musee Mecanique (Fisherman’s Wharf)

- Ride a cable car. Powell/Market Turntable (Union Square)

- Raid a vintage emporium. Wasteland (Upper Haight)

- Sit seiza. Japanese Tea Garden (Golden Gate Park)

- Take the scenic route. 24 Divisadero Muni Bus (Bayview)

- Brush up on your iambic pentameter. Shakespeare Garden (Golden Gate Park)

- Walk yourself dizzy. Land's End Labyrinth (Sea Cliff)

- Gleam in the glow of 13 pianos. Caruso's Dream (SoMa)

- Practice your Italian with La Bohème. SF Opera (Civic Center)

- Eat pork buns and tikka masala burritos. Off the Grid (Marina, Upper Haight)

- Get your modernism fix. De Young Museum (Golden Gate Park) 

- Roast marshmallows over a bonfire. Ocean Beach (Outer Sunset)

- Stock up on conversation starters. City Arts & Lectures (Civic Center)

- Pore over endless vinyls. Amoeba Music (Upper Haight)

- Bike (or get stuck) in Critical Mass. Justin Herman Plaza (Embarcadero)

- Make the rounds in a Ferris wheel. Treasure Island Music Festival (Treasure Island)

- Craft geode jewelry. Museum of Craft & Design (Dogpatch)

- Spend a night in jail. Alcatraz (Alcatraz Island)

- Make a movie date. Foreign Cinema (Mission)

- Learn swagger from Don Quixote. SF Ballet (Hayes Valley)

- Gallery hop during first Thursdays. San Francisco Art Dealers Association (Union Square)

- Blow your mind. Audium (TenderNob)

- Get a seal’s-eye view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Golden Gate Ferry (Embarcadero)

- Fall victim to a vicious roast. Cobb's Comedy Club (Russian Hill)

- Spot Dracula orchids. Conservatory of Flowers (Golden Gate Park)

- Score a free concert poster. The Fillmore (Western Addition)

- Chow down on Gilroy garlic fries at a Giants game. AT&T Park (South Beach)

- Conquer all 100. The Big Eat

- Catch the LED show at dusk. The Bay Lights (Bay Bridge)

- Take in the country’s longest running musical revue. Beach Blanket Babylon (North Beach)

- Tinker under the influence. Exploratorium After Dark (Embarcadero)

- Take a psychedelic tour in the Haight. Haight-Ashbury (Upper Haight)

- Admire the wild parrots. Telegraph Hill (North Beach)

- Watch fortune cookies take shape. Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory (Chinatown)

- Polish your culinary skills. San Francisco Cooking School (Civic Center)

- Keep your balance on Andy Goldsworthy’s Wood Line. Lover's Lane (Presidio)

- Run, bike, walk, pedicab, or rollerblade. The Embarcadero (Embarcadero)

- Enjoy a 180-degree view of the Bay. Twin Peaks (Twin Peaks)

- Witness an indoor thunderstorm. Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar (Nob Hill)

- Hike with Fido. Fort Funston (Lakeshore)

- Swing high above the city. Billy Goat Hill (Glen Park)

- Run in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge. Crissy Field (Presidio)

- Enjoy a free pint with your haircut. People's Barber & Shop (TenderNob)

- Take in the SF skyline. Mt. Tamalpais State Park (Mill Valley)

- Hide inside a giant camera. Camera Obscura (Land's End)

- Scrub with salt. Imperial Spa (Western Addition)

- Bark at the sea lions. Pier 39 (Fisherman’s Wharf)

- Shop in the big leagues. Union Square (Union Square)

- Whisper the secret password. Bourbon & Branch (Tenderloin)

- See Burning Man art without getting dusty. Pier 14 (Embarcadero)

- Walk the eastern span. Bay Bridge (Oakland)

- Stroll through a secret oasis. Haven Street (Russian Hill)

- Explore a once-lewd alley–turned–urban garden. Tenderloin National Forest (Tenderloin)

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* The material referenced on this page can be found from one of San Francisco's best sources for things to do: 7x7. Please visit http://www.7x7.com/ for some of the best advice on what to see and do in the bay area!