There are so many Bay Area Attractions we know this is only Part 1 of a series. In this post, we’re going to work our way from San Francisco to Oakland and then up to Wine Country. Enjoy this list of Bay Area Attractions.
Bay Area Attractions – San Francisco
- Golden Gate Park located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of 1,017 acres (412 ha) of public grounds. It is administered by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department, which began in 1871 to oversee the development of Golden Gate Park. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape to but 20 percent larger than Central Park in New York City, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles (4.8 km) long east to west, and about half a mile (0.8 km) north to south. With 24 million visitors annually, Golden Gate is the third most-visited city park in the United States after Central Park and the Lincoln Memorial. (source: Wikipedia)
- San Francisco Wave Organ is a sculpture constructed on the shore of San Francisco Bay in May 1986 by the Exploratorium, and more specifically, by Exploratorium artist in residence Peter Richards, who conceived and designed the organ, working with sculptor and mason George Gonzales. Through a series of pipes, the Wave Organ interacts with the waves of the bay and conveys their sound to listeners at several different stations. The effects produced vary depending on the level of the tide but include rumbles, gurgles, sloshes, hisses, and other more typical wave sounds. The structure incorporates stone platforms and benches where visitors may sit near the mouths of pipes, listening. The Wave Organ is located at the end of a spit of land extending from the Golden Gate Yacht Club. The stone pieces used in its construction were salvaged from the demolition of the Laurel Hill Cemetery in San Francisco. (source:Wikipedia)
- The San Francisco Zoo is a 100-acre (40 ha) zoo located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, California, between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean along the Great Highway. As of 2016, the zoo housed more than one thousand individual animals, representing more than 250 species. It is noted as the birthplace of Koko the gorilla, and, since 1974, the home of Elly, the oldest black rhinoceros in North America. (source: Wikipedia)
Bay Area Attractions – Oakland
The Oakland Zoois a zoo located in the Grass Valley neighborhood of Oakland, California, United States. Established in 1922, it is managed by the Conservation Society of California, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wildlife both locally and globally. The Zoo is home to over 700 native and exotic animals. It’s recognized for its outstanding animal care, particularly its elephant care program, and for its Leed-certified, 17,000 square foot, state-of-the-art veterinary hospital—the largest wild animal veterinary facility in Northern California. (source: Wikipedia)- Tilden Regional Park, also known as Tilden Park,is a 2,079-acre (841 ha) regional park in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. It is between the Berkeley Hills and San Pablo Ridge. Its main entrance is near Kensington, Berkeley, and Richmond. The park is contiguous with Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. The park is managed by the East Bay Regional Park District, created from the first land the District purchased in 1936. (source: Wikiepedia)
- The Redwood Valley Railway is a 15 in (381 mm) gauge miniature railway in Tilden Regional Park near Berkeley, California. It was established in 1952 by Erich Thomsen as the Tilden South Gate and Pacific Railway, on a 12 in (305 mm) gauge, and has since expanded to 1 1⁄4 miles (2 km) of track and carries over 160,000 passengers a year. Thomsen worked in the engineering department for the Western Pacific Railroad and received at least three patents for his work. The railway occupies land near the base of Vollmer Peak that was previously used as an anti-aircraft gun emplacement. 800 now-mature redwood trees were planted when the railroad was initially laid out. In 1968, the railroad was re-gauged to 15 in (381 mm) in. The new 15″ gauge, 5″ scale equipment allowed two adults to ride side by side and is representative of American narrow gauge railroads. (source: Wikipedia)
Bay Area Attractions – Wine Country
- The Sonoma TrainTown Railroad(commonly called “Sonoma Train Town”) is a tourist railroad and 10 acre amusement park in Sonoma, California. Its logo is based on the logo for the New York Central Railroad. Its main feature is a 15 in (381 mm) gauge miniature railway, which closely corresponds to a 1:4 scale model of a 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge railroad. TrainTown was founded by Stanley L. Frank of Oakland, California. In 1958 he “began bringing his dream railroad to life, building everything himself, from the houses and landscaping to the line’s two steam locomotives and one electric engine.” The railroad opened to the public in 1968. Frank died in 1977, and his son Robert Frank has continued to run the day to day operations of TrainTown alongside his wife Barbara and his daughter Monica. TrainTown also features a beautiful carousel, a mine train roller coaster, and an airplane ride. The petting zoo includes many animals, some of whom are rescues, such as goats, chickens, ducks, llamas, sheep, and bunnies. (source:Wikipedia and website)
- Happy Travelers Tours is the Sonoma Valley’s original educational cannabis tour and specializes in putting Guests up-close-and-personal with Cannabis plants. Working with other cannabis industry professionals, Happy Travelers Tours has created unique experiences designed to educate, inform and explore the California Cannabis lifestyle. (source: website)