Last weekend I finally checked California off with a visit to San Francisco. I’ve always wanted to go to California and San Francisco was a great place to start. I’m excited to share a list of the places I visited as well as some of the places I had on my list but need to save for next time.
Golden Gate Bridge: A must if you stop in San Francisco! Pictures don’t do this baby justice!
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I found this map online that was really helpful!! We stopped at Battery Spencer which was super close to the bridge!
To Know:
- We saw a sign that mentioned the high increase of car break-ins. If you are leaving your car out of sight make sure nothing valuable is visible in the car! (or even better take it with you)
- Bring a jacket!! At both of the places we stopped it was super super windy! Even the sunny days can be deceiving.
- Early bird gets the worm and the best view! We woke up early and got to the bridge by around 9AM – it was the perfect time to just enjoy it without a crazy amount of tourists!
Mr. Holmes Bakehouse – Quite an instagrammable moment in front of a neon glowing pink “I Got Baked in San Francisco” sign if you ask me! I hear they have a cross between a croissant and a muffin aka a cruffin…I will take 5!!!
Painted Ladies: This is a great place to grab a quick photo but if I had more time it would be an even better place to bring a picnic basket and just relax! If you’re from the East coast maybe you have seen the gingerbread houses on Martha’s Vineyard.. my mom and I found these houses to be a bit dull and underwhelming. Still worth it to go for the pretty park, fresh air and city views but keep in mind they are just houses!
Full House house – The Full House house was under construction when I was visiting!
Hopefully by the time you visit construction will be over. The house is located at 1709 Broderick St, San Francisco, CA 94115. A cool spot to grab a photo!
Pier 39: This was a fun touristy spot to check out! Keep an eye out for the sea lions. There were so many little shops to stop in at.
Alcatraz – A now shutdown federal prison is a popular spot here! We didn’t end up stopping here but I hear that it’s a fascinating tour!
Wine Tasting: If you visit California you just have to do a wine tasting!! We visited the most amazing winery called Castello di Amorosa in little town named Calistoga.
This place was absolutely breathtaking. Huge mamma mia 2 vibes with the open stone area and twinkle lights!!
The layout and location are unbeatable! Click here to check it out! This place is an “authentically-styled, 13th century medieval Tuscan-style castle.” It really felt like we were in Italy sipping wine! The staff was so kind and we got to learn so much about all of the different wines.
The wine was amazing! With the general admission ticket we were each able to try 5 types of wine. Click here for a link to their wines! They also had these really unique animal head wine pourers (the dragon one was my favorite -big Game of Thrones feeling) – the originals can be found on their website but I linked some from amazon ones below!!
Our favorites were: 2014 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Napa Valley (we’re told it was a GREAT year in the valley), 2018 VERMENTINO, and the 2016 PINOT NOIR
Morning Dew Ranch
Our second winery choice was Chateau Montelena which looked stunning but we ran out of time! Here is a list of more wineries that you can explore as well!
Visit the beach : I went to see Joe’s home and his mom and sister gave me such a nice tour. They took me to Half Moon Bay and we walked around the beach! I would recommend finding a beach close to you for some sand between your toes.
Click here for some beach recommendations!
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Extra! Extra!
Mosaic Steps: I’ve seen some of these posted! The community came together to create these beautiful tiled steps. :’)
Lands End: A view of the Golden Gate Bridge and a calm moment away from the cement city!
Muir Woods: North of San Francisco – this looked like a great place for a hike.
Some more recommendations I received from pals 🙂 Cafes on Filmore Street, Twin Peaks, Lands End, Marshall Beach, Heyday Organic Cafe, Dabba, Project Juice, Blue Barn, Delarosa, & Cliff House! I was also told to keep on going from California until I hit Hawaii and just stay there. 😂
I was only here for such a short time but I hope this list is still helpful! Like always, if you stop in at any of these places I would love to hear about it!
Always,
Madison