Five San Francisco, California Area Attractions
Winchester House, Pier 39, Golden Gate, Muir Woods, Marin Headlands
Feb 2, 2009
These five San Francisco Bay Area attractions can be visited in a single Bay Area weekend. Take the guesswork out of deciding which things to do in San Francisco by planning the San Francisco sightseeing agenda beforehand. Day one includes visits to San Jose's Winchester Mystery House and San Francisco’s Pier 39. Day two ventures across the Golden Gate Bridge, and then explores the wilder areas of Muir Woods National Monument and Marin Headlands.
Winchester Mystery House
The Winchester Mystery House, with its 160 rooms, stands as a monument to one woman’s obsession with house additions — but also, hearkens back to an earlier time period in the Bay Area’s history. Tours of this house’s bizarre interior and grounds leaves a person wondering what its owner, reclusive Sarah William Winchester (the Winchester Rifle heiress) was like in real life. At the same time, it’s interesting and a bit poignant to note the remarkable contrast between the house’s former and current surroundings.
Pier 39: A Top San Francisco Attraction
Spend the afternoon at San Francisco’s Pier 39, where the entertainment includes street performers, more than 100 eclectic shops, a dozen restaurants, and a group of resident sea lions. Informative signs explain and interpret the sea lions’ presence and behavior in great detail. Take a seat on one of the benches set up for people to watch the animals as they frolic noisily about and jostle for better sleeping positions. After the sea lions, catch a street entertainer's performance, and then grab a meal at one of the restaurants to finish the day.
Golden Gate Bridge: A San Francisco Sightseeing Must
No San Francisco sightseeing adventure would be complete without a trip across the Golden Gate Bridge, whether by car or by foot. This breathtaking structure, with its trademark brilliant color, still stands for all things San Francisco. Be sure to stop at one of the bridge’s visitor areas (on both sides of the bridge), where informative signs explain the bridge’s architecture, history, and more in great detail.
Muir Woods National Monument
A mere 12 miles away from the Golden Gate Bridge, enter another world in Muir Woods. A favorite spot of famed naturalist John Muir, this secluded redwood forest brings the visitor up close and personal with these remarkable trees. Easy, paved, half-mile and one-mile loop hiking trails wander through the damp, beautifully scented groves of redwoods. More adventurous types can lengthen their strolls on additional, unpaved trails.
Marin Headlands (Golden Gate National Recreation Area)
Another Bay Area attraction with a wilder flavor, the Marin Headlands offers the visitor a number of possible stops. Start by stopping in at the visitor center (open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) for information, and from there, decide where to go next. Top on the list should be walking out to the idyllic Point Bonita Lighthouse, where animal lovers will delight at watching the reclusive harbor seals that regularly use the rocks below the walkway as resting places.
Bay Area Attractions for the Weekend Visitor
All of the Bay Area attractions described above can be easily fit into an active weekend of San Francisco sightseeing. The Golden Gate Bridge fits into either day one or day two. Another option is to pick two or three of the above for one frenzied day of San Francisco sightseeing activities, and then spend the next day relaxing a bit more on a Napa Valley wine tasting tour.
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