One week vacation. A couple of days in LA, a couple driving up PCH to Napa, then a couple in San Francisco. We've done the Peterson Museum but will probably go back. Never been to Napa area. SWMBO loves wine, the whole family loves car type things. What does the hive recommend? Thank you!
Keep in mind that PCH is still closed somewhere south of Big Sur. IIRC there is a detour, though.
Plenty of wineries to visit in Napa, not familiar with a lot of them but we do like Nicholson Ranch Wineries.
Check the schedule for Sears Point? (er, Sonoma Raceway? It'll always be Sears Point to me, never mind that whole Infineon thing, but I digress...)
You'll of course be passing the vicinity of Laguna Seca as well. Something tells me Monterey probably has some car stuff year-round, though I don't know what's on for when...
Generally awesome, though not car related: The Exploratorium in San Francisco is a neat place; super-awesome if you've got kids, but I thought it was neat when I finally got to visit for the first time since childhood a couple of years ago. I'll hold up here before I start rattling off the stuff I want to do on returning to S.F., as I don't have a lot that's either car or wine related specifically...
Just had a quick look, it looks like the PCH detour is via the Naciemento Fergusson Road. I've driven that a few times. It'll take some time, but it's definitely worth the detour even if there wasn't the PCH at the other end.
Of note about Napa. Certainly a historic wine area, but there are grapes, wine and wineries ALL up the coast now. When you take the drive, if you do any time on the 101, you will see. Miles and miles and miles of grapes. If you want to experience wines, and want to do it for a LOT cheaper then Napa, do yourself a favor and stop along the way. Napa is very much a tourist area, so be aware of that. Even Sonoma and some of the surrounding areas have some more affordable wine experiences. The wine train is a pretty cool and slightly expensive way to get a good view of the valley.
Lodi is about an hour from Napa, and is also know for very good wine (known for Cabernet I believe), and is a lot cheaper. There is a bit of a back road there that is a pretty nice drive.
The Jelly Belly factory is also very close to NAPA, if you are into that. They give free tours.
If you are going to the Muir woods (honestly not THAT much different then what you can see in the Oakland hills), it is SUPER crowded. If you do it, go EARLY. Go before it opens and you will get parking, and don't have to pay.
You might want to check out Treasure Island (the middle of the bay bridge). An interesting place to wander around, and it has very good views of SF. A good number of Mythbuster episodes where filmed there.
A good way to get a tour of the bay (if the weather is good) is to catch a ferry to Alameda (also a big Mythbusters location) and back. It will give you a pretty good tour and should stop in Marin and Angle Island if I remember correctly.
P.S. My father grew up in Napa, a friend of mine lives in Lodi, and I grew up in the Bay Area (but never did any of the tourist stuff until after I left!)
We had a much better time in Sonoma valley than Napa, the attitude and whatnot were more our vibe. We found an amazing small hotel in Glen Ellen, or in Sonoma the El Pueblo inn has been very good when we have stayed there for races at Sonoma.
We rented a yurt at a campground in a state park just north of Santa Barbara that had an amazing view and was a cool experience
In reply to aircooled :
It's been a few years since I've been to California, but that's how I remember it. Napa is neat, but there are some better areas to visit for wine tasting. At least not overly crowded, at least.
BTW, the PCH north of SF is better than south. I'd almost suggest taking the PCH north out of the Bay, and then cross over to the east to find some wines.
Enjoy the trip, glueguy- it's a darned nice drive.
Off the top of my head......
PCH up the coast to Oxnard .......side trip up a Malibo canyon or 2 , The Rock store is a good destination where everyone stops and gets a cold one ,
up the coast to Santa Barbara , there is a mountain way to get to Solvang if you want curvy roads,,,,,,,,Go to Lompoc and then down Hwy 1 which goes thru farmland towards the coast , Not sure how far Main St, Santa Maria goes towards the coast sand dunes but they are BIG dunes , Guadalupe is the small town , good mexician food , OsaFlaca park is near by , we camped there with out dune buggies years ago , but now its walk in only.......sand dunes , a little lake , real peaceful.......
Farther north is Oceano beach where you could drive and get stuck in the sand ......We camped there too in the sand.........a few miles north is Pismo beach , check the tides.....
That gets you the first 200 miles.........
Canepa is right on the way for you, just sayin'
WIth no offense intended to the folks from there, Lodi is one step up from Stockton, and both are near the bottom rung.
When are you going?
Alcatraz tour is nice, but you need to book way in advance. If you want to take a nice boat ride, take ferry to Angel Island.
+1 on the Exploratorium, a must see that is near the Palace of Fine Arts in SF. If in town on a Sunday, renting bikes and riding around GG Park is nice. In the East Bay, view from Mt Diablo is amazing, nice views from SF on top of Twin Peaks too.
Second Canepa. I've never been, but I've heard it's awesome. When are you coming? Even things like the local cars and coffee can be pretty cool.
Also - Muir woods requires a parking reservation now. It's like 12 bucks and you can do it online the day before. It is super crowded near the entrance, but if you take one of the side trails and go uphill a ways it thins out a lot. Very beautiful. I'm a big fan of the reservation system, because it allows you to actually get a damn parking spot.
We're going out late July/early August. Last time out to Orange County a couple years ago we did do the local C&C. Neat to go to one that is out of your area.
SoCal is I one of my favorite places in North America. No ... it's my #1 favorite place. And yes, the Petersen is superb. Can't see it often enough, and it's always changing. Wine country up north is obviously different than LA. Know what wines you like, do a little bit of research (or not), and just have fun. You will have fun there regardless! All the vineyards have excellent reds and whites, whatever your preference. Don't sweat it. Relax and have fun!
Stop at Pismo Beach. I have never been there but I grew up on surfing movies and I would have to stop there.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a must-do. Plan to spend a little time exploring Cannery Row and Carmel and the surrounding area and watching Sea Otters swim around. You can book a scuba-dive in the aquarium's tidal pool too....so cool. The roads in and out are pretty awesome as well.
When in Napa, I love stopping at the Oakville Grocery to stock up on some bread and cheese and such, then heading out to a smaller vineyard to grab a bottle and a table in the sun where I lose an entire afternoon.
I love the Sunset District, check out Fort Funston, then have lunch at the Cliff House (the rolls are TO DIE FOR) then explore Golden Gate Park, walk on the beach then sit outside at the Beer Garden and watch the sunset.
Redwoods are awesome, but I head to the Redwood Regional Park in Oakland, a lot closer and a great place to spend a few hours hiking.
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