There’s plenty to see and do in California. Whether you are an outdoor enthusiast, enjoy the arts, or are more suited to the delights of studio tours, theme parks, historical sites, and wine tasting, you’ll find there’s more than enough to keep you entertained.
The National Park Service maintains 23 different units in California, including nine national parks. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Ring Mountain, Marin County, and John Muir National Historic Site are located right here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Others, such as Yosemite, Joshua Tree, and Lassen Volcanic, make great weekend trips.
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is the largest urban national park area in the world with 74,000 acres of land and water. Approximately 28 miles of coastline lie within its boundaries, and the area is nearly two times the size of San Francisco. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area contains such diverse sites as Alcatraz, the Marin Headlands, Fort Funston, Fort Mason, the Muir Woods National Monument, the Fort Point National Historic Site, and the Presidio of San Francisco.
California’s 278 state parks contain the largest and most diverse natural and cultural heritage holdings of any state agency in the nation. These parks run the gamut from underwater preserves and state historic parks to state beaches, lighthouses, ghost towns, and even waterslides. In short, California’s state parks protect and preserve the best of California’s natural and cultural history. Those who love the outdoors will appreciate that the state manages nearly 15,000 campsites; 3,000 miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails; and hundreds of miles of scenic coastline — all for use by the public.
Within California, there is a fountain of artistic and cultural innovation and creativity. California is home to Hollywood, the center of the American film industry. Notable authors who were either native to California or who wrote extensively about California include John Steinbeck, John Muir, Robert Frost, and Jack London. The Bay Area is proud of its many outstanding museums, including the Legion of Honor, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Northern California is also home to a variety of performing arts theaters, symphonies, and the opera.
California leads the nation in wine production because the state’s climate, topography, and soil are ideal for growing wine grapes. The Livermore Valley is becoming a prime viticulture area. It is home to 40 wineries — many within a short drive of Sandia/California — and the number continues to grow.
The San Francisco Bay Area has six major professional sports league franchises — two football teams, the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders; two major-league baseball teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics; the San Jose Sharks (hockey); and the Golden State Warriors (basketball).
The enduring rivalry between the Stanford Cardinal and the University of California’s Golden Bears is the highlight of college sports in the Bay Area. The two football teams play each other in the annual “Big Game,” and the winner takes home the Axe, a trophy that has been passed back and forth between the two schools for more than a hundred years. Both colleges also boast highly ranked athletes and teams in many other sports, including basketball, swimming, and even golf!