For a really beautiful beach camping experience, check out the campgrounds at Manresa State Beach near Santa Cruz. The campsites are perched on a bluff overlooking [more...]

If you prefer your campsites to be away from the smell of car exhaust, Northern California is rife with places to backpack. My personal favorite spot is located in the Sierras just past Feeley Lake. Yo [more...]

Though Mount Tam holds a firm grip on the imaginations of our city dwellers, Bay Area natives have another mountain they can turn to in times of trouble: Mount Diablo. Many aren't aware that in addition to creating a pleasing skyline, [more...]

The Gay Pride Parade happens in cities all over the country, but nowhere as vibrantly, loudly and proudly as in San Francisco. Featuring dozens of spangled floats, [more...]

Don't you miss toy stores? All that excitement and wonder, all those primary colors and plush fabrics and sparkly plastic? If you're sighing with longing now, pay a visit to Ambassador Toys in [more...]

Whether you're a single parent looking for a date you can bring your kids to, or a longterm couple looking for an outing the whole family can enjoy, One Martial Arts mig [more...]

In a green-thinking city, it makes sense that one of its largest street fairs is going green as well. The Union Street Festival is taking on a green tint as of [more...]

The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival offers almost 100 free events, beginning in May and running through October. Come check out classical and jazz concerts, opera, [more...]

The Mechanics Institute proves that Chess Club isn't just for nerds anymore. This is one of the oldest chess clubs in the United States, and apart from chess games, [more...]

They say chivalry is dead...so why not return to a time when it was everywhere? Take a quick trip to the Renaissance when you attend the Northern Californian Renaissance Faire. Co [more...]

When was the last time you went mini-golfing? If the answer is anything but "just a few hours ago," you and your friends need to pile in the car and head over to Golden Tee Golfland in [more...]

Head for the Basic Brown Bear Factory to build your own teddy bear. Excellent for a date that comes with kids attached.

Take a tour of local farm and organic garden Slide Ranch. You'll meet some nice folks, maybe score a basket of organic strawberries, and almost certainly have that all-important date experience: milking a cow.

Hand-carved horses, a spinny head and what the website calls a "huge organ." Is this an incredibly kinky date? Or is it just the carousel at Tilden Park in Berkeley? [more...]

Three can be a crowd on a date, unless you pick your activities right. If you've got a kid in the mix, head over to Children's Fairyland in Oakland. Slightly [more...]

If you want to be where the locals are, head for Duboce Park, a tiny jewel on the border of the Duboce Triangle and the Lower [more...]

There's a really lovely carousel downtown, for those dates that need to feed their inner child a bit. It's part of the Zeum Art & Technology Museum, wh [more...]