Grab your favorite purebred pup for your run on Dillon Beach. This exclusive coastline is home to some of the richest folks around. It's also hound heaven, with vast stretches of sand and dunes for off-leash running. Come dressed to [more...]

Marin is becoming more closed to dogs every year, it seems, but Rodeo Beach is still a great place to don your skimpiest swimsuit and take your dog [more...]

There is almost nothing better than watching your dog swim his heart out, and this sight can push your relationship through just about any stage. (In a fight? You'll find yourselves laughing at the dog together. Looking for a way to [more...]

At Pine Lake in Stern Grove, you won't have to worry if you forgot to bring your tennis ball or frisbee. The meadow at this off-leash dog park [more...]

Point Isabel Regional Shoreline is one of those great, rare places that caters to dogs and their humans at the same time. The 21 acre park has plenty of [more...]

Take a train through the redwoods to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, or take a 19th century steam train up Bear Mountain. Check out Roaring Camp Railroads for details.

If you live in Sonoma County, or if you just love horses, you should check out CHANGE. The name stands for Coins to Help Abandoned and NeGlected Equines, [more...]

Trying to help your love grow? Pay a visit to Plant It Earth, the Castro's premier garden supply shop. Here you'll find lights, books, nutrients, seeds, and [more...]

San Francisco's recent furor over the shooting of two wild coyotes in Golden Gate Park drew statewide attention to our coyote population. Now residents know to keep an eye out for gleaming eyes when walking through Golden Gate Park or [more...]

You've read the book, you've seen the film: now it's time to actually visit those zany little wild parrots of Telegraph Hill. Bring your camera. And maybe a hat; you know what I'm saying.

Just 30 miles south of San Francisco you'll find the Filoli Estate. Tour the magnificent grounds, or sign up for one of their frequent classes or workshops.

Take a trip to the SF Botanical Garden and relax among the gorgeous flowers, plants and trees. Hide in a hedge for a quick hug, or loll lovingly on the lawn [more...]

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.

Walk or boat around the sparkling Lafayette Reservoir on a sunny day. You can also fish, boat, bike, rollerblade and picnic at this little man-made lake.

Once called "the washer woman's lake," Lake El Estero in Monterey is now the home of countless recreation activities such as swimming, [more...]

Sparkly white sand meets shiny blue water at Carmel's self-titled Carmel Beach like something out of a brochure advertising the world's happiest [more...]

Designed by a renowned landscape artist, Point Lobos State Reserve might be the most beautiful meeting of land and sea conceivable by man. Spend the day [more...]

Forty minutes out of SF is Martinez, and in Martinez is the beginning of the Carquinez Scenic Drive. This road, characterized by its breathtaking views of the area, was decommissioned for cars in the 1980s and now makes a great hiking [more...]

Golden Gate Park has a small herd of American bison living at one end of the long park. For enormous hairy beasts, they're surprisingly adorable, and for slow-moving cousins of cows, they're surprisingly fun to watch.

A hike through the Marin Headlands will turn up everything from old military fortifications to remnants of Miwok Indian settlements. Also, of [more...]