Exciting Things To See and Do In San Mateo & Palo Alto, CA

I just had the opportunity to spend a few days exploring San Mateo and Palo Alto, California (just outside of San Francisco), and I had a wonderful time. This region is loaded with fun and exciting things to see and do, not to mention, a ton of really great restaurants, shopping opportunities, and countless outdoor recreational activities (including golf, biking, hiking, kayaking, surfing, whale watching and sport fishing).

So, if you happen to be visiting the San Francisco area for business or pleasure, consider taking a short detour to San Mateo and Palo Alto (located less than an hour from the San Francisco Airport). 

San Mateo County is located on a 60-mile peninsula immediately south of San Francisco, and is bordered on the east by the world-famous San Francisco Bay. To learn more about this region, visit www.VisitSanMateoCounty.com, or call the San Mateo County/Silicon Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau at (650) 348-7600 or (800) 288-4748.

One of my first stops was a visit to Thomas Fogerty Winery & Vineyards (650-851-6777). This winery and vineyard offers a variety of ongoing events that are open to the public, including tours and wine tastings. Founded in 1981 by Dr. Thomas Fogarty, this winery and vineyard produces a handful of award-winning wines.

While tasting the wines is a treat onto itself, exploring the vineyards is a memorable experience because the mountainous landscape is simply breathtaking. If you're looking for a unique and stunningly beautiful setting to host a private event, such as a wedding, party, corporate event or any type of social gathering, Thomas Fogerty Winery & Vineyards is set up to handle groups of almost any size. 

Even if you're not a big wine aficionado, chances are you'll enjoy a visit to this winery and vineyard, which is located about 2,000 feet above sea level in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Photographs from my trip to San Mateo. (c)2009 Jason R. Rich. All rights reserved.

Located about 55 miles south of San Francisco, along the Pacific Ocean, is the Ano Nuevo State Nature Reserve. It's easy to spend a few hours (or even an entire day) exploring this park, which is home to hundreds of wild elephant seals, sea lions and other marine mammals living along the shoreline. 

Visitors can view the elephant seals from just a few yards away, so you'll get an up-close look at these amazing creatures, yet visitors are kept far enough away from them so they remain undisturbed in their natural habitat. Park rangers are on-hand to answer questions. Oh, and be sure to bring a camera.

The Ano Nuevo State Nature Reserve is a lovely and beautiful place to explore. Be prepared to do some walking (however, much of the park is handicap accessible). If you want to see wild elephant seals, sea lions and other marine animals up-close, a visit to this park is far more memorable and exciting than a visit to any zoo or marine life theme park.

If seeing flowers, exotic plants and breathtaking landscaping is of interest, plan on spending at least a few hours on a walking tour of Filoli Center. Here, you'll find a gorgeous, 36,000 square foot mansion which is open for tours, plus more than 16-acres of incredible landscaping in the form of gardens. Visitors are free to explore the incredible and colorful gardens, plus take part in a wide range of activities, lectures and classes which regularly take place here. Visit the Filoli Center's website for a listing of special events.

The estate was built by William Bower Bourne II (who earned his great wealth as an owner of gold mines in California.) While the mansion is an impressive site, the gardens are truly spectacular, as you'll find literally thousands of flowers, trees and exotic plants on display here throughout the year. And, as the seasons change, so does the landscaping.

While this region features hundreds of wonderful casual and fine-dining restaurants, two which deserve a special mention are Cameron's Restaurant & Pub in Half Moon Bay (on Highway 1, about 30 minutes south of San Francisco) and MacArthur Park Restaurant (located in Palo Alto).

Cameron's Restaurant & Pub is modeled after an authentic English pub and is extremely unique. The food and drinks are top-notch, but it's the decor and atmosphere of this casual dining and drinking establishment that truly set it apart. Drop by for a drink or enjoy a full meal. In addition to traditional British menu items, Cameron's is known for its burgers.

For a much more elegant dining experience that is sure to be delightful, make a reservation for dinner at MacArthur Park Restaurant.  The restaurant is housed in a fully-restored historical landmark building designed by Julia Morgan (circa 1918). 

MacArthur Park Restaurant is home to award-winning chef Faz Poursohi, who has partnered with restauranteur Chuck Frank to create a menu that's chock full of mouth-watering specialties. 

In terms of accommodations, if you're looking for a full-service and upscale business-friendly hotel, the Sofitel San Francisco Bay (located in Redwood City, between downtown San Francisco and San Jose) offers the perfect place to stay. A free shuttle is available to/from the San Francisco Airport. The guest rooms and suites are clean, spacious, comfortable and offer a wide range of amenities that are ideal for business travelers.

Another business-friendly hotel that's located just minutes from the San Francisco Airport is the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, which is rated as an AAA Four-Diamond property. Offering luxurious guest rooms and suites, plus meeting rooms and conference facilities, this large hotel features extremely comfortable and modern rooms, with all of the services and amenities a business traveler could ask for.

Niagara Falls: The Perfect Weekend Get-Away

Anyone who lives in the Northeast, such as in Boston, Connecticut or New York City, for example, can easily enjoy an inexpensive, yet memorable weekend getaway by visiting the New York side of Niagara Falls (located about a 30 minute drive from the Buffalo airport). Direct flights to Buffalo, which take just over one hour, are available from all of the NYC area airports, as well as from Boston. If you shop around, you’ll easily find low fares, starting under $200.00 (round trip).

The New York side of Niagara Falls offers one of the most spectacular natural attractions on the east coast – the falls themselves. The falls can be viewed from a variety of different but equally breathtaking perspectives and can take anywhere from an hour to almost an entire day to truly experience.

The famous Maid of the Mist boat tour ($12.50 per adult), for example, takes you to the bottom of the falls for a breathtaking view. Plan on getting wet. Waterproof ponchos are provided, however. A more panoramic view from the top of the falls is available from several observation decks within Niagara Falls State Park, including from Prospect Point, Goat Island, Luna Island, and the Three Sisters Islands (all of which are walking distance from each other).

I recommend purchasing the money-saving “Passport to the Falls” ticket ($28.00 per adult), which includes admission to Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds, the Niagara Legends movie, the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, use of the Scenic Trolley, and admission to the Aquarium of Niagara.

In addition to visiting the falls themselves, it’s easy to fill a two or three day weekend gambling at the local casinos, enjoying the many fine-dining and mid-priced restaurants in the area, visiting the day spas, exploring the nearby wineries, and visiting the many other local attractions and historical sites that cater to people of all ages.

Ideally, you’ll want to fly into the Buffalo airport, rent a car, stay at a hotel near the falls, and then have the freedom to explore the area without having to pay for costly taxis. Without a rental car, you can sign up for a wide range of bus tours.

While there are a variety of inexpensive and mid-priced hotels located within walking distance to the falls themselves (on the New York side), such as the Crowne Plaza, you might opt to stay at the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel (877-873-6322 / www.senecsaniagaracasino.com), if you can book a room there. It’s often sold out.

The hotel/casino currently offers 486 guestrooms, 86 corner suites and 22 one-bedroom suites, plus plenty of gaming that rivals casinos in Atlantic City. Within the Seneca Casino, for example, you’ll find more than 4,000 slot machines, plus plenty of table games ranging from poker to roulette. For dinner, The Western Door: A Seneca Steakhouse, is an excellent choice for expertly prepared steak and seafood dishes.

Another alternative is to stay about 15 to 20 minutes from Niagara Falls, in nearby historic Lewiston. Here, you’ll find several lovely hotels and BandBs, such as the brand new Barton Hill Hotel and Spa (800-718-1812 / www.bartonhillhotel.com), which is a four-star, waterfront hotel. On the site of this hotel is where the United States launched its invasion of Canada in 1812. The hotel offers all of the services and amenities you’d expect from a four-star property, including a world-class day spa. Boat rentals, fishing trips and tours can be scheduled, plus the hotel is walking distance from the downtown area of Lewiston, which offers a wonderful selection of restaurants, bars and lovely shops, plus several historical sites.

In terms of other activities, the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum in North Tonawanda, New York (716-693-1885 / www.carrouselmuseum.org), is well worth visiting for an hour or so, especially if you’re traveling with kids. If you enjoy visiting wineries and tasting various locally produced wines, there are a handful of places you can visit in the area.

You can easily spend a full day exploring the 10 wineries along what’s referred to as the Niagara Wine Trail. The Winery at Marjim Manor (716-778-7001) is a particularly entertaining stop along the trail. Here you can try more than 20 different wines and be entertained by Margo Sue Bittner, the proprietor, who tells stories about local ghosts while describing her winery’s offerings.

Many people also enjoy visiting this region to explore its historical aspects. In this area, the Underground Railroad was extremely active back on the 1800s, and places like Murphy Orchards, which remains in full operation today, provides a unique and extremely interesting perspective of this era in American history. I’d also recommend the Lockport Cave Tour and Underground Boat Ride, located along the Eire Canal in nearby Lockport, New York (716-438-0174 / www.lockportcave.com).

While Niagara Falls is famous for attracting honeymooners, this region is an ideal place to visit any time of the year for a two or three day getaway weekend, even if you’re not celebrating a special occasion. With a bit of planning, you can plan an itinerary that will be truly memorable.

Of course, you can take a short side-trip across the Rainbow Bridge to Canada and explore the many casinos, hotels and attractions there. American citizens will need a U.S. Passport to cross into Canada. Walking across the bridge takes about 20 minutes. From the bridge, you can take amazing panoramic photos of Niagara Falls. By car, the trip to Canada can take longer if there’s a lot of traffic crossing the boarder.

For more information about the New York side of Niagara Falls, check out the following links:

* Barton Hill Hotel and Spa - www.bartonhillhotel.com
* Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum - www.carrouselmuseum.org
* Lockport Cave Tour and Underground Boat Ride - www.lockportcave.com
* Niagara Falls State Park – www.niagarafallssstatepark.com
* Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation – www.Niagara-USA.com
* Niagara Wine Trail – www.NiagaraWineTrail.org
* Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel - www.senecsaniagaracasino.com