Almost every summer, my family and I will go down to the Bay Area to visit some family. Over this last weekend, my cousin got married there, so we flew down for a quick visit. While we didn't get to see too much that weekend since we were getting ready for the wedding, I still love to visit these places whenever I come down:
Tilden Regional Park
My cousin had her wedding over in Tilden Regional Park, which if I may say, has one the best views of the Bay Area on a clear day. The park is huge and has plenty of picnic spots and hikes to enjoy. It also has a botanical garden and a steam train that runs daily for kids to ride.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The boardwalk in Santa Cruz is a giant amusement park with a view. They have roller coasters, mini golf, food, games, laser tag, and more. It's a great spot to go on a date or spend time with your family, and once you get done seeing all of the attractions, you can grab a snack and relax on the beach.
If you're there on the right day you may even catch a free showing of one of your favorite movies right on the beach!
Golden Gate Park
If you haven't already, make sure you visit the Golden Gate Park when you're in San Francisco. Being one of the largest man-made parks, there are plenty of things to do, such as seeing the Japanese Tea Garden, exploring the academy of science, or visiting the conservatory.
If you get too tired of walking, they have segway tours you can tag along on.
Boudin Bakery
If you love sourdough as much as I do, then I highly suggest visiting the Boudin Bakery in San Francisco. They have a few locations, but the location on the Wharf is the one you need to go to. You can watch the bakers as they kneed the dough and bake it. They even have this system set up so you see baskets of sourdough to move across the ceiling of the bakery. If you're looking to eat they have a cafe with all their items priced very reasonably.
It's basically like a candy store, but for bread!
Jack London Square
If you're not a fan of large crowds, Oakland's Jack London Square is a great spot to check out. It's a great spot on the waterfront close to downtown and not too far from shops and bars. This last weekend was a music festival so there were different booths to buy little things and other booths with food.
The Bay has so much to offer aside from the popular Golden Gate Bridge. There are so many cities to explore and attractions to see.
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