things to do

Explore Countless Nearby Adventures

With so many things to do in Northern California, planning your days can be a tough order. Adventures including: hiking, mountain biking, sea kayaking, sailing, deep-sea fishing, golf and tennis are all close by. The wildlife viewing opportunities in the Bay Area are exceptional. From whale watching to birding, you won’t be disappointed. 

Each year, Half Moon Bay hosts the Mavericks California Surf Contest. Here the world’s best surfers compete against waves that can rise over 50 feet high. At most of our beaches, you can join surfers and boogie boarders throughout the year to test your skills in the Pacific Ocean.  

Spend a day in Napa or Sonoma if wine tasting is on your list of destinations when visiting the Bay Area. Or make a day visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the galleries of Carmel. Travel about an hour and a half to the South along Highway 1, one of the most beautiful stretches of the California Coast, stopping at beaches along the way.

We’re only 25 minutes from the world heritage site at Año Nuevo State Park where from January to March you’ll view a spectacle unlike any you’ve seen before — hundreds of mating elephant seals.

 

In October, the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival transforms the town, where a 1900-pound pumpkin can easily tip the scale. From town, it’s only 45 minutes North to downtown San Francisco. Take a cable car to visit Chinatown or a ferry to Sausalito, discover BART and whip over to Berkeley. It’s no accident that Apple, Google, Facebook, Uber, Airbnb and many more call the Bay Area their home. After an exhilarating outing you will be ready to return to your cozy retreat in our rolling and sometimes tree-studded hills.