Explore San Mateo County and the exciting San Francisco Bay Area. The cities and sites along the San Francisco Peninsula offer visitors a diverse sightseeing experience, including outdoor recreation, parks, art and culture, family attractions, shopping, creative cuisine, museums, historical landmarks and eclectic neighborhoods for local color. Enjoy the culture and character of this distinctive area and discover why it's become a prominent destination for business and leisure.

Museums

Hiller Aviation Museum - A collection dedicated to man's concept of flight. The Hiller Aviation Museum highlights the many historic advancements native to Northern California, and presents how technologies resident here today will shape the future of air transportation.

Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education - San Mateo. Coyote Point houses a wonderful butterfly garden, wildlife habitats garden, plants and animals in their natural setting illustrating the natural history of California and the importance of conservation. Hours: Tue-Sat 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday noon-5 p.m. Call 650-342-7755.

Museum of American Heritage - MOAH was founded in 1990 by Frank Livermore, who began collecting Americana in 1960. As his collection grew, he encountered other collectors with similar interests, and eventually this group became the nucleus of the Museum's founding group. The Museum occupied two previous sites in Palo Alto before settling in its current location. Inspiring innovators of the future through the inventions of the past, MOAH focus on the evolution of technology in the age before the transistor. The Williams House Gardens, constructed in 1907, is a rare true representation of an early 20th Century residential landscape. The garden features "outdoor rooms" delineated by rock walls and border plantings and punctuated by ornamental fountains and ponds.   [Top]

Golf

Poplar Creek Golf Course - The newest public golf course in the San Francisco Bay Area, Poplar Creek is a championship, 18-hole, par 70 course located adjacent to San Francisco Bay, approximately five miles south of the San Francisco Airport, off Highway 101 in San Mateo.

Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Half Moon Bay Golf Links features two award-winning 18-hole championship golf courses overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a high-profile golf shop with the very latest in men's and women's golf apparel, Caddy's ocean view bar and grill serving fine contemporary cuisine, and the recently opened Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. The golf resort is able to accommodate groups of any size, from private instructional clinics to major golf events up to 288 players. Allow our team of PGA professionals help you plan the perfect golf outing. www.halfmoonbaygolf.com.

Stanford University Golf Course - The Stanford University Golf Course was designed in 1930 by renowned golf course architects William Bell and George C. Thomas, Jr. Located in the foothills above the Stanford University Campus, the golf course is consistently rated one of the finest courses in the world. In 1998, the golf course was rated 91st in the country by Golf Week Magazine and in 1993 was rated 88th in the world by Golf Magazine. www.stanfordgolfcourse.com  [Top]

Arts & Entertainment

Allied Arts Guild - Menlo Park. The Allied Arts Guild is a complex of shops, gardens, artists' studios, and a restaurant nestled in a quiet corner of a lovely residential community. Located on three and a half acres granted by the King of Spain to the commandant of the Presidio de San Francisco, the Spanish-style buildings, courtyards, murals, fountains, gardens and frescoes create an atmosphere where the artisans work. Proceeds from the restaurant and gift shop benefit Lucile Salter Packard. The complex is open daily, year round, except for Sunday. Admission to the complex is free. Free tours. Hours: Mon-Sat 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Call 650-322-2405 or 650-324-2588 for lunch reservations.

Djerassi Resident Artists Program - Woodside. The Djerassi Resident Artists Program is located in a spectacular rural setting in the Santa Cruz Mountains, one hour south of San Francisco. The Program offers four- to five-week residencies from mid-March through mid-November, at no cost, to artists in the disciplines of visual arts, media arts/new genres, literature, choreography, and music composition. Founded in 1979, the program hosts national and international artists seeking solitude and inspiration and the property is home to a collection of dramatic outdoor sculptures. Tours are offered April-October. Reservations are required. Call 650-747-1250.

Filoli Estate - Woodside. A 43-room mansion and exquisite gardens on 654-acre estate that were once used as the set of the TV series Dynasty. The estate was named Filoli, to Fight, to Love, to Live, by William Bourne who built the country retreat that was completed in 1917. The gardens are designed as a sequence of rooms and feature a collection of more than 500 varieties of roses. The estate also features special events, lectures and classes. Filoli is open Tuesday through Saturday, from February 11 to October 25, 2004, between the hours of 10:00 am and 3:30 pm (last admission is at 2:30 pm). Admission fees are $10 per adult, $5 per student (with valid ID) and $1 for children ages 7-12. Children under 7 are free. Admission includes self-guided tours, guided tours, and nature hikes. Call 650-364-8300 ext. 507 Monday - Saturday.

Elizabeth Gamble Garden - Palo Alto. This Colonial Georgian house built in 1902 is set on a 2.3-acre estate. Bequeathed by Elizabeth F. Gamble to the city of Palo Alto, it's now a non-profit community horticultural foundation. The estate features an historic home, carriage house, teahouse and several demonstration gardens. Self-guided tours. Gardens are available for weddings. Hours: Daily, during daylight hours. Call 650-329-1356.

Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve - The biological preserve is located near Stanford University's campus in the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. An undeveloped jewel set amidst a rapidly urbanizing area, the Preserve provides refuge to native plants and animals, rich educational experiences to students and visitors, and a rare natural laboratory for researchers from all over the world. Oct. 1-May 31. Reservations required and tours scheduled on an individual basis. $5/person, 14 years and older. Call 650-327-2277.

Half Moon Bay - The San Mateo County coast and Half Moon Bay area are rich with activities and natural beauty: folksy annual events, tidepooling, surfing, hiking, fishing, boating, golfing, horseback riding, camping or visiting beaches and parks, farms and nurseries, pumpkin and Christmas tree farms, flower markets, farmers markets or meandering through the many small shops. Half Moon Bay is the "new Carmel," with art galleries, specialty stores, shopping malls, arts and crafts, antiques, clothing, book stores, jewelery, candy and diverse eateries.

Paramount's Great America - Experience the exhilarating rides and hair-raising roller coasters at Northern California's most thrilling theme park. Paramount's Great America offers fun and exciting rides, shows, concerts, characters, and beautiful sights above the park on Eagles Flight. For more information, visit their website at www.pgathrills.com.

Ice Chalet - The Ice Chalet is located in San Mateo at Bridgepointe Shopping Center, offering public ice skating everyday, figure and skating lessons, basic hockey lessons, hockey leagues and a fully stocked pro shop. Discounted group rates for 15 or more and birthday party packages are available.

Bay Meadows - Bay Meadows Race Course in San Mateo is one of the most tradition-laden and innovative racetracks in the country. It also is the longest continually operating racetrack in California. Since its inception in 1934, Bay Meadows has been a venue through which the most famous horses, jockeys and trainers have strolled, and where many "firsts" in racing took place. Thanks to William P. Kyne, pari-mutuel wagering, the popular Daily Double, the first all-enclosed starting gate, the totalizator board and photo-finish camera were introduced to racing at Bay Meadows. Even the first horse transported by air landed at Bay Meadows in 1945. Bay Meadows is home to the longest-running stakes event in California - the Bay Meadows Handicap. This race was inaugurated in 1934 and was captured in 1937 and '38 by the great Seabiscuit, ridden by noted jockey, George Woolf. The Bay Meadows Derby for 3-year-old horses debuted in 1954 with the California-bred Determine winning. Live racing at Bay Meadows will resume on April 7, 2004. In the meantime, Bay Meadows is open for simulcast wagering on racing from Golden Gate Fields and other major tracks across the nation. Check out the simulcast schedule for the menu of racetracks we are carrying. Call 650-573-4516 and make plans to enjoy a fun day at Bay Meadows.

San Mateo Expo Center - Located just 2 miles from the Holiday Inn Express in Belmont, the San Mateo County Expo Center offers a convenient location mid-way between San Francisco and Silicon Valley and features over 200,000 square feet of exhibit space and parking for 5,000 cars. More than one million people attend events at the Expo Center each year, making it the most utilized facility for trade and consumer shows in Northern California. The Expo Center features 225,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space, a 1,233 exhibit booth capacity, and seven fully equipped buildings and facilities. For a list of events, visit the San Mateo County Expo Center website.  [Top]

Shopping

Hillsdale Shopping Center - An extensive remodeling of Hillsdale has made the shopping center one of the county's hottest retail spots, featuring over 4 department stores, including Nordstrom and Macy's, and over 130 specialty shops and boutiques such as Bebe, Disney, and The Body Shop. Marble and limestone flooring, crafted mahogany benches, and extensive greenery and skylights combine to create an inviting and attractive shopping environment. Dining options include the California Pizza Kitchen, Food 31, Buffalo Grill, and T.G.I. Friday's just across the street.

Bridgepoint - Bridgepointe is located at Mariner's Island off Highway 92 between Highway 101 and the San Mateo Bridge. The Bridgepointe area features an exciting new development of retail, dining, office, hotel and residential uses. Bridgepointe Shopping Center has several major stores including Bed, Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, Old Navy, Target, Toys-R-Us, Zany Brainy, Ethan Allen, Hallmark, Mikasa, Pier 1 Imports, and Sportmart. A variety of dining opportunities are available at Bridgepointe, including Mimi's Cafe, Cucina Cucina, Red Robin, Armadillo Willy's, and American Grill (inside the new Hilton Garden Hotel). Another attraction at Bridgepointe is the sparkling Ice Chalet skating rink which offers public skating, party facilities, hockey and skating programs.

25th Avenue - The 25th Avenue Commercial District continues to serve the neighborhood and patrons who come to visit this old fashioned shopping area. 25th Avenue features fine restaurants ranging from Italian, Persian, Chinese, Mexican and American cuisine. A pharmacy, specialty retail and services such as dental, insurance, shoe repair and two markets serve the area along with local post office. Come to 25th Avenue for a folksy shopping or dining experience.

El Camino Real - El Camino Real is a major north-south boulevard that runs through several cities along the Peninsula. The 4.5 mile length of El Camino in the San Mateo City limits includes hundreds of businesses. These businesses enjoy the benefits of high visibility from automobile traffic, with an average daily traffic volume of 49,500 vehicles. Many El Camino businesses are also conveniently located adjacent to Caltrain, with several stops within San Mateo, and only minutes from Highways 92 and 101. Businesses along the El Camino are diverse. From high-tech stores to favorite local restaurants to major banks, the El Camino meets the needs of a broad spectrum of industries.  [Top]