Oakland, CA travel

[Camplate]

I'm planning a trip to Oakland, for a week. I'm sure there are thousands of things to do that would fill up a month. Please offer suggestions.
But I'm also asking about areas outside of Oakland. For instance, it looks like if I wanted to visit Redwoods national park and Mt Shasta, should I drive there and stay over night? What about Sequoia? Again, I'm sure I could spend a week alone at each spot. I'm just trying to see all I can in a week.
Offer suggestions. What to do in the bay area, and planning for these other areas.
I'm going in October. Would that effect my plans, what I could see and visit?
Thanks for the help.

 

[Krapola]

Shasta is a good 4 hours or more drive from Oakland at the very least....About the same for Redwoods depending on where you are going...October will be decent weather...

 

[GaryPen]

Bring a kevlar vest.

 

[wallypa]

With due respect to the people of Oakland, there's really not much to see there except maybe Jack London square which is a good place to dine. If you're into baseball, maybe you can catch an A's game in the Oakland coliseum.

San Francisco which is a hop and skip away and could be a good day trip. Either drive or take the bart. Lots of things to do and visit.

Take a drive across the GG bridge to Marin county and visit beautiful Sausalito with a panoramic view of the SF skyline. A few miles away is Muir Woods also in Marin if you want to see old growth redwoods. And maybe about 15-20 miles is Sonoma county for some good serious wine tasting if you're into that.

About 4 hrs away to the east is Reno and Lake Tahoe for some shows and maybe a bit of gambling.

Monterey county, about 50-60 miles of SF is a good day trip also. There is the scenic 17 mile drive where pebble beach golf course is. The Monterey aquarium is also located nearby.

When you mention redwoods/sequoia are you referring to Yosemite Nat'l Park? It's a great place to visit if you are a nature lover. I would say it's a good 3-4 hrs drive from Oakland.

These are just very few of the myriads of places you can go which are not too far away from Oakland/SF.

I'm pretty sure you'll get more suggestions from other members of this forum.

 

[GaryPen]

Monterey/Pacific Grove/Carmel is approx. 75 miles from San Jose. That would make it more than 100 miles from SF/Oakland, no? But, it's sure worth the drive!

Also, Vallejo is just North of Oakland. It has it's bad parts. But, the waterfront area is beautiful. They also have a Six Flags theme park/animal park there called MarineWorld.

Down in San Jose, about 30 minutes or so from Oakland, there is a great tech museum called The Tech Museum. There is a large art museum, an Egyptian museum, and a semiconductor/computer museum. My favorite is the minor league baseball at Municipal Stadium, an old wooden ballpark with dirt cheap prices and great bbq. You'll also find some great, authentic ethnic foods here because of the diverse population: Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean, Indian, Ethiopian, and of course Mexican. (I'd stay away from the pizza, Italian, and Jewish/deli foods. It's the same generic crap you'd find in Sheboygan. Wait till you hit a real city like NY, Boston, Chicago, or Philly for those foods.)

Now, don't forget that kevlar body armor while you're in Oakland.

 

[sleepybear]

Yes, Go to the redwoods you'll appreciate this info, and stay a couple days.

 

[charper1]

If you are into good food and wine with some mild adventure; I recommend http://www.winetrain.com/

Rates: http://www.winetrain.com/wttariff.html

Its about 50 miles North of the Oakland International Airport. They also have a Murder Mystery deal too.

Lunch:
10:30 AM Check In
10:45 PM Depot Wine Tasting (Open to all Luncheon Guests 21 or older)
11:00 AM Boarding
11:30 AM Depart Napa for St. Helena
2:30 PM Return Napa

Dinner:
5:30 PM Check In
6:00 PM Boarding
6:30 PM Depart Napa for St. Helena
9:30 PM Return Napa

 

[Krapola]

If you are into good food and wine with some mild adventure; I recommend http://www.winetrain.com/

Rates: http://www.winetrain.com/wttariff.html

Its about 50 miles North of the Oakland International Airport. They also have a Murder Mystery deal too.

Lunch:
10:30 AM Check In
10:45 PM Depot Wine Tasting (Open to all Luncheon Guests 21 or older)
11:00 AM Boarding
11:30 AM Depart Napa for St. Helena
2:30 PM Return Napa

Dinner:
5:30 PM Check In
6:00 PM Boarding
6:30 PM Depart Napa for St. Helena
9:30 PM Return Napa

Camplate, If you are planing on taking the Wine Train(worthless waist of time IMO) take a look over the Hwy29 bridge and you will have a nice view of the Napa Teleport...:up

 

[GaryPen]

yeah right. Never mind the fine wines and excellent cuisine. You wanna stare at a dish farm.