Things to do in San Francisco Bay Area

Paint Watercolor with a Local Artist

You will have the opportunity to paint iconic San Francisco images in watercolor with an experienced artist and teacher. Beginners are welcome and all materials are included, you'll walk away with your own personal masterpiece! My name is James Gleeson and I am a multi faceted, local San Francisco Artist who specializes in local scenes of San Francisco. My work reflects both academic discipline and creative artistic freedom. My studio is located in the Bernal Heights/Mission district where I display my work and share my passion for art with others. This is where I paint and teach my classes, you will be immersed by iconic images and paintings of San Francisco. We do a different theme each class and I prepare an individual drawing for each student on watercolor paper. All students are provided materials and a spacious place to work. We will do a quick round of introductions and I'll explain our theme and painting in a beginner friendly step by step process. I will explain and demonstrate each step for students to paint each segment of the painting. You will learn basic water color technique as well as color and design methods. I am very excited to host you and to provide this artistic experience. As a teacher I love working with beginners and seeing their inspiration for art grow. You will learn technical skills to take home and continue your painting. See you soon!

Step inside one of San Francisco's iconic Painted Ladies

Step into my historic home, the Blue Painted Lady, a beautifully preserved Victorian on San Francisco’s iconic Postcard Row. Built in 1894, the house is filled with family heirlooms and offers a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse inside one of America’s most famous homes. • In the parlor, I’ll explain my family’s long history with this glorious property and San Francisco. I’ll guide you through rooms on three floors, sharing family heirlooms and the stories of those who once owned them, including a first-edition Mark Twain book. • Are you interested in architecture, film, historic preservation, or the Gold Rush? I’ll tailor your experience and share family stories and historic anecdotes accordingly. • Our tour concludes in the elegant dining room, where I’ll talk about the Painted Ladies’ significance in San Francisco and discuss the importance of preserving this iconic piece of history. You’ll leave feeling a personal connection to my home as well as to the history of San Francisco.

Skate & Destroy: Thrasher Magazine's Downtown Pilgrimage

San Francisco’s streets are the most radical site for skateboarding's history in the world. On Thrasher Magazine’s Skate and Destroy Tour, walk—or roll—through the architecture, history, and underground scene that made the city a global skateboarding mecca. • Begin at St. Mary’s Square to learn how Modernist architecture in Northern California created the most radical terrain for skateboarders, before exploring iconic spots like Black Rock, China Banks, Portsmouth Square and Embarcadero to hear how sculptures, plazas, and surfaces shaped the sport. • Follow the lines of legends like Tommy Guerrero, Keith Hufnagel, and Mike Carroll, and see firsthand how Financial District plazas became proving grounds for technical innovation in skateboarding. • Conclude at the Ferry Building, steps from the Embarcadero, where modern technical street skating was born. I’ll share stories of how skaters transformed the area into one of the most important spots in skateboarding history.

Inside the Studio: Feast Network Tour

Sip wine with a New York Times bestselling author

Try your hand at stand-up comedy with a pro

Embrace San Francisco's comedy culture and develop your skills in a friendly workshop. Warm up and learn Get playful and hear about the city's comedy scene. Learn comedy skills Get tips on joke writing that also benefit regular life. Practice techniques Craft punchlines, use timing, and develop stage presence. Write your jokes Get a specific prompt and spend time creating funny bits. Perform onstage Practice your jokes in a safe environment and get guidance.

Build a bar at Dandelion Chocolate Factory

If you love chocolate, you’re in for a treat—literally. Dandelion is famous in the Bay Area and beyond for our single-origin chocolate, and now you get to go behind the scenes to learn what makes it special, before making your very own custom Dandelion bar. • We’ll start with a walk through our factory, where you’ll learn all about our single-origin approach to chocolate. • You’ll taste chocolate at every stage of the bean-to-bar process, from fresh cacao fruit, roasted cocoa nibs, to a selection of our chocolate bars. • Best of all, you’ll get to step into the role of master chocolatier, customizing your own chocolate bar with a selection of locally-sourced Bay Area ingredients. You’ll leave with your one-of-a-kind Dandelion chocolate bar, and a newfound appreciation for the sweeter side of San Francisco.

Electric Bike Tour SF's iconic sights & gems w/ a cool local

Discover San Francisco Like Never Before! This experience is led by longtime locals Nick and John. We run Dandyhorse (look us up:), SF's only local bike tour & rental company, since 2015. Send us a note for private tours, team building rides, and custom options. Take our awesome e-bike tour and go beyond typical sightseeing on an immersive, narrated adventure through the soul of the city. Your fun local guide / historian uses our exclusive wireless earpieces to bring the story of San Francisco’s rich history, vibrant culture, and stunning landscapes to life. As you ride our premium electric bikes, you’ll hear fascinating stories of the city’s gold rush origins, rebellious spirit, and ever-evolving future—all while enjoying the beauty of iconic landmarks, hidden gems, and must-see neighborhoods. Whether you’re a visitor or a local, this is a one-of-a-kind experience that lets you truly feel the soul of the city, not just see it. What you'll do (and ride features): • Ride the Golden Gate Bridge! • Explore Golden Gate Park • Discover the Presidio, SF’s other grand nature area  • See SF’s famous Painted Lady Victorian houses • Enjoy a pastry (included!)  from one of SF’s best local bakeries  • Experience 10 must-visit local neighborhoods • Wireless Headsets for an immersive and extra safe ride • SF's best electric bikes: get up all the hills with ease (so FUN!)

San Francisco Bay Sailing Awesomeness

Sail under the spectacular Golden Gate Bridge, and view the Marin Headlands, Alcatraz and the SF skyline from the best vantage points! Get a taste for what an experience living, working and voyaging on a sailboat can be, using sustainable and Eco friendly wind power. Get a little salty while we chat about what it's like going far from land and crossing oceans, from endless waves and wind, to calm nights under starry skies. Get a feel for what it's like to live and thrive in a constantly moving small space, in a beautiful but unforgiving environment. Hear what it's like to battle Tuna and Sailfish and have the freshest sushi minutes later. To anchor in tropical anchorages, bathe in the sea, and surf uncrowded waves. Ask as little or as much as you like about surviving storms, living in foreign countries, meeting great cruising friends, and unplugging from normal living to find another path. Or just sit back, relax, and enjoy the sail!

Wood fired Italian pizza making

Spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon making your favorite food. All that's needed are your hands, your passion, and a little guidance from us and you'll be making and eating exceptional pizza. First I’ll show you how to make dough … and eat a little pizza. I'll teach you about the importance of time and temperature, about different yeasts and how to make poolish. Oh... it's recess... gotta eat some pizza. Next we'll practice what is probably the hardest yet funnest part of all.... opening up a Neapolitan pizza ball. You'll learn to massage the dough, so the air moves outward toward the edge - otherwise known as the cornicione. Now, take a moment , have some pizza. You deserve it. Then you'll learn to dress the pizza and then then launch it into the wood-fired oven. There's no turning back now. In 90 seconds your pizza will be finished. We'll practice this over and over using the same techniques I learned from a world champion. This will be the best class ever because you get to eat your homework!

The Gallery Experience at B-Love's Guest House

Celebrate Hip Hop history with a unique Gallery Experience in a beautiful victorian house in west Oakland, CA. With a 90's soundtrack in the background Oakland Picture Lady: Tales of the 90's Girl is a collection of fine art photographs, collages and short stories artist Traci Bartlow captured in the Bay Area in the 1990's There are 30 fine art photographs & collages for guest to view while hearing stories of my experience as a hip-hop photojournalist working with local and national record labels, magazines, and recording artist. Upon arrival guest will meet at the tree in front of the house to learn information about the historic neighborhood and property you are visiting. We will then walk up the stairs through a majestic archway of this queen Anne victorian house to the 2nd floor galleries. Upon entering guest will view original photographs of the Bay Area's music scene, and excerpts of the many short stories that accompany this exhibition. Next we will exit the 2nd floor and view the 1st floor gallery and garden featuring photographs of my neighborhood. In the summer months in the garden there are refreshments, music, places to dance or chill, and more photographs. The guided tour will last 2 hours with breaks for guest to have refreshments and take in the art and music playlist on their own. The last 30 minutes open to questions, conversation, and expressions.

Cow Cuddle Therapy

We will start with an introduction and tour of our cow sanctuary located in the Bay Area to show you what goes on inside and what our mission is. Human-cow interaction is known to reduce anxiety and stress. With the fast paced world we live in, we believe it is important to connect with nature and ourselves. Our efforts are to create this symbiotic relationship between the cows and the community and thus allow our guests to interact with our cows. Our Cow Cuddle Therapy will start with a safety briefing and we can then enter the barn to meet and greet our beautiful cows and calves. After this introduction to our cows we will: - Pet & cuddle with the cows - Simply enjoy the gentle company and playfulness of our cows - Experience the mental health benefits from interacting with cows and bring relaxation into your day - Learn about all the benefits of protecting cows for ourselves and the environment - Tour our organic garden, practiced using sustainable cow by-products We will then provide quick refreshments, and you are then free to stay to explore & learn more about our sanctuary.

Educational Flower Arrangement Workshop in Oakland Hills

Welcome to KuroNeko! This is a traditional Japanese Tea Room, where I curate experiences for individuals. Today, you will explore the art of flower arrangements. This is an introduction to bouquets and vase arrangements. You will leave this experience with your very own floral bouquet. You will be provided with knowledge on how to choose flowers and how to create the upscale vibe from a chic flower stand. Light snacks and tea will also be provided. In addition, you will have a guided tour of the KuroNeko tea room, where you can share your friendly floral arrangement with your new friends. This is a wonderful team building experience and will bring lightness to your life.

The Redwoods of Marin & Mt Tamalpais

We meet in Sausalito then shuttle to Mill Valley, where we start our walking exploration of Marin's magical redwood forest. Following quiet backroads and footpaths, we retreat to quiet groves of ancient redwood trees and follow spring-fed creeks to natural pools and cascading falls. In this peaceful forest, unique to the northern California and southern Oregon coastal region, the sequoia sempervirens soar hundreds of feet into the sky, providing an unequaled nature experience at base of mighty Mt. Tamalpais. Along the way, you learn about the coastal redwoods' amazing ecology and their clever adaptations for survival over many millions of years. It is a remarkable escape into nature on the slopes of beautiful Mt. Tam. Guests can also meet us in Mill Valley's Old Mill Park, where the walk starts at 10AM weekdays or 12:30PM on weekends. Weekday guests need to catch the 7:40AM ferry from San Francisco arriving at 8:10AM. Weekend ferry guests need to catch the 10:15AM Golden Gate ferry from the terminal behind SF's Ferry Building (foot of Market St.) The ferry arrives in Sausalito at 11:20AM. I will meet Sausalito guests outside the Hotel Sausalito (near the ferry landing), at 9:30AM weekdays and 12 noon on weekends. If you need another start time, please contact me via Airbnb direct message. This refreshing walk is also ideal for groups and corporate team building outings!