Looking for interesting towns drivable from SF/Berkeley (Sacramento, San Mateo: hotel, live)

[Doran]

Hello Everyone,

I am looking for odd little towns driveable for a day trip from Berkeley. I like towns with character. Port Costa would have to be one of our favorites. The 49 dollar hotel rooms don't hurt. We don't mind rundown; we like cheap, old, and strange. A town called Ione, a bit far east of here, was pretty attractive too. We even like to drive Petaluma now and again to eat at the restaurant by the river; but again, our preference is for funkier, less upscale places. The place in the south bay where Alice's Diner is, is the kind of place we like too. Weird museums (is there a book on that?), ghost towns, ghost sightings, one of a kind establishments like Pizza and Pipes in Redwood City (or San Mateo, or whatever that is -- does it still exist?) are our kind of thing. Absent that, we'll take good cheap food, odd bars, and nice drives.

[Suzer]

Check out Rio Vista, it's only an hour away, on the Delta. It has a really interesting bar/restaurant called Foster's Big Horn.

Foster's Bighorn, Rio Vista, California

I went to a birthday party there where we did the Limbo Rock. I came away with a crush on the bar's owner who was old enough to be my father. Check it out. It's my favorite small town, I hope you will appreciate its quirkiness.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Doran

Hello Everyone,

I am looking for odd little towns driveable for a day trip from Berkeley. I like towns with character. Port Costa would have to be one of our favorites. The 49 dollar hotel rooms don't hurt. We don't mind rundown; we like cheap, old, and strange. A town called Ione, a bit far east of here, was pretty attractive too. We even like to drive Petaluma now and again to eat at the restaurant by the river; but again, our preference is for funkier, less upscale places. The place in the south bay where Alice's Diner is, is the kind of place we like too. Weird museums (is there a book on that?), ghost towns, ghost sightings, one of a kind establishments like Pizza and Pipes in Redwood City (or San Mateo, or whatever that is -- does it still exist?) are our kind of thing. Absent that, we'll take good cheap food, odd bars, and nice drives.

I drove with my mom to Mendocino (she wanted to see where Jessica Fletcher lived!) and on the way up there -- some great little weird towns. Boone something was one.

Mom, even though she's 80, likes to get out and about -- and with her the walking has to be easy... she's enjoyed Pigeon Point Lighthouse and there is a little town near there called Pescadero.

Hubby and I also spent some time in Boulder Creek and had a great lunch there at the Brew Pub, and Brookdale (which has a haunted lodge) which is outside Saratoga on Rte 9....

Check out Bay Area Backroads -- those guys visit the odd funky little places.
Bay Area Backroads

Oh, yeah -- wanted to add -- Moss Beach Distillery! Decent food, stunning views, supposedly haunted, off the beaten path. We do that once year after bowling at Sea Bowl in Pacifica...

[BearBranch]

How about Bodega Bay?

[Capt. Dan]

How about San Luis Obispo/Morro Bay?

[18Montclair]

I have to agree with Rio Vista...and for that matter that whole highway that cuts through the Delta and ends in Sacramento.....very odd, feels like another era.

[BearBranch]

Also check out out Bolinas in Marin.

[WannaBNorCal]

Originally Posted by BearBranch

Also check out out Bolinas in Marin.

ding ding Check out Ross.
I second that.