I can't believe I've lived just an hour or so away from this place my whole life and this is my…read morefirst time ever visiting. I had an absolutely amazing time here. The staff at the front gates were incredibly welcoming and friendly. I mention the front gate specifically because I did stop in the garden shop and another little snack boutique later in the day and the service there was just okay. The woman who helped me in at the front was very warm and explained everything kindly and made me feel very welcome. She also let me know about events and other things I could see and do in the gardens. The gardens are breathtaking and there are so many different areas to explore. I personally liked the formal gardens best, but I think one of the nicest parts was seeing how many people were simply relaxing and just enjoying the property. There were people laid out on blankets, people seated on benches reading and it really helped remind me to just slow down. Sometimes I personally feel like I need to get through everything or see everything and this place has a vibe that you don't need to rush; it's fine to just sit and take in the beauty around you. There were also many people lounging by the pool, which brings me to the house.I really enjoyed exploring the historic house, probably almost as much as the garden's. The ballroom was fantastic and they even added an interactive activity where they project dance steps onto the floor so visitors could follow along and learn how people would have danced in that ballroom originally. I was terrible at it but it was very fun to try. The ballroom was definitely my favorite part of the house. I loved the giant fireplace and just imagining what it would have been like to be at a party in that room or to have danced on that floor. Lastly, of course, I had to go looking for Rose Wonders. I am a big fan of Dambo'ss trolls and this is the first one I have seen where you can actually go inside. She is also one of the larger trolls I have seen. It was a hot day but I walked the trails to find her and there were wooden sculptures along the way that definitely helped the walk feel shorter. Seeing her and being able to climb inside was absolutely incredible and I highly recommend it. Because of the way she's built, the hands that cradle you at the top kind of cover her face so I found it difficult to get good photos and video. But the experience itself is definitely worth it. Before heading back to leave, I definitely needed some water and stopped in to one of the snack shacks to grab some. I also had to try one of their Garden Pops as I saw them advertised all over. II think it's cool that Filoli has some of their own products that they create themselves. I really wanted to love them because the concept is great but honestly, the heat of the day and the flavor of that popsicle were probably the only things that I didn't enjoy my entire visit. I'm still glad that I tried it. They were setting up for a summer nights event while I was getting ready to go and I love the string lights and how much care the staff was taking to prepare the area. I'm sure it was magical. I honestly can't recommend this place enough and I think it would be a great group activity, especially because whether you're interested in history, architecture, gardening, nature, art, or just want to climb inside a giant troll, there is something for everyone here. It's definitely a beautiful place to spend your day.

Just beautiful grounds. Peaceful and lovely to walk around…read more Perfect for a ladies group gathering You can only eat in the cafe. So don't bring your own picnic hoping to sit inside to eat Great for photos!

Hiller Aviation Museum is an aeronautic historical museum that displays notable jet aircraft and…read moreengine components, including an Aero L-39C Albatros military jet trainer and the forward fuselage and cockpit of a historic Boeing 747-100. Similarly, they have a Czech training jet L39C Albatross which was very cool. Visitors who are into aeronautics this is the museum for you. IMHO this museum is great for families and young kids. Ample of parking spot in the lot. Admission ticket is affordable. Staff are nice. Overall, this is a nice little museum to spend the afternoon. I recommend if you're in the bay area.

Hiller Aviation Museum is one of the more unusual aviation museums I've ever visited. It is just…read moreabout 11 miles south of SFO off Hwy 101 adjacent to the San Carlos airport. The aircraft & artifacts are mainly from the collection of Stanley Hiller of the Hiller Aircraft Corp that has been developing helicopters and other experimental flying machines since the late 40's. So many of these unusual copters, gyros & flying platforms are on display, plus anything else Stanley had collected over the decades. There aren't a lot of more recognizable aircraft, but you learn a lot by reading about these rare, one-of-a-kind flying machines. On slow days, you buy your entry ticket in the gift shop and go through the entry hall that is dominated by a full scale replica of the X-Prize winning SpaceShipOne hanging from the ceiling. As you enter the main gallery, you have turn of the century wood & fabric biplane replicas of the Wright brothers & Glenn Curtiss along with early not-so-successful flying machines. Moving onto the middle 20th century, the Hiller Aviation Corp. designed some offbeat personal aircraft with personal vertical takeoff craft 70 years before their time. There are also more conventional winged aircraft like the Grumman Albatross (propeller seaplane) and Aero L-39 Albatros (Czech jet trainer), 2 totally different planes with similar names sitting right next to each other. Above them all is the mother of all remotely piloted drones, the Boeing Condor from 1988 with a huge wingspan of 200 ft! If you go out the back, you get to climb through the nose section of a Boeing 747-100 jumbo airliner from the 70's & 80's. The gift shop is one of the more extensive that I've seen with lots of souvenirs for all ages and aviation memorabilia for enthusiasts.

A little zoo + a little science museum. Such a great combination! Our kid could easily spend half a…read moreday here. The zoo has both indoor and outdoor areas, with amphibians, birds, bobcats, raccoons, and more. They also had an otter, but sadly it recently passed away. There is also a playground that feels like a mini version of Magical Bridge Playground. The indoor science museum is full of hands-on, interactive exhibits. Everything is designed for kids to touch, explore, and play with, so they can easily spend a long time here. In the back, there is also a beautiful view of the bay with telescopes to look through. If you have a membership from another participating zoo, you may be able to get 50% off admission. There is an $8 parking fee to enter the park. There are lots of picnic tables nearby with a great view of the bay. You can watch the boats on the water and planes flying overhead while having lunch. Definitely a great place to spend a few hours with kids!

My 4yr old and 19m old enjoyed the playground, zoo, outdoor eating/ play area, and the hands on…read morescience activities. The little souvenir shop is quite small. If you're traveling with little ones, know there is no cafe or option to buy coffee other than a little refrigerator in the little shop so make sure you pack a lunch and snacks.

A small but excellent museum. The first courthouse I. San Mateo. Used the disabled lift to get…read moreupstairs. It worked fine but smelled like urine despite being open air. Once we got past that there are photo exhorts of local history. Best parts to me were the beautiful stained glass, the courtroom and model ships- including the golden hind and vaga. The builder had patience and talent! Gift shop was not great but that's ok. We had a good time! Easy parking nearby.

This museum features the history of the peninsula, from the Ohlones to the present, and educates…read morevisitors about the growth and changes that have had such a powerful impact on the community over time. There are so many different rooms and exhibits on two levels, make sure you give yourself at least one and a half hours (at minimum), in order to make the most out of your visit. I really enjoyed the Living the California Dream gallery detailing suburban life and middle-class living, in an object theatre with a repeating 6-minute show when the room darkens then highlights the items on display, including instruments, household appliances, and more. Ships of the World showcased a plethora of model ships in great detail, created by Charles Parsons, a resident of nearby San Carlos. So many scale models, and a section about shipwrecks, including a video discussing the many shipwrecks along the San Mateo coast, how pigeon point was named after a shipwreck, and details about the rydall hall wreck at point montara while transporting coal to SF from Wales... almost 100 shipwrecks from the 1850s to 1950s! The Extraordinary Cow Palace, in the changing exhibit gallery, was so interesting to explore, seeing the history of events and traditions known and loved today, such as the Great Dickens Christmas Fair and the rodeos. In addition, there was plenty of memorabilia dedicated to arts and entertainment, the music industry, and sports. The Innovators gallery showcased inventions of items like the first video tape recorder, and various accomplishments in technology, arts and entertainment, business, and agriculture. This includes the amazing contributions of Nolan Bushnell, his desired carnival-themed restaurant, the first Pizza Time Theatre in San Jose in 1977 (now known as Chuck E. Cheese), as well as Atari and its pong game (also in the 70's). Other exhibits to view and learn about include the Ohlone tule house, inhabitants' utilization of natural resources, the Spanish's impact on life through agriculture, tools and trade, whaling after the gold rush (blubber used for household items like lights, soap, and cosmetics), development of transportation, the real courthouse, displays about law enforcement and biographies of fallen officers, immigration in San Mateo county, and Maverick's, a surfer's dream for big waves near Half Moon Bay (there's even an interactive surfboard where you can ride the waves). The magnificent architecture of the great dome on the second level, is also something to appreciate here, the largest stained glass dome on the west coast, with captivating detail. Even the courthouse square outside the museum entrance is a beautiful area, with lovely fountains out front. The volunteers/staff are helpful and eager to share details about all of the fascinating exhibits. There are guided tours available, but I preferred to explore at my own pace. And taking advantage of first fridays' free admission totally made it worth the trip out.

No charge. As soon…read moreas we went inside, an employee met us with a smile on his face and a friendly question: Do we want a tour or not? My advice is to answer yes, because that way you get through the entire museum, learning interesting that you might have missed without a guide. This man was full of passion for the place. He found much of the material, and yes, he just is a bit volunteer! By the way, my favorite part of the museum was the train. So, if you've never been to this place - you should visit it. You won't spend a lot of time, but you will probably learn something new!

Such a great relic from times past. When trains were The mode of transportation. Very good set up…read moreand display for families to visit. Lots of care here.

As we were walking around downtown we noticed the art shop and thought to ourselves, lets see…read morewhat's inside? Local artist always have an understanding of the area that can be captured beautifully. Learned that the front room is rented by multiple artist and the back room rotates monthly whomever rents that space? It's a nice collaborative place. Everyone was nice to us. I purchased a small piece that is of Princeton By the Sea for $25. My husband picked up a print for $20. They had original art, prints, postcards, jewelry, glass art, photography, wood, mouse pads, etc.

This is the gallery showroom location for the non profit coastal arts league. It's a kind of co-op…read morefor local artists and members which is usually chock full of varied, local art displays. Parking is street only, and due to the popularity of some of the adjacent businesses this can mean you'll be a block or so away either on main or on one of the side streets. This is a medium sized space tucked away on the north end of a courtyard kind of space which usually has installations from a half dozen or so local artists. What you see displayed can be purchased and it's common for one of the artists to be in and/or around the building. It's staffed solely by volunteers who can be conversational but not necessarily well versed in the art. As they also offer classes inside typically the back part won't be utilized for gallery space but instead will look to be cluttered with whatever the last class left behind. The art rotates constantly thus no two visits will be quite the same. All mediums are represented at one point or another. On my visit there were paintings-acrylic, oil and watercolor-bronze sculpture, fiber/paper mache and some intriguing cloth pieces. Quite the varied experience really. If you live in the area, or are spending some time in town you might consider joining the art's league. There are a ton of member benefits including but not limited to: classes and workshops, free art screenings, meet the artist events, networking and most useful for those who are artists a consistent way to get your out in public view. Pricing is set by the artists themselves and doesn't appear to be negotiable in the gallery, but they do offer ways to contact the artist directly should you so chose. In an not quite entirely unrelated matter, the front desk/cashier has the keys to the public restroom next door, all you have to do is ask preferably politely. This is a good spot to browse for local, quality art pieces.

This turned out to be one of my favorite stops, especially when I'm in between appointments in Palo…read moreAlto. I knew in advance that on Thursdays (2nd & 4th weeks only), the public street parking in front of the building was off limits for street sweeping/no parking between 7am-11am, so I got very lucky pulling up in front at 11am sharp. Nice. Easy walk. The Foster Museum was very simple, decent, positive, and relaxing environment filled with gorgeous nature views/sketches/watercolor artworks by the U.K. artist, Tony Foster. Good feeling here. Free admissions and good customer service staffs. You can just walk in or register online. There's a tiny gift area not far from the public restrooms. I signed the guestbook at the end of my walk. Good place to hang around/includes unlimited paper, paper/pencils/samples/etc. If you like to sketch and get some creative inspirations, all the nature artworks in the gallery is definitely a good place to start. Not huge, but perfectly quite and calm for art lovers. You can request for an orientation and/or tour as desired. Great first impression during first visit. It's the positive feeling I get from observing the energy and various colorful artworks. Simple and stress-free. Good value/free admissions is totally worth the 1-2 hours here. They also host art classes too, but I will need to take time to browse around online. Good vibes. Staffs are friendly inside. Hidden place. Love it.

This place is a hidden gem in Palo Alto, in an industrial area surrounded by factories. It is a…read moremuseum of the work of Tony Foster, an artist from UK who paints beautiful watercolor landscapes. It's free, and a nice place to visit for an hour or so ... highly recommended.

We randomly decided to spend the day in Pacifica and a quick google search recommended a visit to…read moreSanchez Adobe. We came upon the small museum/Interpretive Center and were greeted by two lovely ladies. One lady showed us around the center and gave us a nice overview of the exhibits and the history of the area. Then the other lady led us outside to visit the Adobe house. The second floor is being fixed so we only toured the first floor. We returned to the museum building and we watched a couple short educational videos on the tv. Then we took about 15 minutes to get a closer look at the exhibits and to buy some postcards. The visit was totally free. They mentioned that a lot of kids come here for a field trip and they have cute hands on activities for them. I left with a greater appreciation for the Indigenous Peoples and early California history.

Sanchez Adobe House (est 1842) is a historical landmark and a mission outpost of Don Francisco…read moreSanchez. It seats on a five-acre parcel adjacent to Linda Mar Blvd. It's a good spot to take event photography such as wedding. Free parking available. Overall, it's an interesting house.

Great car show at the Half Moon Bay airport. 300 + cars,…read morelots of great food and beer from Half Moon Bay brewery ! My first time, but I won't miss those one ever again !!!

Described as so many types of festivals all in one (food fest, music fest, car show, air show, boat…read moreshow, maker fair, and more), of course, I'm there! But not quite... still had to sit through a line of traffic on Cabrillo Highway leading to the free spectator parking lot at Half Moon Bay Airport in the morning (30 min wait, one mile from the turn into the lot). But it was all worth it in the end. FYI, the wait for parking was only 30 minutes around 10am when the event opened, but my friend who arrived around noontime had about an hour wait, so if you wanna avoid traffic, you probably need to come early or much later, or bike from nearby, or have Uber drop you off on Cabrillo Highway then walk. Endless cars, aircrafts, vintage boats, tractors, motorcycles, emergency vehicles, military vehicles, a B-17 plane (visitors could go inside), 1904 Holsman (Hi-Wheeler), 1892 Columbia Full-Nickle High Wheel (bike), helicopter rides, Pacific Bus Museum and Niles Canyon Railway exhibits, there were a lot of cool and unique demonstrations and "dream machines" to experience, including antiques and futuristic... even a flying car (Alef) on display! Also got to watch the FIRST robotics competition by high schoolers, which was interesting, and enjoy wonderful live entertainment. The stage had a really great speaker system and sound quality, and the musicians performing were even better, engaging the crowd with the sounds of country, blues, and original songs. There were several picnic tables for eating and bales of hay for seating in front of the stage. Inside the food court were several food trucks and stands including Sam's Chowder Mobile, where we enjoyed some delicious and perfectly cooked fish and chips and a cup of warm and flavorful new england clam chowder (Sam's is always dependable in terms of quality). Our group also tried some garlic fries, crab fries, and a corn dog from other food stands, and everything had really good flavor at what you would expect from fair food in terms of pricing. The beer and wine were good too, of course the red blend coming from Half Moon Bay Winery (Braggers & Liars). The alcohol stands only accepted cash, about $7 per glass. Note, the food lines at the food court (same area as the entertainment stage) were super long, especially later into the day. But the lines at the few food stands in other areas of the event, placed randomly between exhibits, were much shorter. This is an awesome family-friendly event with plenty to do and see for people of all ages, certainly worth the cost if you're into vehicles of any kind or festivals of any kind. And you can bring your own food/drinks if you don't wanna wait in the lines at the venue. Plus, proceeds from the event are used to support the Coastside Adult Day Health Center, which is cool. We had an amazing time, walked away with cute shirts with awesome designs from one of the vendors on site, as well as great memories.

This lighthouse is significantly smaller than the ones along the PCH as you head south of HMB…read morehowever none the less it is packed with beautiful views. There is a couple benches you can quietly sit and take in all the glory of cliffside ocean views. Note: this is a Hostel... so be mindful that you are sharing a view and overlook with those that pay into the experiences vs just driving by.

Driving down Highway 1 after you past Devil's Slide and La Costanera, you could easily pass by this…read morelighthouse without knowing it exist. Unless you're looking for it, you'll catch a glimpse of it when you're driving southbound. The place is currently closed to the public (for obvious reasons) but prior to Covid-19, anyone can visit the compound and it provides free parking. There are also benches to have a quick picnic and you'll have a great view of the Pacific. If you're feeling adventurous, there's a trail that will lead you down a hidden beach below. Prior to a storm, I can find myself just watching the powerful waves crash against the rocks along the shoreline and the sound and site is just mesmerizing. It's one of the best therapies you could ever have and it's a stress-reliever. Best part of all, this whole experience is free. The lighthouse itself is not open to the public, but you can roam around and enjoy the grounds and scenery. There's a house that was built in 1863 that provided additional 2 bedrooms for the quarters, and it is very well-maintained. In 1961, an additional duplex structure was added with a 3 bedroom unit. These buildings are now a hostel next to the lighthouse, so please be mindful of their guests and just respect their rules. In 1991, the place was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The original lighthouse was built in 1875 to guide the boats along the coast, and it originally used kerosene lantern. In 1912, it was converted into a fourth order Fresnel lens. In 1881, the current tower was built and upgraded in 1928 with parts from the discontinued Mayo Beach Lighthouse from Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The lighthouse has been standing here since, perched along the rocky coast. Not bad for a lighthouse that's 145 years old. Wish I'll look this good at that age. #YelpChallenge2020 review No. 18