STUNNING, STUNNING, STUNNING!…read more This stunning French chateau is a must see . . . IF you're lucky enough to be selected from their lottery. Check their official website, there were four weeks displayed and I was fortunate to get the week of my birthday. Wednesdays only from 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. We were divided into two groups. The docent led us indoors and we were able to see the "downstairs" (staff area). We proceeded throughout the first floor and saw a variety of rooms: library, dining area, lacquer room, loggia, and ended at the backside of the mansion (must see pool). The docent was knowledgeable, humorous and passionate sharing stores about the owners of the mansion, the history, furnishings and such. I HIGHLY recommend.

This is the best kept secret in California - A Docent lead 2+ hour tour into one of the grandest…read moreand most beautiful historic mansion and it is absolutely free! It doesn't even have a gift shop for you to buy anything! The downside - the tours are conducted only once a week on Wednesday - and due to high demand, it is by lottery only. Consider yourself winning the jackpot if you got selected to go on the tour. Allen, the Curator personally lead us to a wonderful tour. They are all volunteers, doing it because they love the house and nothing else! Allen is witty, funny, extremely knowledgeable and absolutely the best. The house is beautiful, the grounds are well kept, everything is authentic as if you are going back in time to the turn of the 20th century. Highly recommend visiting this wondeful mansion- absolutely the best value you can ever get from a tour!

Such a unique experience. I've lived in Pacifica for years and always wondered the history of this…read morecastle and what was inside. Now I know! Definitely worth a visit for anyone who likes unique history, movie buffs, and grand decor. Plus, delicious lemonade.

Who knew there was a castle in Pacifica? A nice visit if you're into history, architecture and want…read moreto see some views. Built in 1908 by the San Francisco rail magnate Henry Harrison McCloskey by the sea as a safe haven after his San Francisco home was severely damaged in the 1906 earthquake. It was later sold by his wife after her husband's death in 1914 Up until 1959, it had a reputation as a speakeasy, an illegal abortion clinic, a brothel and Coast Guard barracks during World War II. The castle was purchased and restored in 1959 by the late Sam Mazza, commercial painter and real estate magnate filled it with items from old theaters (fixtures, props) and items he purchased at garage sales...so a lot of kitschy items can be found. Place was never used as a residence but hosting parties and used as an event space. The place isn't as grand as I had imagined but definitely back in the day when Pacifica wasn't quite developed. A bit worn on the outside with no greenery and can see it providing a creepy backdrop at night. The docents (dressed as Mr and Mrs McCloskey) and Jeanette Cool, Executive Director of the Sam Mazza Foundation provided rich history that made it interesting and fun. The tour is 1.5 hours with a 10min video from 2000 of Sam Mazza at age 94...energetic and a bit quirky, eccentric with unique taste. All his real estate holdings, including the castle, and his art was left to his foundation after he passed in 2002. So now the castle provides tours, afternoon tea, holiday events and even a Halloween event with a medium...yeah friend bought tickets for that! An enjoyable visit with light refreshments after so grab a bite to eat before or after your tour

The Emperor's tour is informative, fun, funny, and memorable…read more He is a delightful, knowledgeable gentleman.

All hail Emperor Norton and his Fantastic Time Machine! One of the best things I've ever done in…read moreSan Francisco -- and the way I came across this tour was by total chance! I happened to be walking through Union Square one weekend morning and saw a gentleman dressed as Emperor Norton. I thought he was a street performer, but boy was I surprised to find out he was about to lead a walking tour! Being a history nerd and someone who was already familiar with the Emperor, I bought a ticket for the downtown tour on the spot, and had such a good experience the next day I bought a ticket for the waterfront tour. It's an enjoyable, leisurely stroll through San Francisco -- full of fun facts and trivia about the city, and Joseph is a delightful host and guide. I feel he lives up to the ideals and sentiments of both Emperor Norton and the city of San Francisco itself, and this is my #1 recommendation whenever a friend tells me they're going to visit SF (although, of course, I'm always sure to NEVER refer to it as "Frisco").

Wonderful day trip to Yosemite. Stunning views! But I have to say, my favorite part of the tour was…read moreour driver, Sharon (from Ireland). Very knowledgeable, gave us great tips about how to get around, history, safety, kept us hydrated. Best of all - she was hysterical. Great entertainment. Highly recommend!! Thanks again!

Best Bay Area tours was awesome. We really enjoyed our charter trip and experience to Reno. Above…read moreand beyond that will leave an unforgettable memory that I and my family will forever cherish ! Thank you Best Bay Area Tours !!

This was so interesting!! We took my in-laws when they were in town visiting, but us locals learned…read morejust as much. You tell Rick is very passionate about what he does. We were shown buildings we walk by regularly in a whole new light and loved being shown all the privately owned public parks hidden throughout the city!!! He even sends a map of all the parks after the class. Highly recommend for tourists and locals alike!

I highly recommend this to anyone visiting SF, and even locals…read more.. We gifted this tour to our son, who is studying urban development. This tour provides a unique insight on the City. You start with some of the oldest buildings and work your way to the newest. You also learn about international historical trends and their influence on the San Francisco architecture. Low level activity, nice slow pace. Rick Evans is the tour guide. He is informative, friendly and passionate. Excellent at giving perspective about the importance of preserving the past, and the necessity of bringing the new and modern into the fold. A great way to spend three hours.

I chose Evan because his Thumbtack profile set very high expectations for detailed, efficient,…read moreorganizing and packing, and he fully lived up to those expectation and thoroughly he worked!

My boyfriend booked Evan to take our family around Solano county area. He was very friendly,…read moreprovided water for us if we needed it, opened our doors for us, and even offered to take us to see the sunset! He let us explore around the area for a bit and also took pictures for us. Most importantly he got us to our destination safely for every stop we had (we had a total of 3 rides & 6 stops with Evan that day). Thank you Evan!

A quick 15 minute drive from SFO. They have plenty of parking spaces in their private lot…read more Always a beautiful place. Even prettier the second time around. Flowers were abloom this summer afternoon in late June. The lavender herb bushes were oozing fragrance with the wind, the dahlias were on full display and the lilies were blossoming. Our first was during the fall. Not a lot of blooms but the autumn colors and the holiday decor were a sight to remember. We usually spend a good 3 hours here. Taking in the scenery and snapping a lot of photos. Though patrons come here for the garden, the mansion itself was a mini-castle worthy of a visit. I compare it to the likes of the the Hearst Castle and European palaces with a vast array of art and antiquities from allover the world. This place is very well maintained. It is easily one of the best maintained Historic Buildings and Gardens I have visited.

Would you pay $50 to visit a botanical garden? Yeah, how about in the middle of winter during the…read morecollege playoffs? And at night? Got to be crazy, the big parking lot was jammed with hundreds of cars. We were definitely not alone. It was a last night for the Christmas decoration activities at fioli gardens. Spectacular display of illuminated gardens with hundreds if not thousands of lights of all colors. Safe walking at night along lighted pathways, with illuminated waterways and ponds to break up the vast gardens. Had a great time even though my ears froze off from the bitter cold and winds. All I could think of was I needed to wear my ski outfits. Oh by the way Indiana blew out Oregon that evening so I didn't miss much

My experience was the same as K H. It's great to see such a beautiful work of art and George is…read morevery generous to share his home and time. (He shared that tours help with cost of maintenance.) It is however mostly a tour of his life and not a lot of information on the house. Since it's his home and guided, your time in each room depends on how long his story is.

On the plane exiting at SFO and the girl in front of us was talking about the blue painted lady…read moretour by George Horsfall. It is his private residence and tours are given everyday he is home at 4:00 for $30. George is an notable figure in the area walking his 2 golden retrievers daily. His family has owned the house for years and he hosts charity events, music recitals, movie set cast parties and dinner parties for his friend in his historical home. The decor downstairs is a blast from the past with in tact stenciling, wall paper, and turn off the century original detail. He freely shares so much history and detail of the area, historical development and decline in the area. The wealth of knowledge here is abundant. If you want to be enchanted by really good stories told by an interesting educator and learn historical information of the area, invest time in the 90 minutes with George and the magical stories about the blue painted ladies. It is time really well spent. A GREAT TOUR!

So clean and so fresh. Everyone here was so helpful and its basically all volunteer based…read more Come during the week because is closed on weekends Hard to find parking but the garage always has spots

I was born with a Japanese experience in USA..schoolmates and Kristi Yamaguchi..eating Japanese…read morefood..Japanese and Chinese etc.. Read some reviews about this San Francisco organization...in Japantown. I was visiting the Presidio on the weekend..found a notecard..it's quaint and nice...I didn't know about this organization until I visited the Presidio within the last month..I had to Google to find the address..showed up and had a nice visit on a Saturday.. read some posts and you will feel more acquainted with the community in Japantown Showed regional artwork and served refreshments..held a meeting..inside..brings you back to 1990...first time for things Bye Bye Yelp.com---So Long Farewell Auf Wedersehn Goodbye...My father's birthday today and I am 40...this concludes my Yelp notes...Japanese Historical Society in San Francisco, CA. Goodbye folks...that's my story and I am sticking to it...bless you The end..goodbye...

Really entertaining evening with great guides who kept it engaging and just the right balance of…read morespookiness. We learned a lot of SF history too.

I've been on a lot of ghost tours, and this one was fantastic! Great mix of history and light ghost…read moreinvestigating. Not gimmicky or fake. Aliya was our tour guide and very knowledgeable about the area and tools for ghost hunting. Definitely recommend this tour!