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

Of the street fairs in the bay area, this is one of my favorites. Lots of vendors lining the…read morestreets and restaurants and cafes are also available. The vibe is good, weather typically cooler than some of the South Bay festivals. The only issue is parking which was difficult to find. We got lucky at the train station, but only after driving around for 10-15 min. We'll definitely be back next year.

Fantastic lively annual summer festival! I was with a food truck vending there and the team…read moreorganizing it was super professional. Loved the live music and everyone dancing.

Who am I kidding? What's not to like about the idea of a lobster festival?…read more Here's a quick rundown of what you missed this past Sunday in Half Moon Bay: 1) FREE festival. That's right, no admission. Just walk on in and see what's being offered. You're free to leave if it just isn't your thing - and don't ask for a refund! 2) Hosted near the beach! You can hear the waves crashing on the shore. And it was a beautiful, sunny day to boot! 3) Lobster hats! For $5. One size fits all. 4) This event is a fundraiser for the Half Moon Bay July 4th fireworks display, so the proceeds go to help make other awesome local events happen. 5) Motherfucking lobster rolls. Full of claw meat and drenched in butter. I get a food boner just thinking about that delicious sandwich. If you missed out this year, mark your calendars for 2012 - you know I'll be there. With my lobster hat :)

I met our benevolent COmmunity Manager Abby S here with some of her friends for the lobsterfest…read more Was thinking there was going to be rainy and cold but the sun kept peaking it's face out making things somewhat warm. Lobster rolls, chowder, fries, beers, and ice cream sandwiches out in the ocean air. What's not to like? The smart thing they did or this which they should do for most any impacted food truck event is have people buy tickets and exchange them for food. This cuts down the time people have to pay, make change etc. It really speeds up the system. There's a train ride for the kiddies and make sure you ask Abby about her sweet lobster hat.

It's a Millbrae tradition, 55 years and counting! Now that Bart, SamTrans, Caltrain, Uber and Lyft…read moreare great options to get to Broadway Downtown Millbrae, the parking isn't as bad anymore. Plan ahead! The music and atmosphere is always really up beat and fun. I love going every year.

This was my first time at this festival…read more I went on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, and it was very hot and very crowded. And it stretched all the way through downtown Millbrae on Broadway. Plenty to see here, lots of different types of vendors, live music, wine, beer, food, and carnival rides and a petting zoo. Also, all the businesses that are open along Broadway add to it, This seems to be a very popular festival, and if you're not going somewhere for the long weekend, this is definitely a great option!!!

What a nice Street Festival event during the summer season!…read more This is my second year coming to this event. This year was their 3rd San Mateo Downtown Summerfest! Located in the heart of San Mateo on B Street were tons of different things for children and adults to experience. The festival was on June 20th and June 21st from 10AM-6PM. The Festival is presented by the Downtown San Mateo Association, www.dsma.org . The DSMA produces and/or sponsors promotion and special events, business mixers, open houses, and fundraisers. FOOD AND DRINKS: -Bliss Pops-Popsicles (strawberry, pineapple, toasted coconut, mango habanero, fudgesicle) -Tea & Picklets-sliders, skewers, curry dishes, iced milk teas with toppings -Dragon Papa-Dragon Beard candy, mochi, ginger candy -Endless Summer Sweets-Funnel Cakes, Kettle Corn, Corn Dogs, Cotton Candy -Sweet Delights-burger and fries, pupusas, corn dog, hot dog, philly cheese steak, gyros -Sonoma Teriyaki-Gyros sandwich; Street tacos with chicken, steak or fried fish; Rolled chicken tacos; Quesadilla with chicken, steak or fried fish; Artichoke hearts with shrimp and crab; Fried zucchini/garlic fries.Teriyaki chicken with fried rice, chow mein or steamed vegetable; Teriyaki chicken on a skewer; Teriyaki chicken rice bowl; Sausage/hot dog on bun; Lemonade There was also a vender that was serving wine. VENDERS: Tons of venders that were selling their products: Organic clothing, Kitchen cooking tools and Fresh made Honey. ENTERTAINMENT: Saturday, June 20, 2015 Main Stage at B Street and Baldwin Avenue 12:00 Noon - 1:30 PM Citizen Rhythm 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Tom Finch Group 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM The Bad Jones 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM JazzMaTazz (Teen Performing Troupe) 12:00 Noon Core Taekwondo Community Presentation 1:00 PM The Peace and Prosperity Ukulele Orchestra of San Mateo 2:45 PM Curious Blend (Adult Acapella Group) 3:45 PM Accel Gymnastics 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM American Line Dancers Sunday, June 21, 2015 North B Street 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Walking Mariachi Band Main Stage at B Street and Baldwin Avenue 12:00 Noon - 1:30 PM Twice as Good 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Jay Buckaroo Bonet 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM DreamCycle Community Stage at B Street at 6th Avenue 11:00 AM 1:00 PM Scribble Me Happy Art Project 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM Core Taekwondo Demo Team 2:00 PM School of Rock Overall, Good set up and tons for the children to do as well! I can't wait to see what next year has in store!

I've been to all sorts of fairs, markets, wine walks, and festivals and this Summerfest was as…read moreclose to a collection of junk vendors as I've ever seen. It was deceptively large, and yet only contained - at most - couple handfuls of true 'art' tents. The rest of the blocks were made up of extremely aggressive sales people for vegetables, cruises, newspapers, and other misc junk. Warm, badly mixed Jamba was being upsold at the large size price for medium sizes drinks, and while they had incredibly helpful people at the information booth, the music on the fifth ave stage was really really bad. The teenager on the base was quite a good player, until she opened her mouth and you caught on she was tone deaf. I sat a block away and finally had to put on headphones. The second stage near first ave was much better, with a vocalist who worked the crowd - it really was a pleasure to listen and she was the saving grace of this event for me. All in all, there really isn't much reason to come to this unless you live nearby - the vendor selection was the worst I've ever seen, so if you stay home, you probably won't be missing much.

Wow, what a fun event! Haven't reviewed it until now because I had bookmarked it wrong, but it was…read moresuch a blast. Loved all the tasty foods, and the incredible wines... The sparkling sake was such a fun surprise! We got to know DTSM so much better, and ending at the shoe store with the orthotic saleslady was a great choice-- both my fiance and my friend's boyfriend got brand new orthotics that they love! Vino, nibbles, and shoe inserts... What more could you want??!

Such a blast! I received tickets to this even as part of a Yelp promo and I am SO happy that I had…read morethe opportunity to attend. I would gladly buy tickets to this wine walk in the future. The way that the wine walk was structured was that wineries were hosted by different facilities around San Mateo. The facilities ranged from an eye glasses shop to a chocolate shop - really provided a great scope of different places you can go in San Mateo. There was a TON of great food, but the stand out place was Sharona's... my goodness if I lived in San Mateo you would need a forklift to get me out of Sharona's. Wine + Chocolate = taste bud magnificence.

So much nostalgia with a good county fair! The San Mateo County Fair had a good amount of food and…read moreattractions that felt like a bang for your buck without feeling too over-the-top (not sure if it's just because it's been years since I last went to a county fair, but there have been some that made me feel like I was in a labyrinth and it was impossible to peruse everything it had to offer). I love that it had all of the classic games and rides, albeit that the cost of game tickets was far more expensive than I recall them typically being. The wristband system was nice, though. On the contrary, re: food, I got lobster fries that were cheaper than what I would have expected for the usually up-charged fair prices. The serving size was quite hefty, and they didn't skimp on the lobster. The coolest thing about the SMCF for me was that their concert series was free to fair attendees. I'm so used to OC Fair's extra concert ticket charge, so this made admission cost feel worth it. The line-up felt pretty stacked this year for the caliber of this event, and I was able to catch Jay Sean. It was cool to see a legend from my teenage years play live; it was less cool to hear the teenagers whom we shared a bench with ask who Jay Sean is. Overall a fun event that I would do again for the vibes more than what it has to offer at face value.

This was not the fair I was expecting. Minimal attractions and food, sigh. We were ready to leave…read moreafter one hour. I will say it addressed my fair fix. Parking was easy too, but for a total of $60 for 2 tickets and parking (not including food) this is not a good value. Bathroom lines were long and didn't have good air flow. I'm glad I tried it, now I know.

I attended the Pacific Islanders' Cultural Association (PICA) Aloha Festival for the first time…read morethis summer! It was a fun and entertaining event, despite the heat. I enjoyed watching the musical and dance performances, eating the delish foods, and learning more about Pacific Islander culture through the vendors. The event was free, but parking can be costly. Luckily, there is street parking available if you don't mind walking a few blocks. Overall, I had a nice time. It's family friendly, educational, and laid back!

Polynesian, slightly chilled…read more.. No, I'm not talking about a tropical cocktail with a pink umbrella in it. I'm talking about the half-naked performers who had to suffer the chilly breezes coming off the bay and splat into the Presidio. They kept their smiles up, but I swear I could see their goose pimples at fifty paces. This was my first visit to the SF Aloha Festival, and I rather enjoyed it if only because it's good to see such a pronounced minority group congregate in one place, especially since Pacific Islanders don't really have a neighborhood they can call their own in the city. There were certainly lots of kiosks with lots of Hawaiiana and other Pacific-oriented paraphernalia. But who am I kidding? I just went for the $10 Hawaiian plate at one of the numerous kiosks serving them. The pig-pork was so moistly tender that I didn't mind the slightly congealed flavor of the macaroni salad. Dining al fresco meant sitting on an unoccupied street curb, but that's OK as long as I could get up again without moaning. I barely caught the Polynesian shows on the dual stages since they were surrounded far and wide by masses of occupied patio chairs and blankets. But I'll know better to come a bit earlier than 2pm to get a good view of the festivities. In the meantime, da place stay cold, while da pig stay hot. Aloha, brudda.