Hosted a holiday party here and everything was divine. From the initial inquiry, we were taken care…read moreof every step of the way. The Great Highway is a unique venue in San Carlos that features classic cars and an old-timey sock-hop-era vibe. We are obsessed. From the venue floor, to the pinball games on the second floor (with casino games and setup as WELL.. gotta bring in your own dealers etc. for that), a mic and music setup with popped popcorn for our guests.. oh did I also mention there's a whole DINER that you can rent and have your caterers make shakes and floats?! I was born in '92 but this venue has me wishing I was around in the 50's. Roz was incredibly thoughtful and knowledgeable about how we should throw our holiday party. We brought in a third party caterer but everything else was so seamless and efficient on the ground. Junior and The Great Highway staff are so hospitable I wouldn't hesitate to refer anyone here or even throw next year's party here ..

Perfect venue with totally nostalgia cars and other items! Highly recommended! Excellent car…read morecollection with history on some of the cars.

One of the very best garden experiences in the Bay Area. Gorgeous, peaceful, huge variety of flora,…read moreand beautiful photo ops. There is a section of the garden where they grow all the flowers for the bouquets inside the house. There are trails over to the redwoods, a wedding area, souvenir shop, small cafe, and even a pool. The house is spectacular and the self guided tour is interesting and informative. Pro tip: Bring a pretty colorful umbrella- it can get very warm and it adds to your photos! Parking is a bit of a walk from the gardens so if someone in your group needs assistance walking, bring some sort of seat for them to take rests. Restrooms are available, but limited number of stalls. Be prepared for a wait.

I've been utilizing my Filoli pass this year and it's a nice place to go and I like that the…read moregrounds change with the season so it's not the same thing all the time. I came a few times by myself to find inspiration. The best times are weekday mornings. And Sunday I always forget they close the road for the bicyclists coming from the North/92. I would also recommend stopping by the water temple on a weekday. The only reason I knew about it was because it is featured on the mural in Trader Joe's on Hillsdale. If you want to do picnicing, there are picnic tables outside. They want you to purchase food from their venues...but the venues on the grounds aren't amazing, but maybe that's so people don't litter. The cafe has some interesting options, like $15 cake slices...I always wonder if they're made in-house. It's not advertised though, so who knows. Filoli also has a volunteer program so if you want to have an active experience at Filoli, you can help with the weeding. I like that they feature local artists - I recognized some items from an Etsy artist local to the Bay Area, whom I have purchased from before, because they focus on local California wildlife. Cons: Sometimes people clog up the walkways with their picture-taking as in there are people waiting to cross...and they continue to take pictures for five more minutes...It's just bad etiquette. Are you milking it so you can feel important? Gag. Or they play loud music to harass the birds and other people. People aren't paying money to listen to your music. They don't want your music. Get a job and buy earbuds. Some people also don't really care if their kids do stupid things...like ruin the decorations so everyone can stare at their kids' handiwork all season long - like poking holes in the macron cake tower. Thanks for that. Or sometimes, there is a sign to keep to the path...so you know...people walk anywhere BUT the path. I'm not sure if they can't read or if they're just so entitled. But yeah, they stomp all over the ground so the plants die...and they're cool with it, because they got their stupid photo. Or maybe on the trail...if there are people coming up behind you, just like in golf, let them through. It's OK to stand to the side and let others pass. THAT'S the proper etiquette. Otherwise, I'm just thinking, they must really want me to listen to their conversation or something. They want to look like they have friends? No one else in the world is more important, so they must be first? If you want to meander in the forest at 0.25 mph, that's fine, but you don't need to have me behind you for the entire mile. And no, I'm not talking about the lady with the hip problem or the mom with the stroller, I'm talking about the 20-something-year olds who wore platforms on a forest date with me as a third wheel. But most of the time, people are respectful and polite. I like that people come and just hang out and enjoy the private park.

Wow first time playing laser tag and it did bring the kid back to me again. But you have to watch…read moreout the young kids will be more faster and quicker than the adults, especially when you play the game twice, individuals build up their strategies. I wasn't able to get my score card in round one because I didn't know how it worked. You are assigned a number and you are supposed to pick the correct vest with your game name on it. Many moons ago I did laser tag in SF and I think it was called Qzar and I remember when I got shot at, the orange vest would vibrate and it was like being electrocuted. As you can tell I wasn't very good, but I had fun back then. Thank goodness this place didn't electrocute me. Ha! Ha! It was fun. Good stress relief and great way to spend a birthday celebration where everyone had fun, learn something new and we all wrote a lovely birthday card question prompt to the birthday girl and she appreciated it. Finally I got my score card I was pretty proud of my score. I didn't score last and was happy. Time to celebrate with a trip to In n Out burger ! Oh yeah! From their website to learn more about laser tag if you never don't before: LaserMaxx San Carlos features state-of-the-art equipment and the ultimate laser tag experience, played in a big multi-level, fog-filled maze. Fun for ages 5 to 85! Laser Tag birthday parties are a blast! LaserMaxx is fun for families, corporate events, office parties, team building, sports teams, youth groups or a fun night out. Looking for fun activities in the Bay area? Look no further!

Kids always have a lot of fun here for parties and youth group outings. The post-game scoresheets…read moremake for good chatter. Convenient location off 101 and Brittan. Staff are friendly and the place is in excellent condition.

We recently held a service for my brother at Devil's Canyon Brewery (Private Event), and I cannot…read moresay enough about how incredible the staff and venue were. During such a difficult time, they went above and beyond to make sure the day was as smooth and stress-free as possible for our family. Lena was amazing to work with. Every detail was handled with care and professionalism. The team was compassionate, organized, and attentive, making sure we had everything we needed without us ever having to ask. The space itself was warm, welcoming, and perfectly suited for gathering everyone together to honor my brother. I'm truly grateful for the kindness and support shown to us. Devil's Canyon Brewery exceeded all expectations, and I highly recommend them for anyone looking for a thoughtful and accommodating venue.

Food was excellent but very small portions. Peanut satay. Enough sauce but not enough food to use…read moreit on? Very tasty though. Beer was fabulous. Establishment was friendly, fun crowd BUT the benches???? I thought I was going to tip one but 3 people beat me to it. Very dangerous. Now the comedy was 1/10 sorry. Not our jam at all.

A hidden gem that I've passed by for years without truly noticing it until I stumbled upon it on a…read moresatellite map long ago. It's fascinating how such a serene, monument-like structure exists right here. While it has become quite popular on social media lately for its "Instagrammable" aesthetics, it's much more than just a photo spot. As a hiker, I find this place incredibly grounding. It's part of the Hetch Hetchy water system that serves the Bay Area, and there is something truly profound about seeing the culmination of such a massive water project captured in this classical, temple-like architecture. Whether you're here for the photography or just for a quiet, contemplative walk, it's a beautiful spot that demands respect. A unique intersection of infrastructure history and architectural beauty. Highly recommended.

This historical landmark is beautiful. It's hidden and almost looks like it's in a middle of a…read moreforest. The parking lot is open Monday-Friday for only 30 mins. You can easily make a quick stop here or have a quick picnic in the grass area. It's gorgeous on a clear day. It's so peaceful.

I love to chill out on a Sunday afternoon, here at Laurel Street Arts. The place gets busy as…read morethere are lots of fun, creative people looking for a place like this to express themselves. You look around and find what you want to paint, pick and choose your colors, brushes and water bowls to clean your brushes. Find a comfortable spot to start and then do it. I find each time I go I do better and I tap into my divine, creative self. I have two to three hours to get 3 or 4 layers of paint to make a deep expression of myself as an artist. I recommend this place to be yourself and do something for yourself that makes you happy. The staff is great and you will have a good time.

My family loves Laurel Street Arts! We've done multiple birthday parties here as hosts and guests,…read moreas well as summer camps for our daughters, and both of our daughters are obsessed with what they fondly call "Sheena camp"! The owner Sheena is so fabulous, and takes such good care of everyone, no matter what they're there for! Highly recommend!!

This is beautiful little spot on Stanford Campus. A true gem of cacti of all kinds. I've been here…read moreabout 3-4xs times now, and it's always lovely to just walk around. It's definitely a beautiful greenery backdrop for photos as I did a photoshoot for a client here a few months ago. We took a bunch of photos here, and then we walked over to the Quad for an outfit change and a change of scenery. We saw *the* Robert Downey Jr. at the Quad that day! That was awesome! :D I usually come here on a Saturday or Sunday and just park at the medical clinic, which is basically right next to this spot.

This review is long overdue from 2020; I for visited this spot in 2016 or so and loved it so I…read morebrought my husband here during the Covid shut down in 2020 and we took a nice walk, it was awesome to check it out, explore the vacations cacti and spend some time in nature. Parking can be difficult. Overall a great and well kept garden e

I came here after my kiddo had already visited because he talked so much about it…read more I've driven by so many times but this was the first time I stopped in to check it out. We walked in and we paid our entrance fee at the front and were told if we were interested in a membership we could use our entrance fee to pay towards that cost. My kiddo led our visit around the entire museum. I loved how interactive the areas were specially the cockpit area. The volunteers and staff were friendly and my kiddos enjoyment of the space solidified my interest in a membership which I ultimately got. Since then we have been back multiple times. We've enjoyed all our visits and check in goes smoothly since we already have a barcode. At our last visit I ended up setting the 5 minute timer for the cockpit area since we waited so long to get in. Probably the most popular space in this entire museum. While my kiddo and I played and several other families waited their turn patiently a parent walked up and asked how much longer we'd be there since her kid had been waiting a long time. Wild to me because we had been waiting in line that's not really a line but some seats in the back and not once did I see this parent waiting. She must of waited a whole minute before speaking to me. I told her we just got in and that I had set my 5 minute timer. She said she didn't see the sign and others pointed her right to it. Right in front of her face. She asked if I worked here. I said no but that the 3 volunteers out there did to redirect her and enjoy my 5 minutes. As one of the most popular attractions here it would be beneficial for volunteers to monitor the line and timers per group. It's insane to me that grown people can act like this or just oversee other waiting groups and act more impatient than a toddler. The space is way too small to be insufferable in a place to enjoy, explore and take turns. Front staff is great. Most volunteers are great. The volunteers in the cockpit benefit from helping maneuver cockpit time and potential lines. This is a well cared for museum and an enjoyable way to spend the day. Our family enjoys it and will continue to be members till my kids want to be.

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.