Now with a kiddo, we're always on the hunt for adventures of all kinds. Love a good theme, and have…read morebeen hearing about the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival for quite some time now. Since we wake up pretty early around here, we decided we would seize the day and head over to the Pumpkin Fest. Arriving around 9a, we found parking at a school close-by guided by a fun group with pumpkin hats on. $20 to park, but figured it was worth our cars being in a safe, secure, and near location. To our surprise walking over to the festival with others, the event had already kicked off with an early start which is always fun to be apart of. The pumpkin vibes were high! I love that this festival takes place downtown where the shops/restaurants get to take part in all the fun ~ you could see a few spots selling 'pumpkin' gear to add to the fan fare, but most people were dressed to pumpkin impress. I went with a Half Moon Bay Brewing Pumpkin Harvest Ale, and we also nibbled on a pumpkin muffin and pumpkin raviolis with brown sage butter sauce/parm later on our walk. My husband also grabbed a hot beef sando from the local cop/fire departments. I truly loved that every food/wine & beer booth was hosted by a specific local group so you could see where your money was going ~ from school sports to churches and non-profits. So many vendors! It was a cool group of vendors of all kinds ~ I purchased a pair of homemade pearl ghost earrings, and noticed the most busy vendor booth outside of food/bev was a 'spin the wheel for a chance to stay' at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay. Quite the line! We stopped by Sacrilege Brewery & Kitchen for a taste of their local pumpkin/seasonal brews and met with some friends. We discussed what pumpkin treats everyone had tried ~ from pumpkin mac n cheese, smoothies and milkshakes, churros, seasonal kombucha samples, and traditional pumpkin pie and rolls, it seemed like all indulged in a little orange treat :) Fun entertainment of local and live bands playing throughout the alcoves of the streets, and lotsa people! We decided to make an exit as people were beginning to line up for the parade, but all in all, would def come back for an early day in Half Moon Bay again! They mentioned a pro tip to leave by 2p to avoid getting stuck in one-lane traffic back to the Bay! Until next pumpkin season..

OMG. I don't know what possessed me to come down for the HMB Pumpkin Festival. Was it the…read morebeautiful autumn weather? Was it the call of pumpkin related food vendors? Was it the parade? Was it the arts & craft vendors? Was it the challenge of securing a parking spot? Or all of the fore mentioned. Hubby & I left our house around 9:30 am from the City. We're about a mile from Skyline Blvd by Fort Funston. It took us 1 1/2 hours to get to HMB. Then we parked about .7 miles from Main St near where the giant pumpkins were displayed. Pros: * great food offerings with very reasonable price point. Focus on pumpkin. Primarily to fund nonprofit and school programs. * wide variety of arts & crafts vendors * very festive local parade held Saturday with the largest pumpkin being showcased Cons: * massive crowds * challenging parking. Several private lots asking for $20 or $25 parking fee All in all a great outing to last me quite awhile. I'd rather come down pre or post Halloween.

We hit the tail end of the festival this year so maybe my perception of it isn't as accurate as it…read morewould have been if I'd arrived sooner....but my poor toes are still recovering from being run over by strollers at the Pumpkin Festival, so I was a little wary of coming during peak-crowd hours.... As far as I understand, the festival is put on by the Chamber of Commerce each year to boost the presence of local businesses and programs. So the booths we saw set up in the middle of Main Street were less craft-y and more business-y than those at the Pumpkin Festival. There was a bunch of booze, food, music, and a cute demo by some high-kicking little kids trying to bust wooden blocks outside the Kuk Sool Won school....but it really didn't seem like too much was going on. Maybe it was just the time of day? Oh well. Next year we'll make an effort to show up sooner and scope things out. Good or bad, I do want to support these little local events as much as possible, because they're a big part of what makes HMB so special.

I'm not entirely sure what the purpose of Rock the Block was, outside of causing extra traffic into…read moreHalf Moon Bay. We hadn't known Rock the Block was going on, but my dad and I were aiming to go wine tasting along the strip while my mom picked up some biscotti from a different tasting room. This looks like an event that mostly appeals to the locals. There were some booths promoting local businesses and nonprofits, as well as (I believe) government agencies. I also saw a lot of signs regarding the upcoming elections. There wasn't any booth that particularly caught my eye. I imagine this place would be a bit of fun for small children, as there was a bouncy slide, a face painting booth (I think, as I did see a kid walking around with face paint), and some other kid-friendly attractions. The older crowd might enjoy the music and random arts and crafts stalls. Fortunately most of the businesses were open during the event, and it was just fun to walk around and people watch while wandering down the street. I'm not sure if it makes up for the traffic or the difficult parking situation, however. Overall, this is probably an event the tourist crowd and out-of-towners might want to just pass on.

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.

OK, first of all let me say this the first time I've been there. Nice little place. Great service…read moreambience was pretty good. We ate outside in the patio, which was really nice. Food selection was really good. I'll have pictures up of what we had. Drinks were nice overall value was great these people here do it right if you're in the area check this place out you won't be disappointed

My son and family live here in Half Moon Bay. When they moved here a few years ago I was…read moredelighted. I have loved this quirky and beautiful little beach town since I was a young man. Spanish town is one of our favorite restaurants in the old downtown. If you think the town is quirky, wait in till you see this little gem. It just feels comfortable being inside. The covered patio in the back is where our favorite table is. I always order the goat. It is spicy and slow simmered and fabulous. All of the other dishes are equally made authentically, and like your momma made it. The service is friendly, professional and fast. They have a off street parking in the back. The margaritas are the best in town.

The Festivus is back this weekend with loads of foods!…read more Sonoma Teriyaki has a food tent set up grilling and frying some serious grub! Their skewers are truly amazing. So juicy and flavorful. They're super addictive. The same folks serve up some fried goodies, too. Fried Artichokes are huge and juicy with a nice crunchy batter. Come on over this weekend and enjoy some music, art, wine and some great food! UPDATE: Sunday of the Festivus - round 2 of food feasting! Potato Twister is very unique and natural on a stick they will put anything on it you like, really cool peeps at this food tent. Lobster Food truck is here! Lobster Roll and Clam Chowder really good! Come on down! The weather is mild today too!

Large selection of vendors and everyone is nice and friendly…read more Its safe for children and adults and it's a great walk if you just want to walk and look around. They have a variety of good trucks and a bunch of mom and pop stores that sell art work, popcorn, soap, dishes, etc. Found Polar Fizz drink company which is handing out free soda. Which helped since its so hot today. For those of you who like free stuff towards the end near Starbucks and CVS they're giving out free bags and Frisbee, etc.

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.

Loved checking out all the fat, deformed, blemished, and humongous pumpkins at the 50th anniversary…read morepumpkin weigh-off this past Monday. This is a pretty small festival type atmosphere kicking off the Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival (taking place the following weekend). Virtually no seating (unless you bring your own lawn chairs), so be prepared to stand in the crowd and fight for viewing if you're short. Luckily, they do have machines to raise the giant pumpkins as they are transported on stage and weighed. I, along with many visitors, much preferred to explore the competing pumpkins as they sat in trucks on Johnston Street when not being presented on stage. Many photo ops on this side street, but also in the main event area. There are barely any food vendors on site, but they do have corn hole, a high school band (and a bit of live music on stage between announcements and weighings), and Gourdy the pumpkin mascot. It's not a perfect event, but it's fairly organized, family-friendly, free attendance and parking (though you may have to walk a few blocks the later you arrive), a cute and cozy setup, and an opportunity to see some quirky and awesome pumpkins, or get the inspiration to grow your own and participate for good ol' cash prizes next time.

If you're a sunflower lover like me, then you HAVE to come to Andreotti's! For $20 per person, you…read morecan pick 6 flowers from their field and take cute pictures. I love seeing the field of yellow. It just makes me so happy. Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers. They're just bright and happy looking and BIG! Whenever I was picking which ones I wanted, I told my boyfriend "it's go big or go home!" so I tend to always pick the biggest ones! Lol We ended up getting a dozen as he purchased the $20 per person for both of us. So much sunflowers! Hahaha I love it. We trimmed the stems in their tables area, and returned the cutter to the front. I saw that the person offer twine so I asked for some twine to help tie our bouquet of sunflowers. I definitely enjoyed being here, and I've been here twice so far. First time my bestie took me here to celebrate my birthday two years ago. Then the second time I came here with my boyfriend! :) They don't have a parking lot, but you can park on the street for two hours according to the street sign. Yes, there were so much bees and other little buggies around and on the flowers.

Stopped by Andreotti Farms while in Half Moon Bay, and it was such a fun experience!…read more Of course October is pumpkin season in HMB, which they had a great selection of but we decided to try our hand in the u-pick sunflower experience and it was a fun experience. To get this experience going, you'll check-in with the staff and let them know you want to do the sunflower experience. It's $20 for 6 sunflowers and they give you looper (thing used to cut the flowers), sign a waiver, and you can into the two different sunflower fields to pick which ones you like. If you want to walk the fields, without picking flowers, it's $12 per person. Once we paid, we grabbed our looper and headed out. We had the dogs with us, and they had a blast just walking around and taking in the scenery. We found the sunflowers we wanted, and headed back toward the entrance to cut and clean the ones we picked. When we were finished, they wrapped up our flowers in a bag with some water so they could make the journey back home with us. The staff here were amazing. Since it was our first time doing this, they were patient with us and explained their best tips to cut and clean. Very nice people all around! Definitely a fun coast side experience and a great thing to do when the weather is as nice as it's been. If you are planning on going out into the fields, highly recommend bringing shoes you don't mind getting dirty.