What to do in Nicasio, CA

Although shrouded in mist for a lot of the time, one of the most photographed bridges in the world is still a stunning sight and something of an event to cross. It inspires awe and fires up the imagination with its size, scale and beauty. This icon of American architecture stretches 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) across the "Golden Gate", the opening of San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean.

Belching, barking and back scratching are hardly the stuff that tourist dreams are made of, unless you’re talking about the colonies of sea lions that bask in the sun and play on their floating docks at Pier 39.

The Golden Gate Park is over three miles (five kilometers) long and about half a mile (800 meters) wide. It was designed in 1871 by park commissioner William Hall, who incorporated winding walking trails that wind through more than 1,000 acres (405 hectares) of beautifully landscaped gardens, woods, and lakes. Golden Gate Park is a lush and laidback refuge from the bustle of San Francisco, stretching all the way from the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood to the Pacific coast.

For decades (between 1934 and 1963) the name Alcatraz uttered in a courtroom brought up fear, terror and visions of being sent to this austere island fortress. Even from the mainland the rocky island, now a National Park, still evokes powerful images of bleak isolation. It is a foreboding place that once held some of the country’s most dangerous criminals, including Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Alvin “Creepy” Karpis.

The Spanish set up camp here in 1776, and following a brief stint by the Mexicans, the Americans upheld the picture perfect outpost until 1994. This makes it the longest running military base in U.S. history. Today, it is designated a National Historical Landmark District.

A one-block section of Lombard Street shows the steepness of San Francisco’s hills in a unique way. The redbrick road makes eight hairpin turns as it goes downhill from Hyde Street to Leavenworth Street. See this famous spot, one of the beloved quirks of the City by the Bay.

Muir Woods is a 550-acre (223-hectare) redwood paradise, full of monumental trees that reach as high as 258 feet (79 meters) above the forest floor. Sit and watch as sunlight dances between the branches of these colossal giants that have survived for centuries. The oldest trees are estimated to be at least 1,200 years old.