Half Moon Bay
Take a Day Trip and Discover the Best of the California Coast!
Located just 35 miles south of San Francisco, Half Moon Bay is an especially nice place to visit for a day or a weekend. This coastal town has only 11,000 or so full-time residents but the city and the surrounding countryside provide the activities and amenities of a much larger city. Getting there is part of the experience if you eschew the faster but far less picturesque inland freeways. Your best bet is to hop on Highway 1 and take a lovely and leisurely drive down the coast.
Once you arrive, you can choose from a dizzying array of different things to see and do, such as:
- Stroll on the beaches
The beaches on the waterfront and continuing north and south are some of the best in Northern California, with lots of opportunities to go tidepooling, observe wildlife and experience the simple but powerful joy of being alone with your thoughts or strolling with someone you love. - Charter a fishing vessel
Sport fishing is great fun, very good eating and very affordable on one of the many fishing charters available. For a modest fee, dockside workers will filet and vacuum-seal your catch for freezing and enjoying when you get back home. - Go birding and whale watching
The waters and parks around Half Moon Bay provide outstanding opportunities for birders to view birds in their natural habitat or along their migratory path. Charter a boat to view pelagic seabirds such as albatross, petrels and many others. If you get lucky, you may also see greys, humpbacks and other whales migrating or feeding in the ocean. - Hit the links
Golfers get to enjoy courses located right on the ocean or nearby, all with spectacular views of the water and countryside. A few offer golfing and lodging packages so golfers can play a round or two, spend the night or weekend at a luxurious hotel and golf some more! - Stroll downtown
Downtown Half Moon Bay is very walkable, with lots of cafes, art galleries, antique shops, bookstores, B & B’s, tasting rooms and other cool establishments to discover. - Visit the magnificent redwoods
Soaring a majestic redwood forests are an easy and very enjoyable drive away in Purisima Creek Open Reserve and other locations. You can drive through some parts of the Reserve, but there is no substitute for walking through these forests and experiencing their sheer beauty and uncanny stillness.
Whether you’re visiting the Bay Area or are a resident looking for weekend getaway ideas, time spent exploring the town, beaches and countryside of Half Moon Bay is time very well spent, indeed. For more information on the endless variety of things to see and do here, visit http://www.visithalfmoonbay.org/. You’ll be glad you did!