5 Favorite things to do for Fall in Norcal

Hello Fall! Summer is undoubtedly my favorite season forever, but I do love the cozy vibes, fall colors and yummy fall treats that are associated with fall. With temperatures still in the 90’s it still dosen’t quite feel like fall yet here in the Bay Area, but in a few weeks I am sure it will be much cooler and fall will be in full swing. We used to live in Boston a few years ago and the only thing I miss about it is the fall! While fall colors in California is nothing compared to what its like in the east coast, there are tons of things to do here to get in that cozy fall mood :

1 ) Fall Foliage :

California certainly dosen’t get the memo for this until sometime late October or early November, but there are plenty of fall colors around in local parks! We stumbled upon all these colors right in our neighborhood and in and around parks in Palo Alto + Mountain View.

Tip : If you are looking for an easy fall foliage trip thats not too far away – check out Apple Hill in Placerville and also Hope Valley near Lake Tahoe.

2 ) Harvest picking : Pumpkin and apple picking :

Is it even fall if you didn’t go pumpkin picking? Its so quintessential fall! FYI – keep in mind many patches might now require reservations to keep social distancing in place, so check with the farms/patches in advance. My favorite pumpkin patches are Rodoni Farms in Santa Cruz (its on highway 1 and right by the ocean – typical Cali style of a pumpkin patch). I also love the pumpkin patches along Highway 92 in Half Moon Bay. Half Moon Bay also usually has an annual pumpkin festival, which is cancelled this year with the pandemic.

For apple picking I love Swanton pacific ranch in Davenport. This is a U-pick apple orchard part of the Cal-Poly SLO university and is open to public on the weekends. While this orchard dosen’t offer any other activities or facilities, it still makes it worth going all the way cos you get all the privacy and the beach is just a short ride away! You can always combine pumpkin picking in Santa Cruz and apple picking in Davenport in one trip!

3 ) Fall in wine country

Fancy a cozy picnic with your loved one in a vineyard? Or wine tasting in the beautiful fall colored vineyards? Fall in Napa, Sonoma or even in vineyards in the South Bay are a perfect way to ring in fall. You can check out my Napa Travel Guide here.

If you are looking for a fall photoshoot like what we did, check out my friend Paulina Perrucci who took all these amazing photos for us!

4 ) Fall at the beach :

Probably my favorite kind of fall activity here in California! Nothing like a drive to the beach on a breezy fall day or better yet – spending an entire fall weekend at a cozy oceanside cabin!

Some recommendations for cozy Norcal California fall getaways – check out my guides to Mendocino and Big Sur.

5 ) Fall at home :

While I am not big on fall decor at home, I love to cook all the fall goodies ! Trader Joes is literally fall heaven in terms of food – some of my fave items from TJ’s for fall – pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin ravioli, maple butter, maple almonds!

And lastly here are some of my current fave fall fashion items!