When life seems a little ho-hum it’s always good to do something adventurous. The older you get the more prone a person is to sitting in front of the boob tube. They say that sitting is the new smoking–bad for our health. That’s why we’ve put together this list of places to go in Northern California when you’re feeling a little adventurous. Don’t worry, we’re not going to make you run a marathon. But, I promise a few of these places will make you fill up your tank and head on out.

  1. Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco

flickr/thomas hawk A 10 story addition to a 5 story original space makes this larger than New York City’s Museum of Art. With a cost of over $300 million to complete, we’re pretty sure it might be worth even more now, too. WOW.

  1. Walk the beach in Bodega Bay.

flickr/don mccoullough Why is Bodega Bay so amazing? Well, there are lots of reasons. Whale watching is one of them. Folks there are helpful in pointing out the blow holes that make this beach so incredible.

  1. Enjoy seafood along the coast.

flickr/llee wu We live on the coast, people! Let’s start taking advantage of it. The Pacific Ocean is a salt-water buffet just awaiting our fine foodie palates.

  1. Cornerstone Gardens, Sonoma

flickr/inhabitat When you think of Sonoma you probably think of wine. Well, there’s a lot more here than that. This art-garden, for instance. Some of the most renowned garden artists have their eclectic work here.

  1. Take a road trip through the wine country.

flickr/metthias klappenbaugh Have you ever been to Napa Valley? How about taking a car ride and listening to some of your favorite music while driving the scenic route through Sonoma and Yountville and St. Helena?

  1. Spend a few hours at the Ferry Building in San Francisco.

flickr/fb If you’re not one to take the ferry then you’ve probably never been here. Come for the ambiance and stay for lunch. If you have a little time, hop on a ferry to Sausalito. Amazing!

  1. Enjoy authentic Vietnamese food in Sacramento.

flickr/thy ku ley The next time your’e wanting to Chinese food please don’t drive to Panda Express. Not when you have authentic Vietnamese food here in Sacramento. The Vietnamese population is large. With a community who can cook like this, we’re incredibly grateful!

  1. Capitol Park, Sacramento

flickr/ryan weaver Once you’ve got your fill of Vietnamese food in downtown Sac, how about heading to Capitol Park to walk off a few pounds? It’s not just a building where our legislature meets; you can walk the grounds here, too. Each tree planted is different. It’s kind of where we show off our Northern California garden expertise, but with trees.

  1. Bike around Davis.

flickr/thielen If you’ve never been to the city of Davis you probably don’t know that bikes are a thing here. Not the really expensive ones, though those are numerous here, too. No, I’m talking about Dorothy and Toto bikes. So, you’re in good company if you don’t take cycling too seriously.

  1. Photograph Lassen National Park.

flickr/ken lund An adventure doesn’t need to be exhausting. How about throwing your camera in your bag, or just bringing along your super-dilly-deluxe iPhone and snapping a few photos to impress your family?

  1. Stay overnight in a real haunted house.

flickr/ken luncd The Cary House is located on Main Street in Placerville. It’s been around almost as long as the State of California. Born around the 1850s, this is the home to many an evil spirit. Just ask the clerk - they’ll tell you.

  1. Canoe on Fallen Leaf Lake in South Lake Tahoe.

flickr/steve jurvelson Stay away from the big lake. Sometimes Lake Tahoe can be a little overrun with tourists. Instead, head here. You’ll LOVE it!

Who wants to watch old reruns on Netflix anyway? These are much better choices to spend your time, don’t you think?

flickr/thomas hawk

A 10 story addition to a 5 story original space makes this larger than New York City’s Museum of Art. With a cost of over $300 million to complete, we’re pretty sure it might be worth even more now, too. WOW.

flickr/don mccoullough

Why is Bodega Bay so amazing? Well, there are lots of reasons. Whale watching is one of them. Folks there are helpful in pointing out the blow holes that make this beach so incredible.

flickr/llee wu

We live on the coast, people! Let’s start taking advantage of it. The Pacific Ocean is a salt-water buffet just awaiting our fine foodie palates.

flickr/inhabitat

When you think of Sonoma you probably think of wine. Well, there’s a lot more here than that. This art-garden, for instance. Some of the most renowned garden artists have their eclectic work here.

flickr/metthias klappenbaugh

Have you ever been to Napa Valley? How about taking a car ride and listening to some of your favorite music while driving the scenic route through Sonoma and Yountville and St. Helena?

flickr/fb

If you’re not one to take the ferry then you’ve probably never been here. Come for the ambiance and stay for lunch. If you have a little time, hop on a ferry to Sausalito. Amazing!

flickr/thy ku ley

The next time your’e wanting to Chinese food please don’t drive to Panda Express. Not when you have authentic Vietnamese food here in Sacramento. The Vietnamese population is large. With a community who can cook like this, we’re incredibly grateful!

flickr/ryan weaver

Once you’ve got your fill of Vietnamese food in downtown Sac, how about heading to Capitol Park to walk off a few pounds? It’s not just a building where our legislature meets; you can walk the grounds here, too. Each tree planted is different. It’s kind of where we show off our Northern California garden expertise, but with trees.

flickr/thielen

If you’ve never been to the city of Davis you probably don’t know that bikes are a thing here. Not the really expensive ones, though those are numerous here, too. No, I’m talking about Dorothy and Toto bikes. So, you’re in good company if you don’t take cycling too seriously.

flickr/ken lund

An adventure doesn’t need to be exhausting. How about throwing your camera in your bag, or just bringing along your super-dilly-deluxe iPhone and snapping a few photos to impress your family?

flickr/ken luncd

The Cary House is located on Main Street in Placerville. It’s been around almost as long as the State of California. Born around the 1850s, this is the home to many an evil spirit. Just ask the clerk - they’ll tell you.

flickr/steve jurvelson

Stay away from the big lake. Sometimes Lake Tahoe can be a little overrun with tourists. Instead, head here. You’ll LOVE it!

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