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SF Bay WeekendOct 15, 2026 6 min read

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Sunday Drives: Pumpkins, Country Roads and Friendly Faces at Smith Family Farm

*Two visits to a Brentwood farm brought fresh strawberries, pumpkins on the vine, live music—and a recommendation for my next drive.* The drive out to Smith Family Farm reminded me

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SF Bay WeekendOct 15, 2026 8 min read

Mike’s 10 for the Weekend - October 8–11, 2026

Fleet Week gives San Francisco a reason to look up this weekend. Along the waterfront, you can watch the air show, step aboard a visiting ship or catch a military band—all without

SF Bay Weekend

SF Bay WeekendOct 8, 2026 6 min read

Sunday Drives: Pumpkins, Country Roads and Friendly Faces at Smith Family Farm

Two visits to a Brentwood farm brought fresh strawberries, pumpkins on the vine, live music—and a recommendation for my next drive. The drive out to Smith Family Farm reminded me o

SF Bay WeekendOct 8, 2026 8 min read

Mike’s 10 for the Weekend - October 8–11, 2026

Fleet Week gives San Francisco a reason to look up this weekend. Along the waterfront, you can watch the air show, step aboard a visiting ship or catch a military band—all without

SF Bay WeekendOct 8, 2026 6 min read

Sunday Drives with Mike: The Weekend Between Seasons

A Pink Floyd tribute, a Saturday basketball showcase and the weekly search for Bay Area experiences hiding in plain sight. By Mike MacPherson What the heck am I doing in Stockton,

SF Bay Weekend

SF Bay WeekendOct 8, 2026 12 min read

The Weekend Top Ten — October 1–4

There is a version of this weekend that costs nothing. Eighty bands in Golden Gate Park without buying a ticket. Museums giving away admission across three days. Two closed Main St

Mike MacPhersonOct 5, 2026 7 min read

Piedmont Avenue Pumpkin Patch: An Oakland Halloween Treasure

Behind an unassuming Piedmont Avenue storefront, pumpkins, playful Halloween finds and a surprisingly effective haunted house come together in one of Oakland’s most distinctive seasonal traditions.

SF Bay WeekendOct 1, 2026 4 min read

Sunday Drives with Mike: The Place I Missed for 21 Years

Four trips into the Oakland redwoods, a night beneath Chabot’s telescope domes and one question I could not stop asking: How had I missed this for my daughters’ entire childhood? B

SF Bay WeekendOct 1, 2026 6 min read

THIS WEEKEND'S TOP TEN AROUND THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA | SEPTEMBER 24–27

This is the weekend the season turns. Three companies open their years in four days, six productions close on Sunday, and the Bay Area throws two Oktoberfests, a Korean harvest fes

SF Bay WeekendSep 24, 2026 4 min read

Sunday Drives with Mike: Sometimes the Best Sunday Drive Is a Walk Around Home

**Sometimes the easiest place to stop exploring is home.** Clayton is home for me. It’s where I raised my family. I can walk downtown from my house. I know the restaurants, the peo

SF Bay WeekendSep 24, 2026 8 min read

10 Things to Do in the Bay Area This Weekend

From opening weekend at the Renaissance Faire in the hills above Hollister to a 75-year-old Greek festival, the final notes of Flower Piano and a weekend when San Francisco brings

SF Bay WeekendSep 17, 2026 6 min read

THIS WEEKEND'S TOP TEN AROUND THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA | SEPTEMBER 10–13

Three operas this weekend, and two of them are free. Mike's 10 for the Weekend has the San Francisco Opera opening its season for the price of a movie ticket, arias on a lawn in No

SF Bay WeekendSep 17, 2026 6 min read

Sunday Drives with Mike: I Came for a One-Day Festival. Martinez Gave Me a Whole Sunday

*What started at Art in the Park turned into a farmers market, a waterfront windsurfing show, railroad and baseball history—and several reasons to return.* By Mike MacPherson SF Ba

Worth the Detour

Worth the Detour: Clayton, California - Life at the Edge of the Bay Area

My road to Clayton began in an old station wagon headed for Reno. What I eventually found was a small town where the Bay Area meets the back roads and a community that became home.

Mike MacPhersonSep 14, 2026 9 min read

Mike MacPhersonSep 3, 2026 8 min read

10 Things to Do in the Bay Area This Labor Day Weekend

From an art fair hidden in the redwoods and blues under the stars to Shakespeare in the park, Cajun dancing in Berkeley and a $5 family day, here are my picks for September 3-7.

Mike MacPhersonSep 2, 2026 5 min read

Why Subscribe to SF Bay Weekend?

Every Week a New Top 10 - and the stories I tell subscribers first.

Mike MacPhersonAug 29, 2026 8 min read

The Eclipse was the Excuse - Chabot Is the Discovery

A lunar eclipse brought people into the Oakland hills. The bigger discovery was a place where redwoods, NASA and three remarkable telescopes have been hiding in plain sight.

Mike MacPhersonAug 26, 2026 4 min read

Boots on the Ground: When 12,000 People Show Up for Al Green

Gina was in line before the gates opened and still lost her usual spot. On her fourth trip to Stern Grove, she learned what “arrive early” really means.

JMAug 26, 2026 8 min read

Football Returns to The Farm: Mike and JM’s Stanford Game-Day Playbook

Stanford opens against Hawaii on Saturday before welcoming preseason No. 7 Miami six days later. Here’s why we think The Farm offers the Bay Area’s best complete college-football experience.

Mike MacPhersonAug 20, 2026 3 min read

THIS WEEKENDS TOP TEN AROUND THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA | AUGUST 20–23

Skip past the obvious. Mike’s 10 for the Weekend digs into the Bay Area’s neighborhood shows, outdoor music and local finds worth knowing about - plus this week’s Hidden Gem and Family Pick.

Mike MacPhersonAug 17, 2026 6 min read

Boots on the Ground: The Weekend Is Getting Bigger

What started as a phone full of weekend photos is becoming something bigger. Meet SF Bay Weekend’s Boots on the Ground, real people getting out there, following the playbook, and coming back with stories of their own.

Mike MacPhersonAug 12, 2026 7 min read

Behind the Ticket: How Much Is a Free Ticket Really Worth?

This weekend, Public Enemy and Al Green play Stern Grove for free. But when demand is greater than capacity, even a $0 ticket has a story behind it. Behind the Ticket - There’s more to your ticket than the price printed on it.

JM John MahlochAug 12, 2026 7 min read

JM’s Playbook: Back at the Bar

Back from Tahoe and behind the bar at Ed’s, JM introduces Our Guy, gives Mike a lesson in Clayton history and starts worrying about fantasy football.

JM (John Mahloch)Aug 5, 2026 10 min read

Lake Tahoe isn't just a destination, it's where JM's lifelong network, family traditions, and "I've Got a Guy" philosophy come together. From hidden bars and legendary cocktails to a Delta detour only locals know, this is a weekend built on conversations, connections, and unforgettable stops.

Mike MacPhersonAug 3, 2026 12 min read

Outside Lands 2026: Road Closures and 20 Things to Do Instead

Outside Lands returns to Golden Gate Park on Friday, August 7, and runs through Sunday, August 9. Charli xcx headlines Friday, The Strokes Saturday, RÜFÜS DU SOL Sunday. It's the festival's 18th year, and the SFMTA expects roughly 75,000 people a day. Three-day general admission, GA+ and VIP sold out months ago, and most single day tickets have gone since. Roughly 800,000 people live in San Francisco. About seven million live in the Bay Area. The overwhelming majority of them are not going to Outside Lands. If that's you, the festival is still going to happen to you. This guide covers what actually changes across the city, and we highlight twenty events happening between Thursday and Sunday that have nothing to do with the festival.

Mike MacPhersonJul 30, 2026 5 min read

Introducing JM's Playbook

My good friend JM has spent thirty years behind a bar collecting people, phone numbers and the kind of places you'd never find on Yelp. Starting soon, he's sharing them here.

Mike MacPhersonJul 26, 2026 2 min read

The Hidden Gem Bookshops Every Bay Local Should Know

Tucked-away shelves, secret reading nooks, and the booksellers who make them magic.

Mike MacPhersonJul 26, 2026 4 min read

A Weekend Itinerary for Point Reyes and Tomales Bay

Elk roaming free for the first time in half a century, oysters on the shore, and a cypress tunnel worth the early alarm.

Mike MacPhersonJul 26, 2026 12 min read

12 Sweet Stops: A Bay Area Ice Cream Road Trip

Roll the windows down and rediscover the Bay Area one scoop at a time. From century old creameries to hidden neighborhood gems, these 12 sweet stops are more than great ice cream, they're the perfect excuse for a family road trip.

Mike MacPhersonJul 26, 2026 5 min read

Date Night by Ferry: Sausalito's Most Romantic Evening

A ferry ride across the bay, fresh oysters at sunset, and a moonlit stroll among Sausalito's floating homes, one of the Bay Area's most unforgettable date nights.

Mike MacPhersonJul 26, 2026 3 min read

Where to Watch the Fog Roll In at Golden Hour

Five underrated spots to catch the Bay Area at its most cinematic — where the marine layer spills over the hills and the light turns to gold.