Top California Fun & Games - page 2

Uncover San Francisco’s haunted history on this thrilling ghost-hunting tour, complete with your own EMF detector. Explore eerie alleys, historic neighborhoods, and infamous sites like Gold Rush cemeteries and Chinatown’s old red-light district, while hearing chilling tales of paranormal activity, murders, and mysterious deaths. Perfect for thrill-seekers, this tour blends ghost stories with true crime and the city’s darker past.

Immerse yourself in the SoCal lifestyle—and learn the basics of surfing in an accessible, hands-on way—with private surfing lessons. Choose from multiple convenient class times, and meet your instructor right on the legendary Venice Beach. With personalized guidance, you’ll learn the basics on the beach before grabbing your board and trying out your skills in the waves.

Experience one of San Francisco’s most popular activities—biking across the Golden Gate Bridge—with this bike rental from the Marina District, conveniently located near Crissy Field and the route to the bridge. A bike, map, helmet and lock are provided with this rental, plus you’ll receive tips on the best ways to bike to the bridge and around the city. On the other side of the bridge, you can explore the waterfront town of Sausalito before returning to the city.

This is a great choice to entertain families and groups of friends. The virtual reality gaming center has a comprehensive selection of over 50 VR games to choose from—with something to suit all age groups. Simply put on your headset, and then enter the virtual world. There are 10 VR stations that are designed for multiplayer battles, and best of all, you can play an unlimited amount of games.

Explore many miles of Lake Tahoe's beautiful East Shore Trail without breaking a sweat on a self-guided e-bike tour. Set the bike's battery boost settings to your own personal preference, and set off on fully paved, traffic-free paths for a stress-free day of cycling. The bike is yours for the entire day, along with bike locks so you can pop off to enjoy beaches and forests along the way.

Pair science with San Francisco nightlife and you have NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences. Prebooking your admission ticket is the perfect, child-free way to explore the museum after hours. Make your way inside and enjoy a lively venue of music, provocative science, and exhibits. Each special program changes weekly and is well worth exploring.

Make the most of your time in San Francisco with a comprehensive, half-day tour that checks off plenty of the city's top sights—perfect for travelers with limited time or a packed itinerary. Stop for photos at the Golden Gate Bridge, enjoy panoramic views from Twin Peaks, and visit highlights including the Palace of Fine Arts. Along the way, drive through culturally rich areas including Haight-Ashbury, the Castro, Chinatown, and North Beach (San Francisco’s Little Italy).

Take an electric, eco-friendly ride by tuk-tuk through San Francisco's hills, and enjoy a different perspective at sunset or night. See Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, and North Beach while capturing the city's sparkling views. Your guide narrates the tour for up to six guests, perfect for families and groups.

Team up with friends or family for a fun vampire-themed escape room. Test your teamwork and challenge your puzzle-solving abilities as you collect clues and work out how to escape. As you unravel the vampire love story, set in 17th-century Salem, learn how the husband-to-be was turned into a vampire and then locked out of his coffin—it’s your job to help him open it!

Group tours that involve exercise can either go way too slow or end up leaving you in the dust. Don’t settle to explore a new area uncomfortably. Instead, prebook this Lake Tahoe Self-Guided Bike Tour of North Shore, and ride at your own pace. Pedal along bike paths away from heavy car traffic, and see stunningly beautiful areas like San Harbor, Hidden Beach, Memorial Beach, and Kings Beach.

Learn to surf at one of California’s most famous spots during this introductory surfing class at Venice Beach. This class is suitable for all levels, whether it's your first time surfing or you are advancing your skills. Spend some time training on the beach, then hop in the Pacific Ocean for instruction in the water, followed by time for practice.

Ghirardelli Square is on the north-central tip of San Francisco near Fort Mason, Fisherman’s Wharf, and the Marina District. Rather than taking a guided tour of these attractions, explore the area (or farther afield) at your own pace with this full-day bike rental from the square. Travelers receive a color-coded map for easy exploration and can rent e-bikes, tandems, and kids’ bikes.

Arrange for a stress-free ride to San Francisco International Airport (SFO)—and benefit from an itinerary that's tailored your needs and schedule—with this private departure transfer service. Meet your driver at your address in downtown San Francisco, Oakland, Sausalito, or Berkeley. Then, relax on the journey to the airport aboard a sedan or SUV, depending on the size of your group.

Learn to surf in Pacifica, a picturesque town on the California coast just south of San Francisco. Your expert instructor covers all basics so that you can begin to catch some waves. Learn how to read the ocean, paddle out, pop up, balance and ride the waves, along with the etiquette of the surf world. Start practicing on the beach and in shallow waters before heading further out, with the assistance of your instructor available throughout your 3-hour lesson. Choose a morning or mid-day lesson that suits your schedule, with all necessary equipment provided.

Make Santa Barbara your game board with a 3-hour scavenger hunt adventure for a team of 2–5 people. Use a smart phone to follow a series of locally-themed clues that lead to fun challenges with your friends and family. Trace a 2-mile route past historic monuments, seaside neighborhoods and hidden gems to get an insider's look at the city. Rack up points to compete against prior scavenger hunt teams, or simply enjoy the self-guided tour at your own pace, with plenty of stops to eat, drink and sightsee.

Immerse yourself into Long Beach's nightlife scene without the chaos of a busy group bar hopping tour with this app-based experience that merges a scavenger hunt with a pub crawl. Simply download the app and set out at the time that suits you best. Grab drinks, solve challenges, and compete for the title of "Bar Hunt Champion."

Take a break from sightseeing and put your mind to the test in this challenging group escape room. Get a group of fellow detectives and get to work solving the mystery of the Jack the Ripper murders. Help Scotland Yard find the killer’s identity before he claims his next victim by solving a series of fiendish puzzles. Take a break from the stress of traveling and have some fun with your family or friends in this private escape room.

If you’re going to do a sightseeing tour of San Francisco by bus, make it a memorable one. Book a 1970s-era Volkswagen bus for your private party of six and wind through the city’s top attractions with a personalized guide on a 4-hour tour. Travel into streets that larger vehicles cannot pass through as you explore Chinatown, North Beach, the Castro, the Mission, downtown and more. See the homes of The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, while listening to ‘60s classics. Hotel transport included.

Ideal for couples, families with kids, and groups of friends or co-workers, Merlin's Magic School escape room in Palm Springs is a challenging real life escape game without the dark and scary themes. Working as a team, you'll uncover clues and use magic to break into Merlin’s secret study and find his hidden spell book. See if you’ve got what it takes to save the entire school from a talent show curse in under an hour.

While walking tours are helpful for getting oriented, they rely on guides and discourage independent exploration. With this interactive scavenger hunt, explore historic Folsom at your own pace while following clues and solving puzzles on your phone. All in all, you’ll walk about one mile (1.6 kilometers) from the Folsom Historic District to the Railroad Turntable.

Get to know San Diego while taking this app-led walking tour. Use your smartphone to chat with your guide, as you try to solve clues and puzzles as you walk around four miles while learning about San Diego’s top sights. Some of these are Waterfront Park, Little Italy, the Gaslamp Quarter, Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade, and more. Total duration is 3-5 hours, so a good half day.

Explore Oceanside, California, on a scavenger hunt, where you and your team find items and perform tasks for points. This app-led experience includes a remote host you can chat with during your game for help or tips. The tour takes around two hours, but you can go at your own pace. The game starts when you receive a welcome message, then you’re off to explore.

Explore stunning San Francisco by bike with pre-booked bicycle rentals. Choose from two-hour, half-day, and full-day options, and pick up your bicycle right in the center of the city. Maps are included, plus a basket, helmet, and bike lock, leaving you free to get down and explore.

Get an out-of-the-box introduction to San Francisco’s historic Fisherman’s Wharf neighborhood on this self-guided scavenger hunt. Using a smartphone-based app, discover sights such as Lombard Street, Hyde Street Pier, and Coit Tower. At the same time, answer trivia questions, complete photo challenges, and learn new facts about San Francisco’s art, history, and culture in a fun way.