Free Theatre Night

This is SUCH a deal. Every October, hundreds of theatres give away thousands of tickets to live productions. Tickets are available from October 1st, and the sooner you reserve, the more choices you'll have. New lots of tickets become available every Wednesday from October 1st to October 22. Click on the website listed above, and you'll be taken to the main website for this huge giveaway--the selection of plays goes from familiar works to ones you might ONLY see because they're free. (And even some shows they'd have to pay you to watch. There's no accounting for taste!) Plays are arranged by region, all over Northern California, so make sure you pick a production you can get to.

The Solano Drive-In

The Solano Drive-In has two outdoor screens, right off of Highway 4 in Concord. After a hiatus of a few years, they reopened again in 2007. They are one of only a handful of operational drive-ins in California. My dad tells me that--get this-- in the 1970's this theatre was briefly an adult theatre--you heard me right, an adult theatre, with screens you can see from Highway 4! Not sure how they got that one by city officials to begin with, but if apparently didn't last long!


The Solano Drive-In often has specials like the one I went to a few weeks ago, where they had free admission and dollar nachos! Their website boasts weekly coupons too. Tuesday nights are family night, with discounted admission. At this theatre, admission is no longer "by the car", it's per person, but kids under five are free every day, and they do have LOTS of specials.


If you're not familiar with the drive-in format, admission gets you two movies: the first is usually kid-friendly and starts about dusk (check the website for specifics.) The second movie is something kids might not enjoy, but they're probably all asleep by then. Doors to the theatre open two hours before the first flick, so you can get a good spot and set up. There's a playground near the snack bar at this theatre, so if you have kids and get there early, they won't drive you nuts by kicking the back of your seat until the show starts. Also, you'll need a working FM radio to pick up the audio transmission.

The California Academy of Sciences---Free!

The California Academy of Sciences is home to the Steinhart Aquarium, a Planetarium, a Natural History Museum, AND AN INDOOR RAINFOREST! Before its makeover, admission was 15 bucks, but they have raised prices to defray some of the costs of remodeling. Admission is now $22 and change. Except for tomorrow, September 27th, when it will be free to get in, in honor of the Academy's reopening. The park, which is located in Golden Gate Park, is featured in this excellent article in the Contra Costa Times.

I guess starting this blog was the right thing to do...

Wow. Last night I made a list of some of my ideas for posts on this blog. I listed over sixty ideas--and that's without any additional research!
I'm excited to write about all these fun things!

Computer History Museum

This museum has a reputation for being fascinating, even for non-binary types. I have it on my list of places to take my husband--they even have an Enigma encrypting device. Best yet, it's free.

Bi-Rite Creamery in Mission District

Located in the Mission district of San Francisco, Bi-Rite can be a bit of a wait on the weekend, but they offer unique flavors like Orange Cardamom, Cinnamon Snickerdoodle, Salted Caramel, and Honey Lavender. On my list is the Strawberry Balsamic cone (I'm a sucker for a good waffle cone!)


According to MANY reviews on yelp.com, the company provides friendly, sincere customer service that is as old-fashioned as the name, including free samples and attentive employees that were more than once described as "on Prozac". In addition to the happy vibes, the shop is very eco-friendly--their treats are organic, all their packaging is either biodegradable(cups and spoons) or edible(sugar cones--yes!)


Bi-Rite is just off the 16th Street/Mission BART stop, which makes it a cinch to visit for those who don't live or work in the city. It's also right along Delores Park, a favorite spot to walk with your tasty cone! We went in the evening (the shop is open until 11pm!), and walked to the highest point of the park, which features a beautiful view of the city lights.

The store is located at:
3692 18th St
(between Dolores St & Oakwood St)
San Francisco, CA 94110

P.S. After stopping by, I would recommend that you NOT take BART if you are coming from the East Bay. It made our "cheap ice cream date" cost about $30. Parking in the Mission didn't seem too bad, even on a Friday night, so next time we go, we'll likely drive.

Hidden Villa

Hidden Villa is a working organic farm on 1600 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains (about an hour away from Contra Costa County.) It's also a not-for-profit environmental education center.
Some of the many programs available at Hidden Villa include summer camps, workshops, concerts, and a hostel. There are miles of hiking trails for those so inclined, and in the spring, Hidden Villa offers the allure of....Baby Animals!!!
They also offer classes, a few are adult classes (canning, growing edible mushrooms), but the majority of the classes are either kid-friendly, or aimed directly at children, with themes like "Preschoolers on the Farm". Every weekend they have tours of the farm at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., rain or shine. I believe these tours are free.
Parking is $5 and entrance to Hidden Villa is free.
Along those lines, Emandal Farms in Willits is also an environmental education center. They offer family camping in cabins along the Eel River, with all meals included in the cost of your stay. While there, you can milk cows, pick tomatoes, and gather eggs. If that's not your thing, then you can take a dip in the river instead. Sounds pretty nice to me.
http://www.emandal.com

Welcome to The To-Do List

Hey All! I have been thinking about making a new blog for a while now. People often ask me what activities are available in the Bay Area, and I have been compiling a folder of them for years. However, it doesn't do me much good at home in the filing cabinet. I wanted all these resources to be available on the Internet for anyone to use.
Enjoy!