Football haters can still enjoy Super Bowl weekend in the Bay Area

The Super Bowl will draw football fans from far and wide to Northern California in early February – but sports-agnostic travelers shouldn’t despair.

Whether you just happen to be visiting during the Feb. 8 game at Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium, or you’re accompanying a pigskin devotee on their trip, there is still plenty else to do in the Bay Area. “I do think you could have a perfectly nice time if you're smart about it,” Doug Johnson, spokesperson for AAA Northern California, told USA TODAY.

Here’s the non-football fan’s travel guide for Super Bowl weekend, from what to do to how to avoid the crowds.

What non-fans actually do that weekend 

Even with the influx of football fans, Johnson said travelers can still enjoy some tried-and-true tourist destinations such as San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. “You know, you could do a Segway tour through the park, but there's also (the) California Academy of Sciences,” he said. Guests can enjoy an aquarium, planetarium and more.

The de Young and Legion of Honor fine art museums and Japanese Tea Garden are also close by. Chinatown is a “good place to walk around” as well, according to Johnson. If the mainland gets too crowded, hop on a ferry and head to Alcatraz Island, where visitors can tour the former federal penitentiary, military prison and fort (though he advised booking tickets ahead of time).

“And then if you're looking to get out of the city itself … there's Angel Island State Park, which is a great place,” Johnson said. The San Francisco Bay’s biggest natural island offers striking views, hiking and is just a 30-minute ferry ride away. He also recommended wine tasting in Napa and Sonoma, about an hour from San Francisco by car (though that can vary depending on traffic).

Other options include exploring Mount Diablo State Park or visiting Half Moon Bay State Beach (though the weather will likely still be a bit chilly).

Johnson also warned travelers to keep an eye out for other official Super Bowl activities that could make getting around trickier. Those include events at the Moscone Center, the Palace of Fine Arts, SFMOMA and The Hibernia (a list is available on the NFL website).

Visitors wear warm clothing while viewing Alcatraz Island from Pier 39 on July 21, 2025 in San Francisco, California.

When Super Bowl week is actually a good time to visit 

Super Bowl weekend may also be an especially good time to visit certain attractions like Muir Woods National Monument in Mill Valley.

“It's usually very crowded, and you have to get a reservation to get parking there,” Johnson said. “I would guess that you could probably get into Muir Woods a little bit easier on Super Bowl Sunday, just because there's going to be more people staying at home watching the game.”

The same goes for Point Reyes National Seashore, which can get quite busy under normal circumstances. If you don’t mind a farther drive, Fort Bragg on the Mendocino Coast is “a cute little town kind of removed from the crowds,” about three-and-a-half hours from San Francisco.

If winter sports are more your thing, consider visiting a Lake Tahoe ski resort. “My parents will go every Super Bowl Sunday, because there's no lift lines to any of the ski resorts,” Johnson said.

Visitors walk through Muir Woods National Monument on July 24, 2025.

The takeaway

Just because it’s Super Bowl weekend doesn’t mean you have to plan your trip around football. There are plenty of other ways for travelers tol enjoy a few days in and around the Bay Area – game or no game.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].