(UPDATED FOR 2023) The weather is (often) beautiful, the mustard is blooming, and the high season in travel is still months away. February is a wonderful time to hit the road in California. Here are my picks for things to do in Northern California in February. I’d love to hear your ideas, too!
For more trip planning help:
- California Travel Tips
- What to do in Napa Valley
- What to do in the Monterey Bay area
- What to do in Lake Tahoe
- What to do in San Francisco
- What to do in Sacramento
- What to do in Sonoma County
- What to do in Mendocino County
What is the weather like in Northern California in February?
February is the rainy season, so it’s possible to have rainy, even stormy days in any part of California in February. But when it’s not raining, you can expect temperatures in the 60s or even high 70s in most places. The coast, which is usually socked in fog in the summer, is often clear and beautiful at this time of year.
If you’re looking for snow, look to the Sierra Nevada (think Lake Tahoe and Yosemite). If it’s a good snow year, Tahoe’s ski resorts and all the nearby state parks are great for winter sports, sledding, and snowshoeing.
Is Northern California crowded in February?
In most places, no. One of my favorite areas to visit in February is the wine country (think beautiful Sonoma County and Napa Valley). In February, you can expect fewer visitors and therefore lower prices and more attention from winery staff. The brilliant yellow mustard flowers are absolutely gorgeous at this time of year.
As long as you don’t get a lot of rain, this can be a good time to visit San Francisco to avoid crowds at the city’s museums and other touristy spots. The same goes for the region’s other top attractions like Yosemite, Muir Woods, Old Sacramento, Monterey, and Napa Valley.
What to do in Northern California in February: Seasonal ideas
See elephant seals:
Through March 31, you can watch elephant seals in their natural habitat at Año Nuevo State Park on the coast between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. Visitors must take a guided tour. Find out more about the experience here.
Where: Año Nuevo State Park
When: Daily
Cost: $10 for the park day use fee, $7.00 for the tour + $3.99 reservation fee. Kids 3 and under are free
Flower Market Fair, Chinatown, San Francisco
Every year before Chinese New Year begins, the Flower Market Fair is held in San Francisco. The date changes every year depending on the start of the Lunar New Year; this year, it will be held at the beginning of February. Residents come to purchase fresh flowers, fruit, treats and household supplies to prepare for the new lunar year. Besides seeing the displays of flowers and fruit at the 120+ booths and concessions., you can watch performances of traditional Chinese dancers and magicians.
Where: Grant Ave. from Clay to Broadway and Pacific, Jackson and Washington between Stockton and Kearny in San Francisco
When: Feb. 3 & 4, 2024
Cost: Free
Visit wine country for the mustard and the thin crowds:
This is my favorite time of year to visit Northern California’s beautiful wine country. I constantly ask my husband to pull over so I can get a shot of the yellow fields and the rows of mustard that grow between the vines. But the thin crowds are another bonus of winter in the wine country. Try Sonoma County‘s Russian River Valley and Alexander Valley or Anderson Valley a little farther north, or Napa Valley, which is quieter in early spring.
Read more: 30 Wineries in Napa Valley & 30 Things to do in Sonoma County
Whale watching:
Winter is the time to witness migrating whales in the water just off the coast of Northern California. Every year approximately 20,000 gray whales make the long journey between Alaska and Mexico and back. Try walking at Bodega Head (the cliffs at Bodega Bay) or the lighthouse at Point Reyes National Seashore for the best chances to see whales. At both locations, docents keep track of whale sightings and are available to answer questions.
You can also try a boat tour to see whales in the Mendocino, San Francisco and Monterey areas. Try Fast Raft in Monterey for a small group experience.
Where: anywhere along the coast, but get high up on cliffs for the best views. Point Reyes is especially known for whale watching because the peninsula sticks so far out in the sea, but if you’re looking for views from shore, the guides claim that you should come back around Mother’s Day when the moms and calves swim close to shore.
When: now through May
Cost: free, unless you book a whale watching boat tour
What to do in Northern California in February: Events
Chinese New Year Parade, San Francisco
This very special celebration is the largest Chinese New Year parade outside Asia, but it’s also crowded, so attending requires some planning. You’ll need to arrive at least one hour before to find a place to watch from the sidewalk, or you can reserve a bleacher seat for $35.
When: February 24, 2024
Where: San Francisco starting at 2nd & Market Streets and ending in Chinatown
Cost: Free plus parking/transportation unless you request bleacher seats, which are around $40 per person.
More info here
If you’d prefer to try a smaller celebration, check out the flower market festivities in January or the New Year festivities in a smaller city like San Jose or Sacramento.
Read more: What to do in Northern California in January
Lodi Wine & Chocolate Weekend:
Wine tasting is definitely on the list of what to do in Northern California in February, and in Lodi, the Wine & Chocolate festival is a great way to experience this lesser-known wine country. In honor of Valentine’s Day, wineries will be serving chocolate treats along with their favorite wines. With over 50 wineries participating, what a fun way to get to know Lodi wine country (a personal favorite of mine), and the $75 advance ticket price isn’t bad considering that you could pop into several wineries in one day.
Please note this is a 21 and up event, so no kids are allowed.
More info here.
Where: Lodi, 40 minutes south of Sacramento
When: Feb. 2-4, 2024
Cost: $75-125 for a Friday night winery experience, $75 for Saturday winery visits, and $95 for the Sunday winemaker’s toast. The Saturday winery tours are free for designated drivers.
Read more: Wine Tasting in Lodi
San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Public Tasting
(canceled for 2023) Every year the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle wine competition, the largest competition of North American wines in the world, hands out awards — this year, judges tasted about 7000 wines! Fortunately, the public can try the wines, taste them with small food pairings, and personally congratulate the winning vintners. For more information, click here and then click “Public Tasting.” Please note this is a 21 and up event, so no kids are allowed.
Where: Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco
When: Feb. 17, 2024, 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Cost: $80 in advance (tickets here)
Wine Lover’s Weekend at the Old Sugar Mill
The Old Sugar Mill, a brick mill from 1934 that now houses wineries in Clarksburg just south of Sacramento, is hosting a wine lover’s weekend of wine tastings, live music, and food trucks. RSVP at the link below to receive a complimentary wine glass upon arrival.
Admission is free but you’ll need to pay for wine tastings. These events can get crowded, so I recommend arriving earlier; you may even want to make reservations if you have specific wineries in mind. Head straight to Three Wine Company, my favorite!
A VIP experience is also offered, which costs $59-$130.
More info here.
Where: The Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg
When: Feb 4-5, 2023, 11:00-5:00
Cost: Free. Wine tasting fees range from $8-15.
Napa Lighted Art Festival
This year from mid-January to mid-February, the city of Napa comes alive at night with lighted art displays. Napa has already been a visitor-friendly town with free parking and a compact downtown full of restaurants, tasting rooms, and public art, but now we can experience it in a new way after dark. This outdoor show features 10 lighted sculptures. More info here.
Where: Downtown Napa
When: Jan. 21-Feb. 19 2023, 6-9 pm Mon.-Thurs. and 6-10 pm Fri. & Sun.
Feb. 11 includes a lighted lantern parade at Veterans’ Memorial Park on the river in Downtown Napa
Cost: Free (and Napa parking is free too!)
More info here
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Mondavi Center Shows, Davis:
We love to go to the Mondavi Center for a fancy night out, especially in winter when rainy days complicate other plans. It’s great as a couple or with kids who can get dressed up and experience the magic of sitting in a grand theater (think older kids who can stay seated for a whole show).
In February 2024, enjoy Fran Lebowitz, the Branford Marsalis Quartet and more.
Where: UC Davis’s Mondavi Center
When: select evenings in January
Cost: Starting at $27.50. Tickets & info here.
Penguins + Pajamas Sleepover
This family event is offered a few times a year at the amazing California Academy of Sciences museum in San Francisco. This spring, families can experience the museum in a new way with special access to exhibits and the Rainforest, a live animal presentation, and a special planetarium show before sleeping in an exhibit area. Admission includes parking, an evening snack and morning breakfast, and entry to the museum the following day. More info here.
Where: California Academy of Sciences museum in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
When: Saturday evenings from late January through June
Cost: $129 per person
Saturday Hikes at Deer Creek Hills Preserve
This open space preserve opens to the public on select days, and it’s yours to explore with three self-guided hiking trails. There’s no charge to enter or to park, but you must register so that they’ll know you’re coming. Open this page and click on Self-Guided Hike on the day you want to go; there’s a link to register at the bottom.
Besides Saturday hikes, there are a few special events: Gold Rush History, Mushroom Meander, Upland Birding, and Woodland Mindfulness.
Where: Deer Creek Hills Preserve, Sloughouse, east of Sacramento
When: Saturdays 9:00-1:00 in February, 2024
Cost: Free
Go have fun in the snow!
For places near Tahoe, try South Lake Tahoe, Sugar Pine Point SP near Tahoe City, or Donner Memorial State Park. Head to one of the ski resorts for snowboarding and skiing — check out my guide to getting ski lessons at Northstar (so worth it!).
Yosemite is also blanketed in snow at this time of year and is rarely crowded in winter.
Check out how to go snowshoeing near Tahoe and what to pack for Lake Tahoe in the winter.
Where: Anywhere in the higher elevations. Tahoe is probably the easiest place for winter sports.
When: Anytime before spring!
Cost: Free to a few hundred dollars depending on what winter sports you do
Read more: A Weekend at Northstar
Tulipmania flower festival, San Francisco
39,000 tulips from the Netherlands and Washington State will be on display at the annual Tulipmania festival at PIER 39 in San Francisco starting in mid-February.
Where: PIER 39, San Francisco
When: A free guided tour is offered every day at 10 a.m.
Cost: Free
Read more: a family-friendly day at PIER 39
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Photo credit: Chinese New Year parade by David Yu on Flickr
Beautiful blog…we’re going in June for 3 weeks & swimming in the river like I did when a kid! Sooooo excited!
How fun! Enjoy your trip 🙂
I used to have a friend who lived in Northern California and I loved visiting her! Your pictures are making me long for those days and dream of a day when I can take my family there. I actually just posted about when I went skydiving in Lodi. Thank you for gathering all of this information!
http://www.beautifulbravery.com
Thanks for sharing! I’ll check it out. And yes, Northern California can be a fun place to visit–there’s so much to do!
Hello Jenna
my husband and i are considering a long weekend in Napa / Sonoma area the last week of February (39th Anniversary) We have visited Sonoma(windsor) and Napa area three years ago and really enjoyed the winery tours and countryside. I subscribed to your blog, but I dont seem to have received anything any suggestions would be appreciated We are from Montana and enjoy simple pleasures, people, fresh food ( Healdsberg Shed and beautiful California cheese selection)
thank you
Kathi Coyle
Hi Kathi!
There are actually two ways to subscribe to my blog–one allows you to get every new blog post in your email, and the other is a newsletter, which I send out infrequently. You may have signed up for the latter. I’d be happy to give you some tips for your trip. I have a blog post of tips for Sonoma County, and I think I would recommend that area because it’s a little less expensive than Napa. For excellent wine and food plus some outdoor time on a beautiful ranch, don’t miss the Sutro winery visit with the charcuterie platter at Jimtown Store. Here’s more info about that plus other ideas for that area:
https://thisismyhappiness.com/30-things-to-do-in-sonoma-county/
However, you can’t beat the convenience of staying in the town of Napa. We stayed at the Napa River Inn last fall and loved it. It’s right on the riverfront and is within walking distance of tasting rooms and good restaurants (Oxbow Public Mkt, which has a cheese bar and other good food), Grace’s Table, Tarla, Oenotri, etc. You can get a tasting card for Napa to save money on wine tastings. Just outside of town on the Silverado Trail you have small, friendly wineries like Biale, Regusci (the garden!), Quixote for the architecture, and more. Here are some more ideas:
https://thisismyhappiness.com/how-to-experience-napa-valley/
https://thisismyhappiness.com/30-things-to-do-in-napa-valley/
Let me know if you have any other questions! The weather here hasn’t been great but hopefully it will be nice then.
What a beautiful post, and such great ideas! Thanks, Jenna. It makes us want to take a chance on the weather and make plans for a February getaway.
Me too!
I also love the mustard flowers in February! Thanks for the great article.
I will always think of them when I think of winter in Nor Cal 🙂
Love watching sunset every night !