Things to Do in Brentwood

Harnessing a background in both art and education, The Pottery Studio's owner aims to create a community gathering space where kids and adults can channel their individual creative urges into decorative or functional pottery, tiles, and mosaics. Amateur artists can grab provided brushes, dip them in eco-friendly and water-soluble paints, and then coat clay in any of more than 60 hues. Idea books are on hand to help aid in the design as one maneuvers stencils and sponges across mugs and plates, or kids and pets can learn to create a lasting impression without super-gluing themselves to the garage door by making clay hand- or footprints. Once ready, the professional staff dips each earthenware masterpiece into a clear glaze, fires it inside a kiln, and readies it to be picked up within one week. The pro potters also encourage each visiting artisan to bring coffee and snacks, and during evening hours, bottles of wine can tag along to refill adults' juice boxes.

Music thumps and LED lights flash as up to 15 people don props and watch themselves file into Flash Photo Booths’ private booth on a 20” flat-screen LCD monitor. After guests select color or black-and-white photos, an ultra-high-resolution, 18-mega-pixel digital SLR camera snaps shots every six to eight seconds. Lab-quality printers produce 4"x6” prints in fewer than 15 second, enabling partygoers to collect ample evidence of revelry at weddings, birthday celebrations, graduations, and reenactments of landmark court trials. Greenscreen effects are also available, allowing customers to set their photos against exciting backdrops such as a leopard-filled jungle or a hockey game. An onsite attendant follows the booth to take charge of both setup and takedown, and remains on-hand to assist with operation.

Aboard their 24-foot pontoon boats, Bay Area Party Boats LLC's captains take passengers on floating parties through the California Delta. Music blasts from the boat's 450-watt stereo as groups nibble sandwiches and reach into a built-in ice chest to retrieve cold bottles of beer. The festivities continue outside of the vessel, where passengers can swim or test how their hair functions as a sponge. Alternatively, customers can drive wave-runners or rent wakeboard boats, balancing atop boards as they speed across the water's surface.

It was Lily Riesenfeld and Leila Burrows’ respective passions for Pilates and yoga that spawned The Pad, a tranquil wellness center highlighted by geometric mirrors and Victorian-chic accent walls. Featured in SF Yoga Magazine, The Pad caters to men and women of all ages and fitness levels by offering a diverse schedule of private, duet, and group yoga and Pilates classes. Skilled instructors, each with their own set of specializations, lead sessions ranging from Vinyasa power to prenatal and postpartum classes, helping students find balance through controlled breathing, strategic movements, and attempts to drip all sweat beads into a single thimble. The studio is set at a consistent 75 degrees, keeping muscles warm and toxins crawling far away from bodies.

With its sprawling, emerald vineyards, slate-colored lakes, and winding rivers, the Sonoma Valley seems unfairly intended for birds. However, Sonoma Valley Balloons' FAA-certified balloon pilots with more than 30 years of experience rebel against Mother Nature, lifting their hot air crafts from the ground and navigating them along the morning sky's gentle air currents with little sensation of motion and wind. Because of this, passengers have commented that they didn't realize the balloon had lifted off the ground, and that they had no perception of height as there is nothing connecting them to the ground.

As the aerostat soars over the picturesque valley and Russian River with the sight of the Pacific coast to San Francisco Bay, geysers, and giant redwood trees in the distance on clear days, passengers can merely gaze in awe at the views or finally retrieve their long-lost frisbees. All pilots are fully insured and licensed by the California Public Utilities Commission and United States Department of Transportation, ensuring a safe, professional flight.