Tours in Emeryville

There's nothing quite like a bicycle ride over rolling hillsides for shaking up the doldrums of daily idling. The shuttle bus will pick up bikeseekers between 8 and 9 a.m. and head across the Golden Gate Bridge toward wine country. Upon arrival, the guided bike ride begins, and you'll hop from winery to winery like a king on a checkerboard. All the tour guides are trained sommeliers with craniums filled with wine knowledge—and possibly wine. Sample varietals aperitifs along the course of the journey and stop for a delightful picnic lunch among the vineyards. The shuttle bus will follow along to carry anything purchased at the wineries or to assist thoroughly tuckered trekkers. Daytrippers are returned to the city by 7 p.m., in time to share the sunset with a lucky loved one—a girlfriend, a husband, a bottle of wine wearing a wig, etc. Purchase up to four of today's deal and invite friends, family, or a group of beloved strangers to join the journey. If you want to bring a friend along who doesn't possess a Groupon, that person will get 20% off the tour.

GoCars are little, sunshine-yellow storytelling cars, acting as magic transport eggs by safely cradling up to two passengers (aged 5 and older) through a narrated, GPS-guided tour of San Diego's hot spots. GoCars navigate the city terrain, describing the significance of historic sights such as Fort Stockton, originally a rest stop on the Comanche Trail, and the California Missions Museum, which hosts life-size replicas of Civil War–period Spanish missions and nearly half of Arnold Schwarzenegger's doppelgangers. Adventurers can choose between two different narrated tour routes: downtown San Diego or Point Loma. The downtown San Diego tour showcases urban views of Petco Park, Seaport Village, and the San Diego Zoo, and the Point Loma trek ventures into San Diego's maritime attractions, including the sleepy, shore-bound community called Ocean Beach. These copilot cars invite tour-goers to make detours and food stops, giving riders the freedom to shape their own tour according to their camera wants, appetites, and traveling intuition.

With a satchel swung 'round his shoulder, walking stick in hand, and a plume of red and black feathers struggling against his cap, Emperor Norton I leads enthralled sightseers around the iconic corners of San Francisco during 2-mile treks through time. Gold epaulettes gleam beneath the Bay Area sun as the emperor dispenses lively, informative, and charming commentary while ambling along a route that, like an above-ground swimming pool full of sleeping but excitable sharks, takes approximately 2.5 hours to cover. Stories about landmarks, including the St. Francis Hotel, Maiden Lane, and Lotta's Fountain, explain each location's importance, helping tour-takers take in the city's history. Tours run four times a week, and sally forth from the historic grounds of Union Square.

With Janis Joplin's raspy vocals slicing through its speakers, and a costumed guide at its helm, the Magic Bus cruises into the 1960s as it captivates riders with a groovy comparison of San Francisco's past and present. Over the course of a two-hour trip, iconic neighborhoods and city landmarks pour through the bus's windows, which, at various stops, get covered by retractable video screens that flicker with historic images. Tour takers sing along to classic tunes as the bus rolls through Chinatown, Golden Gate Park, and Haight-Ashbury, famous for its role during the Summer of Love, and later, during the notorious crossing guard strike of 1982. Aside from public tours, the Magic Bus opens its tie-dyed doors to private parties and corporate charters.

Departing from the charming town of Tiburon, the Angel Island Tiburon Ferry takes passengers on 10-minute rides to the historic Angel Island State Park. The ferry is run by the McDonogh family, which boasts a storied history of five generations of running boats to the island while quoting lines from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The company runs its route year-round, encouraging hikers and bicyclists to take advantage of the islands’ trails in any season and also runs regular sightseeing cruises around the bay. Passengers can embark on one- to two-hour excursions that glide beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, explore Alcatraz, or cruise along the shoreline of Marin County.