From well-known brands to small, hidden treasures, Northern California offers self-guided and guided factory tours, some perfect for family outings and others better for adults.  Many tours are free and available without reservations – perfect ways to explore the region without taxing your wallet. Here are some factory tours located in within 90 miles of San Francisco:

Anchor Brewing
1705 Mariposa St., San Francisco, CA 94107
Brewed in San Francisco since 1896, Anchor Brewing has played a significant role in San Francisco’s rich history. Anchor Brewing produces seven unique beers. Each brew is virtually handmade from an all-malt mash in a handcrafted copper brew house, a veritable museum of the — simple, traditional of breweries of old. The tour guide gives a brief history of the brewery and groups walk through three floors of the building. The complimentary tour and tasting last approximately two hours, and tastings are only available to those who take the tour. Book a month in advance. Hours: The walking tour of the brewery lasts about 40-45 minutes. For more information, contact 415-863-8350 or visit www.anchorbrewing.com.   
 
Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tours
3101 Busch Dr., Fairfield, CA 94534
Northern California Fairfield Brewery’s tours cover a blend of brewing heritage and state-of-the-art technology. Guests can sample a variety of brews including both seasonal brands and new products. At the beginning of the tour, guests learn about the Anheuser-Busch’s natural brewing process and enjoy beer tastings. They will visit the beech wood aging cellar and the production floor, where high-speed packaging lines fill thousands of cans and bottles every minute. The gift shop offers an extensive selection of fun, logo merchandise. Price: Free. Hours: Sept-May: Tues.-Sat. 10am–4pm; June-Aug: Mon-Sat 10am– 4pm. Closed on select holidays. In addition to their complimentary tours, the Beermaster Tour is a unique opportunity to experience a behind-the-scenes look at the brewing of Budweiser. The Beermaster Tour includes a visit to the Brew House, Finishing Cellar, including sampling directly from a Finishing Tank, Lager Cellar, and Packaging Facility, plus a variety of gifts are provided for each guest. Tour prices $25 Per Person (21 years of age and older), $10 Per Person (13-20 years of age). Make reservations on their website. The Gift shop closes one hour after the last tour. Hours subject to change. For more information, contact 707-429-7595 or visit www.budweisertours.com/toursFAIR.htm.

Boudin Sourdough Bread Bakery
160 Jefferson St., San Francisco, CA 94133
Learn about the rich history of Boudin and San Francisco. Boudin’s Museum & Bakery Tour invites guests to witness “history in the baking” by strolling  through a collection of historic and interactive exhibits as they observe the bakery in action from the museum’s floor-to-ceiling window walls and glass-walled catwalk. Price: $3 per person over 12 years old. Summer 2009 hours: noon– 7pm. For more information, contact 415-928-1849 or visit www.boudinbakery.com/Museum/Bakery_Tour.

Federal Reserve Bank
101 Market St., San Francisco CA 94105
Exploring our Nation’s Central Bank exhibit — a permanent installation at the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank – is designed to teach the public about the functions of the U.S. central bank through a series of guided hands-on and visually engaging experiences. Whimsical and thought-provoking elements in the exhibit include giant iconic representations of financial concepts, such as a free-floating sphere, a suspended safe, and a 14-foot tilting chair. Also featured is a newly designed Currency Collection. Tours last approximately 90 minutes. Personal finance training lasts approximately 60 minutes. Price: Free. Hours: Group tours are by appointment only, Monday through Thursday at 9:30am or 1:30pm. Sixty-minute public tours are available on Friday at noon, on a drop-in basis. For more information, contact 415-974-3252 or visit www.frbsf.org/federalreserve/visit/tours/tours.html.

Intel Museum
2200 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara, CA 95052
The Intel Museum, located in Santa Clara, showcases Intel’s history through unique, educational exhibits designed to let visitors explore Intel’s advanced technology and manufacturing first hand. The museum is 10,000 square feet of fun and interactive learning for children and adults. Located within Intel Corporation’s headquarters, the museum offers a unique Silicon Valley experience for visitors from around the world. Guided tour group size is a minimum of eight people, maximum of 25 adults or 35 students. Guided tours are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Price: Free. Hours: Monday through Friday 10am–4pm. Closed on USA holidays. For more information, contact 408-765-0503 or visit www.intel.com/museum/visit.htm.

Jelly Belly Candy Factory
One Jelly Belly Lane, Fairfield, CA   94533
Guests who step into Jelly Belly’s factory can smell the aroma of chocolate, apricot, cinnamon or pineapple, or whatever is being cooked up that day. During the 40-minute walking tour, Jelly Belly guides show a real working factory where more than 150 different sweet treats are created. Guests learn the secrets of how Jelly Belly creates the legendary Jelly Belly bean, and discover why it takes more than a week to make a single bean. The complimentary tour includes taffy, chocolates, and wild gummy critters in the making, too. Hours: 9am–4pm, 7 days a week. On weekends, the company still conducts its full 40-minute factory tours, but since candy makers are at home with their families, candy-making machines are given a rest. Please call to verify dates and hours of operation before planning your visit. For more information, call 800-953-5592 or visit www.jellybelly.com/.   
 
McEvoy Ranch
5935 Red Hill Rd., Petaluma, CA 94952
Once a jumble of dilapidated dairy barns and outbuildings, McEvoy Ranch today is a peaceful, beautiful compound of ranch houses, ponds and working barns that blend into the California landscape. The McEvoy Ranch Frantoio (olive mill) houses what has been called “the Maserati of olive oil mills;” the revolutionary Rapanelli mill from Italy. In addition to milling its own fruit, McEvoy Ranch also does custom milling for other olive growers. Price: Free. Hours: Ranch visits are by appointment only. For more information, contact 866-617-6779 or tours@mcevoyranch.com; or visit www.mcevoyranch.com/html/index.php.

Mee Mee Bakery (Fortune Cookie Factory Tour)
1328 Stockton St., San Francisco, CA 94133
Since 1950, Mee Mee Bakery, located in San Francisco’s Chinatown, has been making fresh fortune cookies daily from its bakery for individuals, restaurants, and special events. It produces the Shangri-La Brand and besides making great tasting fortune cookies, it also makes fresh breads, almond and sesame cookies, and Chinese pastries. Price: Free. Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am–4pm. Reservations are not needed. For more information, contact 415-362-3204 or visit www.meemeebakery.com/visitus.html.

From now until the end of October, a variety of film and concert series offer the opportunity to listen to the San Francisco Symphony, hum along to a libretto with the San Francisco Opera, watch movies under the stars, or enjoy Shakespeare in the park — all for free. Hundreds of free events take place this summer including:

Del Monte Square Film Festival features free movies made in and about San Francisco through the decades. Films will be screened Sunday evenings, Aug. 2-23, under the stars in the courtyard of The Cannery at Del Monte Square, 2801 Leavenworth St. Open seating begins at 7:30pm. and show time is 8pm. Hot beverages, dessert treats and more will be available for purchase from The Cannery’s restaurants, cafes and ice cream parlor. If the weather is inclement, movie night will be postponed. For more information, telephone 415-771-3112 or visit www.delmontesquare.com.
 
Film Night in the Park draws more than 15,000 filmgoers to parks throughout San Francisco every summer. Films are presented free of charge on a giant outdoor screen. Attendees are encouraged to picnic before screenings and discouraged from blocking views with chairs. All screenings begin at dusk or 8pm. This year’s flick picks run through Oct. 3 and include Goldfinger, Dolores Park (June 20); Manhattan, Union Square (July 11); Pretty in Pink, Dolores Park (Aug. 1); On the Waterfront, Union Square (Aug. 22); The Dark Knight, Dolores Park (Sept. 19), and Slumdog Millionaire, Washington Square (Oct. 3). Full details are posted on www.sfneighborhoodtheater.org or telephone 415-465-FILM (3456).
 
The Golden Gate Park Band has been staging band concerts in Golden Gate Park since 1882. The Golden Gate Park Band performs every Sunday and the occasional holiday at 1pm in the Spreckles Bandshell, Music Concourse, Golden Gate Park. History comes alive at the many performances that feature music from specific nationalities and cultures; on these occasions there are dancers, singers, speakers in attendance who “enlighten and entertain,” according to the band’s Web site. For information telephone 510-530-0814 or visit www.goldengateparkband.org.
 
Jewels in the Square presents entertainment on the main stage of Union Square ranging from Manring Kassin Darter, performing “chamber music for the new millennium,” to Axis Dance Company, one of the world’s most acclaimed and innovative ensembles of performers with and without disabilities. Dance series include Tango in the Square (June 7, July 5, Aug. 2, Sept. 4 and Oct. 4); Salsa in the Square (June 17, July 15, Aug. 19, Sept. 16 and Oct. 21); Lindy in the Square (June 24, July 22, Aug. 26 and Sept. 23). The season ends Oct. 31 with the third annual Halloween ShadowLight Theatre show. For performance times and more information visit www.unionsquarepark.us or call 415-477-2600.
 
Music on Mint Plaza, a continuing series at Mint Plaza, Fifth Street between Market and Mission streets, is every Friday from July 3 through Sept. 25 from noon to 1pm. For more information on special events, visit www.mintplazasf.org.
People in Plazas – The perfect pick-me-up at lunchtime, the series presents 150 free concerts featuring all local performers, July 1-Sept. 30, 2009. Locations are in 16 downtown plazas on or near San Francisco’s main stem, Market: 101 California St.; 333 Market St.; 425 Market St.; 525 Market St.; Boeddeker Park (Jones and Eddy streets); Crocker Galleria, 50 Post St.; Two Embarcadero Center; One Bush Plaza; 50 Fremont St.; Mint Plaza (Jessie Street off Fifth Street between Market and Mission); Rincon Center; 17th and Castro streets; 83 McAllister; Hibernia Bank, 1 Jones St.; 555 Mission St., and 1275 Market St. Performances begin at noon. For a complete schedule visit www.peopleinplazas.org.
 
SFJAZZ Summerfest annual series of free outdoor concerts runs through Oct. 14, 2009. The series launches in June at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto and arrives in San Francisco on Aug. 13. On Aug. 13 and 20 in Union Square enjoy live jazz from 6-7:30 p.m. From Sept. 9-Oct. 14, Levi’s Plaza, 160 Battery St., reverberates with jazz riffs and Latin rhythms every Wednesday from noon-1:30pm. Among those performing are the California Honeydrops and the Gail Dobson Latin Jazz Septet. For performance details and other locations, telephone 415-398-5655 or visit www.sfjazz.org.
 
Shakespeare in the Park will present A Comedy of Errors, Aug. 29-Sept. 20, 2009 on Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays and Labor Day at 2:30pm at the parade grounds at the Presidio of San Francisco. Shakespeare’s comedic tale of mistaken identity will employ a circus-inspired mixture of juggling, slapstick, visual and verbal puns. One of the major free Shakespeare programs in the U.S., Free Shakespeare in the Park began in 1983 and is in its 27th season. For information telephone 415-558-0888 or 800-978-PLAY (7529) outside 415 area code or visit www.sfshakes.org.
 
Stern Grove Festival is now in its 72nd season of world-class, admission-free outdoor performances, a San Francisco tradition that began in 1938. From June 21-Aug. 23 for 10 consecutive Sundays at 2pm, a wide range of artists including the San Francisco Symphony (July 5), San Francisco Ballet (Aug. 16) and San Francisco Opera (Aug. 23) will perform. The season opens on June 21 with an afternoon of R&B featuring Roberta Flack and Davell Crawford, the “Prince of New Orleans.” Also appearing this season are Les Nubians and Rupa and the April Fishes (June 28); Joan Baez and Blame Sally (July 12); Sergeant Garcia and Curumin (July 19); The Lyrics Born Revue, The Mighty Underdogs and special guests (July 26); Kailash Kher’s Kaillasa and Delhi 2 Dublin (Aug. 2); Toto La Momposina y Sus Tambores and Nation Beat (Aug. 9). Weekday Kids’ Days program at Stern Grove in association with the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department invite children to explore music and more; pre-registration is required for these free programs. Hands-on art programs also precede every concert in the KidStage in the West Meadow from noon-1 p.m. Informative pre-concert “Troc Talks” begin at noon in the Grove’s Trocadero Clubhouse. For the complete schedule telephone 415-252-6252 or visit www.sterngrove.org.
 
Stonestown Galleria is presenting monthly summer family movie nights in their Center Court, at 7pm. Catch a screening of Wall-e on July 21 and Monsters, Inc. on Aug. 18.  Stonestown Galleria has partnered with the Stonestown Family YMCA who will provide children with a free bag of popcorn (while supplies last) during each movie session. In addition, free activities begin at 6pm and include face painting sponsored by Pumpkin Patch (6-7pm), food and beverage sampling from various retailers such as Hot Dog on a Stick and Trader Joe’s and live entertainment (6:30-7pm). Stonestown Galleria is located at 19th Avenue and Winston.  For information visit www.stonestowngalleria.com.
 
Woman’s Will, all-female Shakespeare company, often turns the tables on the male-only casts of Shakespeare’s time with their versions of the Bard’s best. This season they do “The Taming of the Shrew.” For their schedule of performances in San Francisco’s Dolores Park in August, call 510-420-0813 or visit www.womanswill.org.
 
Yerba Buena Gardens Festival encompasses a splendid array of over 100 events between May 2-Oct. 31 in Yerba Buena Gardens, Fourth and Mission streets. Opera, performance art, international music concerts, dance performances, children’s programs, theatre, visual arts, puppet shows, cultural festivals, special events, classical and jazz concerts — hardly a day passes without something scheduled. A new series, Let’s Go Dance@Jessie! is a monthly open-air dance party in Jessie Square in front of the Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St., on the first Thursday of every month from 6-7:30pm. This hothouse of culture also includes the San Francisco Theater Festival (www.sftheaterfestival.org) July 26 as more than 100 professional theater groups perform on 17 stages from 11am to 5pm; and there is also a special children’s theater festival throughout the day. For information, telephone 415-543-1718 or visit www.ybgf.org.

San Francisco is a walking city, and with forty-two hills shaping our city’s topography, urban hikes takes you from level to level. Some hills take on more ambiance because of built-in stairways, some 300-odd staircases encompassed into our scenic streets. Stairways range from small flights of steps hidden in gardens to dramatic stairs with incredible views near famous landmarks. Two of the most popular stairway walks are the Greenwich Street Steps and the Lyon Street stairs.
The Greenwich Street Steps at the base of Coit Tower wind through hillside gardens and provide amazing views of the Bay. Take a deep breathe and take the steps up to Coit Tower, then descend the nearby Filbert Street steps, which run in three sections from Telegraph Hill to Montgomery Street, across the Montgomery Street median, and down the hills over Sansome Street.
On the other side of the City, the Lyon Street stairs, overlook the Palace of Fine Arts. From the top of Broadway Street, hike or jog down ten flights of stone steps surrounded by lovely landscaping and wonderful views of the Bay and Marin Headlands.
For more ideas about San Francisco’s beautiful stairways, look for “Stairway Walks in San Francisco” by Adah Bakalinsky.