Community Corner
Great Escape: Get Away to Sunol for Fun and Flavor
Each week, we'll give some great ideas for a much deserved break for an afternoon, a day or a weekend.
The picturesque town of Sunol is just around the corner, along Niles Canyon, and is well known for its historic railroad system. There's plenty to do and see in the area and time spent there will surely provide a memorable experience.
Romance is in the air when you visit Elliston Vineyards, 463 Kilkare Road, on March 6 for its 2011 Bridal Fair. From noon-4 p.m. some of the best Bay Area wedding vendors will host an afternoon of information at Elliston's elegant, vineyard full of oak trees. You might decide to plan a wedding ceremony against the backdrop of the vineyard's stone mansion or enjoy wine tasting on the first floor of the Elliston Estate Mansion. Call 925-862-2377 for more information.
While you're in town, ride the Niles Canyon Railway, the last surviving example of a Southern Pacific design known as a "One-story Combination Depot #7." The depot has been restored and is operated by the Pacific Locomotive Association. The one hour and 25 minute round-trip excursions from Sunol are available March 6 at 10:15 a.m., 12:01, 1:45 and 3:15 p.m. for a $5-$10 donation per person.
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Plan ahead and purchase tickets for the 50th anniversary of the Pacific Locomotive Association, March 13. Passenger and freight trains will perform numberous run-bys deep in the canyon, and special steam and diesel powered trains will be running. Tickets are $39, departing Sunol Depot at 8:45 a.m. and returning to Sunol around 1 p.m.
Visit the Sunol Water Temple, 505 Paloma Way, the unusual Roman-inspired pavilion with 12 concrete columns. Inside the temple, water originally from the Pleasanton well fields flowed into a cistern before plunging into a deeper water channel carrying water from the filter galleries to the aqueduct in Niles Canyon and across San Francisco Bay near the Dumbarton Bridge. Paintings depicting Indian maidens carrying water vessels decorate the roof of the structure.
Find out what's happening in Pleasantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Sleep over at The Rose Hotel, 807 Main St., Pleasanton, in comfort and luxury. Smoke-free, wireless and with security surveillance, this friendly bed and breakfast is close to Pleasanton's downtown restaurants and shops. A complimentary continental breakfast is served in the main lobby, and other extensive amenities are available in each room and suite. Call 925-846-8802 for more information.
Dine at McNamara's Steak and Chop House, 7400 San Ramon Road, Dublin. Minutes from Pleasanton, Livermore and San Ramon, McNamara's serves the finest Midwestern corn-fed Angus beef. The bread is delicious and the award winning wine list features California's best. Visit McNamara's during Happy Hour Monday through Friday. Call 925-833-0995 for more information.
