If you are a senior who’s new to the Bay Area or perhaps are just newly retired, you may be looking for things to help you stay active and meet people with interests like yours.
There’s no shortage of activities in this buzzing city, but if you’re not sure where to start, here is CareYaya's list of the top ten must-do activities for seniors in the Bay Area.
- Master culinary skills by enlisting in a themed cooking class through Chef Joe’s Culinary Salon.
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Admire world-renowned artist Andy Goldsworthy’s art pieces in the Presidio: Wood Line, Spire, Tree Fall, and Earth Wall. The four pieces can be visited together during a three-mile hiking loop, or separately. Guided hikes are scheduled regularly.
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The Berkeley Kite Festival in Cesar Chavez Park is an annual event that includes music, candy drops for the kids, traditional kite making from Japanese experts, and more. This free event is held each July and has been wowing people of all ages since 1986.
- Visitors of Point Bonita Lighthouse in the Marin Headlands can enjoy views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and the San Francisco Bay. Built in 1855, Point Bonita is still active today and is maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard.
- Peruse the shelves at the landmark City Lights Bookstore, founded in 1953 and still owned by Beat Generation poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
- The Filoli Historic House and Garden in Woodside offers art exhibits, garden tours, a nature preserve, dining, shopping, and more. The 54,256 square foot home was constructed in 1917 and sits on 16 acres. Visit in person or take a virtual tour.
- The Hamon Observation Tower at the de Young art museum offers another opportunity to view these sites, with 360-degree panoramic views of downtown San Francisco, Golden Gate Park, the San Francisco Bay and the Marin headlands.
- Dine on oysters in the half shell at the iconic Swan Oyster Depot. Visitors say it’s worth the wait (and there’s always a wait) to sit at one of the 19 counter stools at this oyster bar, which has been a beacon of San Francisco since 1912.
- Visit any of the Bay Area’s Farmer’s Markets, many of which accept senior nutrition coupons.
- Take a scenic coast drive from San Francisco to Bodega Bay. Enjoy breath-taking views during the hour-plus drive up Coast Highway 1, then explore the fishing village of Bodega Bay, visit the beach at Doran Regional Park, watch the seals play by the bluffs at Bodega Head, and so much more.
Options If Your Loved One Needs Care: Connect with Caring Helpers Providing Reasonably-Priced Care
By bringing in some part-time private duty caregivers a few hours a week through a reputable service like CareYaya, you can take a lot of daily burdens off your aging loved ones' shoulders. These assistants can lend a hand with basic chores or personal care tasks that have gotten difficult to manage solo, whether due to dementia or physical frailty. CareYaya college students training to be nurses or doctors get special instruction on compassionately caring for seniors before being matched with local clients needing a boost. This way, they can help with assisted daily living care for your aging parents.
Starting rates at $15 per hour provide a reasonable price point for the aging population compared to traditional home care agencies that often charge double or triple the hourly rates. Scheduling visits from one of those medically-savvy helpers means your loved one always has someone responsible checking in on them, without breaking the bank.
If dad or grandma needs overnight assistance too, CareYaya can arrange vetted overnight caregivers in home as well. Having that reliable overnight care support prevents risky middle-of-the-night mobility mishaps and gives family caretakers well-deserved rest knowing that loved ones are in good hands. Rates for overnight elderly care through CareYaya run approximately $120 per night for an 8-hour session – less than half the cost of comparable local care agency options.
Additional Activities Ideas from the Institute on Aging
When you are friends with someone or with a group of people, you have to make plans to see them, even if it is just stopping by for lunch or to play cards. But sometimes, the plans you are making are bigger. Sometimes, you’re making group activities. And that’s where the real fun comes in.
Group outings can be extremely important for seniors, as they increase interaction and expand a social horizon. With activities, you might see new things and new people, or see familiar things in new ways. The planning and execution of an outing are perfect for exercising the mind, and activities often have at least some physical component (though you shouldn’t exclude people unable to participate, physically).
We encourage group outings, both our own and to plan on your own. That’s why over the last few weeks, we’ve run a series on how you can plan group outings, with ideas on what to do and where to go.
Remember that this is your story and your life. Despite what many people think, getting older doesn’t mean that you stop writing it. You can always add new chapters, and each story you tell, from each group activity, adds up to a larger one. It adds up to the story of your life. So keep writing.
5 Great Group Activity Ideas
Here are five of our broad idea categories, with more details and descriptions in the article.
Movie Night For Seniors
Movies, depending on what you watch, can be a celebration of memory. Watching older movies evokes how you felt when you saw it, as well as a world you remember but that has changed. There’s nothing melancholy about that; you’ve changed as well. Seeing an old movie you remember well is a great way to bring up and share memories. It makes your personal experience part of the art.
Features: Movie ideas and selections from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s.
Senior Dances for Bay Area Residents
There are few things that leave you more exhilarated than dance, maybe the most purely physical of human art forms. Your body takes on a life of its own, whether you’re by yourself, with a partner, or in a group. And with that combination of mental freedom and physical activity comes a huge litany of health benefits.
Features:
- The physical benefits of dance
- The mental benefits of dance
- The social benefits of dance
- Places to find dance lessons
- Places to find group dances
Best Day Trips for Seniors and Senior Groups in the Bay Area
A lot happens when you see something new. You discover not just different scenery, but something new within yourself. You have to. You take in new information, and that makes you, even ever so slightly, different. That’s why we encourage seniors and their caregivers to take as many day trips in the Bay Area as possible, whether with a senior group or not. There is so much to see and so much to learn. Most of what you learn, though, will be about yourself.
Features:
- 5 different outing ideas
- Outings for all levels of physical health
- Travel times from San Francisco
The 7 Best Bay Area Boat Tours for San Francisco Older Adults
Bay Area boat tours are an incredible way to see the very reason our magnificent city and region were built in the first place. They are ways to spend time with friends, to laugh and gasp in awe as the sea mists itself against your smiling face. They are a chance to be thrilled, to relax, to contemplate, or to yell out loud. They are chance to be fully alive.
Features:
- Seven great boat tours
- Luxury cruises
- Sailboat tours
- Ways to see nature and the city
The Best Bay Area Volunteer Opportunities for Older Adult Groups
Many older adult groups are looking for places in the Bay Area to volunteer, where they can spend time helping others and spend time with each other. Volunteering your group, or finding other older adults to work with, is a wonderful way to stay active, to help each other out, and to meet new friends.
Features:
- Explanation of different types of volunteer opportunities
- Volunteer ideas across the Bay
- Opportunities for all interests, backgrounds, and education levels