San Mateo, CA
Things To Do

Below are some of the more popular things locals do in San Mateo. This information is pertinent mainly to locals though visitors may find a few interesting gems as well. See our San Mateo County map for exact locations and more details.

San Mateo CA is one of the earliest San Francisco suburbs. It was initially a stagecoach stop, then a railroad stop, then an ideal place for weekend homes to wealthy San Francisco citizens. Now it consists of a mix of older residences & supporting shopping along El Camino Real with somewhat newer homes & shopping centers to the west towards Hwy 92. Though this town is fairly to do there are no really top-end neighborhoods and the older sections are much less than fancy.

One of its best features is location, about half way between San Francisco & Palo Alto, with a mild climate and great access to jobs. These attributes make it an excellent place to call home for many long time residents. The main access routes are as follow:

Highway 101 (which replaced El Camino Real as the main thoroughfare between San Francisco & San Jose),
Highway 92 (running from Half Moon Bay coast to the San Mateo bridge),
Highway 280 (sometimes called the most beautiful freeway in the U.S.)

Shopping Areas

Old DownTown San Mateo -- This retail area has been slowly recovering over recent years and is starting to become a hot bed of inexpensive ethnic restaurants. Some of the better eating spots include Capellinis, The Ravoli House, Saigon City, Ramen Dojo and Himawari; check the map for details. Draegers, an interesting high end grocery market there, has an outstanding bakery section.
El Camino Real -- El Camino was the main thoroughfare and commercial street running north & south through San Mateo in the early days. It is now showing its age. Several small old shopping areas, such as 25th Street and Palm Ave, also sprouted up near El Camino Real decades ago. Heidis Pies and Himawari, both near Hwy 92, are popular with locals.
Crystal Springs Shopping Center -- Besides being one of the few shopping areas readily accessible to Highways 208 & 92 this is one of the better neighborhood shopping centers in town. There are a surprising number of very small but excellent independent businesses such as Tasty Gourmet Treats and Crystal Springs Produce located here which makes this a good place to know about if you drive by often.
Hillsdale Mall -- This is the largest regional shopping center in San Mateo which includes a Macys, Nordstroms. They do have a good Barnes & Noble and recently a new Cheesecake Factory opened there. It is an older center but is now undergoing renovation and upgrading tenants.

Hiking & Biking

Sawyer Camp Trail - This was once the main route from San Francisco to Half Moon Bay. It is now a very popular mostly paved hiking & biking trail that runs along Crystal Springs reservoir from Crystal Springs Rd to Hillcrest Blvd about 6 miles north . At the moment the closest direct access from Hwy 280 (i.e., Bunker Hill exit) has been cut off by dam construction so the best way to get there is to take the Hayne Rd exit off Hwy 280 to the Crystal Springs Golf Course then to drive south via Skyline Blvd to the main Sawyer Camp Trail entrance.
Canada Road Sunday Biking - Along Canada Rd between Hwy 92 and the town of Woodside is another good excellent biking spot. A portion of Canada Rd is closed off to cars on Sunday.
Redwood Shores - This planned neighborhood has many natural marshland hiking/biking trails on the levees around it. It is a real treat.

Other Nearby Attractions

San Mateo Jr College -- This junior college has a beautiful new campus and the most scenic football field around. Famous athletes like Bill Walsh, John Madden, O.J. Simpson and many others spent a lot of time here. On Saturday mornings you can find one of the better Farmers Markets in the front parking lot.
Filoli Gardens -- Located on Canada Rd, this beautiful old estate and gardens is a national monument open to the public ($15 admission). Check out the Pulgas Water Temple just north of Filoli while you are there.

This is barely the beginning of great things to do in San Mateo County. For exact locations and more details see our San Mateo map.