Playtime with your pup in the East Bay’s big back yard

Woman with cute Shiba Inu dog at the riverside

Yes, San Francisco traffic congestion can be a turnoff, but head to the East Bay and you’ll be amazed by all the open-to-the-public lands at your disposal – not to mention dozens of boutique wineries and, in spring, emerald-green, oak-dotted hills that beckon as invitingly to dogs as to their people. Here are some of our favorite destinations in the dog-friendly East Bay: Stay and play in Vacaville Conquer Concord with your pup Can you Suisun? If you haven’t, go soon! Putting paws to paths around Concord Read more.

Go soon to Suisun!

When it comes to dog-friendly wineries, Suisun Valley wineries in Solano County are just a hop-skip away from Vacaville, San Francisco and Sacramento. This unpretentious “Rustic Wine Country” is one of California’s best-kept secrets and holds many surprises, including regional parks, a half-dozen dog-friendly tasting rooms and lots of farm-stands selling fresh regional produce. Read more.

Take a stroll through history

Don’t you love it when you stumble upon something great that you never knew about before? That’s the feeling that takes over upon entering Lagoon Valley/Peña Adobe Regional Park, a 470-acre preserve just off Interstate 80 between Vacaville and Fairfield. Read more.

Dog-friendly hiking around vacaville

happy white long haired chihuahua on leash in on grassy trail

Photo by Anna.

An attraction of pastoral and historic interest easily accessible from Vacaville is Rush Ranch Open Space a 2,070-acre open space now administered by the Solano Land Trust. Read more.

Wag your way through western railway museum

From the late 1800s into the early 1940s, dozens of Northern California communities were connected by electric “interurban” railroads. The biggest player was the Sacramento Northern, whose trunk line stretched 184 miles from Chico to San Francisco—and whose heritage Read more.