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Did you know that...

• San Jose houses the largest collection of Egyptian, Babylonian, and Assyrian artifacts in the western U.S.--in a museum run by the Rosicrucians?
• You can tour fortune cookie factories in San Francisco and Oakland?
• The only begonia Festival in the world outside of Australia is in Capitola?
• You can touch sea anemones and other creatures at a marine science research station in Santa Cruz?
• The earliest casting of Rodin's "The Thinker" is in the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, along with a large French art collection and a Holocaust museum?
• A model railroader near Mount Shasta shows his miniature of a 100-mile railroad layout, complete with 16 handmade steam locomotives, very Sunday in April and May?
• There's a Great Gatsby Festival on a 74-acre estate in Lake Tahoe every August?
• The San Francisco Giants offer the cheapest seats of any major league baseball team in the U.S.--$2.50 for adults, 41 for children, and there's even a space where you can see into the outfield from the waterfront promenade, for free?
• Kids can climb on a vast DNA sculpture at Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley?
• You can tour one of the world's largest orchid nurseries in San Mateo?
• Water runs upward at Confusion Hill in Piercy, near the northern giant redwoods?

These are just a few among the thousands of unusual attractions, bits of local lore, and special places in Carole Terwilliger Meyers's WEEKEND ADVENTURES IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, now in its 7th edition.

Since I spent a week in the area recently with my family, I went through her listings for the places we'd been--and saw how many wonderful gems we'd overlooked. If only I'd had it before we left!

Restaurant and lodging listings include both the much-to-familiar—do we REALLY need to know where to find TGI Friday's in four different cities?—and the hidden gems: charming independents, each with a good blurb about the expected fare and accommodations, special features, and approximate price range. There's good coverage of vegetarian and other special choices.

But what sets this book apart is the depth of its to-do listings and fascinating little historical snippets: not only locations, hours, and prices, but also such information as whether strollers are allowed. The section on San Francisco alone is worth the price of the book, including many curiosities you won't find in the AAA guide. And yes, there are sections on shopping, skiing, even pack trips and houseboats.

It's hard to imagine going wrong by bringing this book along on any trip to or around Northern California.

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