Vallejo, CA Road Trips

The name "Vallejo" is locally pronounced in a confused hybrid of Spanish and English as "vuh LAY hoe." In Spanish this ought to be "bah YAY hoe," and you may find some locals who speak Spanish as their first language pronouncing the city's name this way. The northern suburb of Vallejo is American Canyon, which is across the county line in Napa County but otherwise similar. Vallejo City city website

1 The McCune Rare Books and Art Collection (McCune Room), JFK Library, 505 Santa Clara, ☏ +1 707-644-0764. 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month 2-4PM. This collection contains hundreds of rare books, including a leaf from the Gutenberg Bible, six other books printed before 1501, the Kelmscott Chaucer and the botanical portfolios of Henry Evans. 2 Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum, 734 Marin St., ☏ +1 707-643-0077. Tu-Sa noon-4PM. Adult $5, students and deniors $3, children under 12 free. (updated Apr 2017) 3 Empress Theater, 330 Virginia St, ☏ +1 707-552-2400. Historical movie theater, now features local musical acts as well as independent films and events. (updated Jun 2024)

1 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Marine World), 1001 Fairgrounds Dr (directions), ☏ +1 707-643-ORCA (6722). A wildlife-based theme park across the street from the Fairgrounds. Once a zoo-like animal park, it now offers thrill rides and shows with the quality you'd expect from a Six Flags theme park. There are certain periods of time when prices are much lower, or the park is open much later. It is usually closed in January and February. SolTrans Route 85 offers the most comfortable ride if you plan to use public transportation. 2 Solano County Fairgrounds, 900 Fairgrounds Dr, ☏ +1 707-551-2000. For two weeks during the Summer, the Solano County Fair offers rides, local exhibits, major and minor performances and fun for the whole family. Other than being the place where the Solano County Fair is held, the Fairgrounds is a year-round venue that holds other events. It includes a golf course, surrounded by a horse racing track, as well as a satellite horse racing venue. SolTrans Route 85 offers the most comfortable ride if you plan to use public transportation. 3 Greater Vallejo Parks and Recreation District (GVRD), 395 Amador St, ☏ +1 707-648 4600. GVRD runs the local parks and rec system. Check their website for a listing of all the parks, or visit them at their office. (updated Jun 2024) 4 RetroEdge Games, 2085 Solano Ave, ☏ +1 707-413-6171, [email protected]. W-Su 1-9PM. 3rd space/gaming lounge specializing in classic arcade and fighting games, as well as trading card games. Find tournaments and unique video game experiences. (updated Aug 2024)

1 Bud's Giant Burgers, 3849 Sonoma Blvd, ☏ +1 707-642-3252. Family-owned burger restaurant that has been in business since the 1980s. Quality of the food is excellent with prices that are comparable to more mass-produced style burger joints. Definitely a local favorite overlooked by most people that pass through the city. (updated May 2017) 2 Gracie's, 1801 Sonoma Blvd, ☏ +1 707-552-2254. Locally owned barbeque and southern food restaurant on the corner of Sonoma Blvd. and Virginia St. Serving delicious barbecue in a casual setting with both indoor and covered patio seating, and offering live music on the weekends. Offers large portions in both full and half orders cooked fresh to order at reasonable prices. (updated May 2017) 3 Good Day Cafe, 314 Georgia St, ☏ +1 707-557-4745. A homey cafe/diner where the service is incredibly friendly; it feels like you're in a small town where everyone knows each other. The food is mid-range and decent (not incredible) for diner fare, but the overall vibe of the place really makes it stand out in a sea of mostly mediocre restaurants and chain stores in the Vallejo area. (updated Jun 2024) 4 House of Soul, 1526 Solano Ave, ☏ +1 707-644-3792. This is an incredibly tasty soul food restaurant with friendly and lovely staff. The restaurant has deep roots & history in Vallejo. (updated Mar 2019) Joy of Eating Café, 828 Springs Rd,+1 707-644–5315. Probably the best place for a down-to-earth and tasty breakfast in Vallejo.

1 Mare Island Brewing Company Taproom (Mare Island Brewing Co.), 289 Mare Island Way, ☏ +1 707-556-3000. Local brewery taproom at the Vallejo Ferry Terminal. (updated Jun 2024)

Hampton Inn Vallejo, 1596 Fairgrounds Dr, ☏ +1 707-554-9655, fax: +1 707-554-3951. Courtyard Vallejo Napa Valley, 1000 Fairgrounds Dr, ☏ +1 707-644-1200, fax: +1 707-643-7011. Motel 6 Vallejo - Six Flags West, 1455 Enterprise St, ☏ +1 707-643-7611, fax: +1 707-554-0138. Fairfield Inn & Suites Napa American Canyon, 3800 Broadway Hwy 29, ☏ +1 707 643-3800, fax: +1 707 643-1168. Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa, 3600 Broadway St, toll-free: +1-888-798-3777. Holiday Inn Express & Suites - Napa Valley, 5001 Main St, ☏ +1 707-552-8100. Silverado Resort and Spa, 1600 Atlas Peak Rd, ☏ +1 707 257-5400. Silverado Resort is a lovely resort in Napa Valley with exceptional accommodations, dining, championship golf courses and a spa to enjoy for an exciting Napa Valley spa resort getaway or business retreat.

Vallejo has four major highways that lead into the city. Interstate 80 Westbound from Sacramento and Eastbound from San Francisco Interstate 780 Westbound from Benicia and the East Bay State Route 29 (Sonoma Blvd.) Southbound from the Napa Valley State Route 37 (Marine World Pkwy.) Eastbound from Marin and Sonoma San Francisco Bay Ferry (+1 707-64-FERRY) provides an hourly ferry services from San Francisco's Financial District with a crossing time of just over one hour. 1 Vallejo Ferry Terminal is at 289 Mare Island Way, near the intersection with Georgia St. SolTrans (formerly Baylink Bus), 311 Sacramento St, ☏ +1 707-648-4666. Public Inter-city bus that will get you to Vallejo: Red from El Cerrito Del Norte BART station and Fairfield, Yellow from Benicia and Contra Costa County, Route 82 from San Francisco. See website for schedules. Youth 18 and under free. Red/Yellow - in county: sdult $2.75/$5.00; reduced $1.35/$2.50. Red/Yellow - Clipper card/outside county: adult $5.00, reduced $2.50. Route 82: adult $6.00, reduced $3.00. (updated Jun 2024) VINE Transit (formerly Napa Valley Transit), ☏ +1 707-251-2800, toll-free: +1-800-696-6443, [email protected]. Public inter-city bus with two routes that come in from Napa: 11 and 11X. Route 11X is an express route that is more direct and arrives less often. Route 11 general $1.60, youth (6-18) $1.10; seniors/disabled $0.80; Route 11X general $3.00; free transfers to and from SolTrans are accepted. Make sure you ask your bus driver for one..

Similar to San Francisco, most of Vallejo uses a grid-like network of roads with about every three blocks north–south being a major road that crosses town. It's best to also ask for a cross street when looking for directions. Most roads in this area are named by US states going east/west and California counties going north–south. On Mare Island, the grid is based on numbered and lettered streets. There are also numbered streets on the mainland, but they are in broken order and have other named roads in between them. Other roads (mostly in the east) are usually rural roads or roads that are located in the hills, and can't hold to the grid. Enterprise, Hertz and Avis all have car rental locations in Vallejo. SolTrans (formerly Vallejo Transit), 311 Sacramento St, ☏ +1 707-648-4666. Vallejo and Benicia's public transportation company offers bus service around the main parts of Vallejo and into other cities. Visit their website for routes and schedules. Adults $2.00, reduced $1.00, youth 18 and under free. (updated Jun 2024) There are two parts of Vallejo that are isolated from the main part of town: Mare Island and Hiddenbrooke. Neither of them provide bus service. Mare Island is a former U.S. Navy base, consisting of a mix of historic military housing and industrial buildings. Hiddenbrooke can only be accessed legally through Hiddenbrooke Parkway, via. I-80 (between Vallejo and Fairfield). Bikes and pedestrians use the Solano Bikeway between Columbus and Hiddenbrooke Parkways.

The safest areas of Vallejo are usually places that are isolated from the main part of the city, such as Mare Island and Hiddenbrooke. Most of the major shopping centers in Vallejo as well as most of Vallejo east of I-80 and the hills around the west of it are safe enough to travel, but are not completely crime free. However, Vallejo has a reputation for its areas of violent crime. Most of these areas are located in patches west of I-80, where some are labelled locally such as The Crest in the North, and Millersville in Central Vallejo; there is also one in South Vallejo along Magazine Street. Sonoma Blvd. (SR 29) between Nebraska and Georgia Streets is a main location for human trafficking. It is unlikely most of these areas will be of any interest to tourists, but if you plan to be in these areas, be vigilant and use your street smarts.