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- Weekend Guide • October 13 – 19
Weekend Guide • October 13 – 19
Cozy nights, wine country glow & fall festivals in full swing - your week of California warmth and local magic.
Tri-Valley Insider
October 14, 2025
Events & Festivals · October 13–19
🍇 TASTE: Livermore Valley Wine Experience · Oct 16–19
For four unforgettable days, the valley becomes one endless vineyard celebration. Imagine candlelit dinners among the vines, chefs pairing heirloom dishes with local blends, barrel-room tours, and sunsets painted in gold. The air smells of oak, citrus, and laughter — a reminder that Livermore’s wine culture is as soulful as it is sophisticated.
🏃 Diablo Summit Stomp · Oct 18
When dawn breaks over Mount Diablo, it lights the hills copper and amber. The Summit Stomp gathers runners and hikers who trade traffic for birdsong and oak-leaf trails. Every turn opens another postcard view, and by the time you reach the top, the world feels quiet, huge, and impossibly clear.
👻 Pleasanton Ghost Walk · Oct 18–19
Main Street after dark flickers with lanterns and laughter. Guided by costumed storytellers, you’ll wander through Pleasanton’s haunted corners — the Opera House, the old hotels, alleys that hum with history. It’s part folklore, part small-town theater, and all local charm.
💀 Pirates of Emerson Haunted Theme Park · Pleasanton · through Nov 2
As night falls, fog rolls across the Fairgrounds and five haunted mazes roar to life. Actors lunge from the shadows, lights flash, screams turn into laughter. It’s theatrical, chaotic, and pure Halloween adrenaline — a Bay Area tradition for thrill-seekers who still love to feel like kids.
Family & Lifestyle · Cozy Weekends Ahead
🎃 Windmill Farms Pumpkin Patch · San Ramon · through Oct 31
If autumn had a soundtrack, it would sound like this: kids laughing, hay crunching, goats bleating, parents calling for one more picture. The scent of cider drifts through the air as golden light spills over the fields. Stay until dusk — when the farm glows honey-bright and time feels softer.
👻 Pleasanton Ghost Walk · Oct 18–19
By lantern-light, history comes alive. The stories are spooky but never grim — they’re woven with humor, nostalgia, and that gentle thrill that makes kids squeeze your hand. It’s the perfect pre-Halloween ritual for families who love a good tale and small-town magic.
October in Tri-Valley is for connection — laughter under string lights, cocoa under stars, and weekends that remind you what home feels like.
Date Night Picks
 | 🍽 Range Life Inside a restored brick building on First Street, candlelight glows on polished wood. The menu changes with the seasons — handmade pasta, wood-grilled meats, vegetables from nearby farms. The smell of smoke and thyme drifts through the air as glasses clink softly. It’s the kind of place where you talk slower, stay longer, and fall in love with dinner again. 🍷 Cellar Door Brick walls, acoustic guitar, and wine that tastes like conversation. Cellar Door in Pleasanton feels like an open secret — intimate but alive, filled with laughter, candlelight, and perfectly paired bites. A local Syrah, truffle popcorn, and the hum of a weekend well-spent. It’s not fancy, it’s real — and that’s what makes it magic. 🍸 The Fat Pigeon Part speakeasy, part art piece. Brass accents catch the low light as bartenders craft cocktails like stories — smoky, floral, and beautifully balanced. The Smoked Plum Manhattan is autumn in a glass; the Lavender Honey Sour is pure poetry. It’s modern, moody, and made for lingering past midnight. Together they paint the Tri-Valley night in candlelight and color — warm, stylish, and endlessly local.“I never thought I’d enjoy running this much. The energy, encouragement, and consistency of the group made all the difference.” |
Hidden Gems · Tri-Valley Edition
🚋 Livermore Wine Trolley
Hop aboard a vintage trolley that winds through rolling vineyards and glowing estates. Glass in hand, wind in your hair, and laughter bouncing down the aisle — this is the easiest way to fall in love with the valley all over again.
🍷 Murrieta’s Well Estate Vineyard · Livermore
Founded in 1884, this estate still defines Tri-Valley elegance. Golden vines stretch to the horizon, tasting flights arrive with stories, and the light turns every glass into a photograph. Try The Whip blend at sunset — it’s California bottled.
🌄 Mount Diablo State Park
One of those rare places that never feels the same twice. Morning mist, afternoon glow, starlit peaks — each visit a new version of peace. Whether you hike or drive, the view from the top reminds you why we stay in California.
SF Highlights · Worth the Drive
👻 Terror Vault: HEXED · Oct 13–19 · The San Francisco Mint
The city’s historic Mint turns into a haunted dreamscape — witches, curses, and cinematic scares brought to life by actors and smoke. Every corridor feels like a movie set, every scream ends in a laugh. When it’s over, slip downstairs to Fang Bang Bar for themed cocktails under violet neon — equal parts fright and fun.
📚 Litquake Festival · Oct 9–25
San Francisco’s heartbeat of words returns — readings in cozy bookstores, rooftop panels, and late-night poetry in Mission bars. It’s where ideas meet espresso, laughter meets literature, and even non-readers walk away inspired.
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🏡 Local Real Estate & Aesthetics - Where Lifestyle Meets Location
Wallis Ranch Community Park · Dublin
A new green escape is taking shape in Dublin’s hills — nearly nine acres of open space with walking trails, shaded playgrounds, pickleball courts, and picnic lawns along a quiet creek. Designed as part of the city’s Parks Master Plan, Wallis Ranch Park blends nature and neighborhood energy, offering a place to walk, play, and gather beneath the oaks.
Francis Ranch · East Dublin
Rising above Fallon Road, Francis Ranch is Dublin’s next major hillside community — 573 new homes planned by Trumark Homes, blending modern design with the natural curves of the valley. The community features walking trails, landscaped parks, and family-friendly streetscapes surrounded by schools and open views.
Tri-Valley by the Numbers
Pleasanton continues to rank among the Bay Area’s most desirable places to live, earning A+ scores from Niche for its public schools, safety, and family lifestyle. Dublin and Livermore follow close behind — proof that the valley still delivers that signature mix of sunshine, community, and California comfort.
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