Susan's City Scene

EASTER EGG HUNTING, BRUNCH, LIVE MUSIC AND WINE TASTING: THERE’S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE AT THE THIRD ANNUAL ANGEL ISLAND SPRING FESTIVAL ON APRIL 20. Looking for family fun Easter weekend in one of the most beautiful places in the San Francisco Bay Area? Basecamp Hospitality hosts its Third Annual Angel Island Spring Festival on April 20, with activities for kids and adults alike. Taking place from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the festival kicks off with an egg hunt, where children in various age groups can win prizes if they find a golden egg. From noon to 2 p.m., adults will get their own prize in the form of locally sourced, complimentary wine and beer tastings — courtesy of Jam Cellars and 21st Amendment Brewery — in the café, which will host a special Spring Fling menu for purchase all weekend. String band Rusty String Express band will accompany the festivities on the café deck. Check out the bike rentals (first-come, first-served) or, for those who prefer to take in the views on foot, head out onto the island’s hiking trails. Guests can also buy tickets to a narrated hourlong tour in a new tram that seats 50. While the speakers play in English, international guests can take advantage of interpretive language headphones in Spanish, French, Italian and Mandarin. The tram tour offers spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco and Alcatraz, stopping at Battery Ledyard to allow riders to take selfies from one of the most coveted vantage points. The narrator points out the fascinating stories behind historic buildings on the island, including the Immigration Station, which once served as the “Ellis Island” of the San Francisco Bay Area. While the festival is free, the tour costs $16.50 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10.50 for children ages 6-12. Advance tickets are recommended, but can also be purchased at the café if spaces are available. Visitors can access Angel Island via ferry service from Tiburon and San Francisco. Ticket prices vary by location and age group. Bicycles can be brought on the ferry or rented seasonally on land and used on the island’s main roads. Electric scooters and Segways can also be rented. Due to the terrain, roller skates, roller blades, skateboards, kick scooters and personal Segway scooters are prohibited. Dogs (except service dogs) are not allowed. For more information visit www.angelisland.com

ABOUT ANGEL ISLAND. Angel Island State Park, the largest natural island in San Francisco Bay, offers some of the best views of the surrounding Bay Area. On a clear day, Sonoma and Napa can be seen from the north side of the island; San Jose can be seen from the south side of the island. Beginning with the earliest inhabitants, the Coast Miwok, Angel Island was a seasonal hunting and gathering location for the local native tribes, a safe refuge and a supply stop for Spanish explorers like Juan Manuel de Ayala, one of the first to map the San Francisco Bay. From 1910 to 1940, the U.S. Immigration Station processed hundreds of thousands of immigrants, the majority from China. During World War II, POWs were detained at the station before being sent to facilities farther inland. The Island has been a cattle ranch and beginning with the Civil War at Camp Reynolds, the Island has over 100 years of military history. With the outbreaks of WWI and WWII, thousands of troops both returning and embarking for conflicts around the world were processed through Angel Island. In the ’50s and ’60s, the Island saw its last military service as a home to a Nike missile base. In 1954, the transition of Angel Island as a California State Park began. Starting with Ayala Cove on the western side of the Island, park visitors had the first opportunities to enjoy the beauty of this amazing Island. In the early ’60s, the final departure of the military allowed the rest of Angel Island to become park lands and the rest is history.