Bay Area Green Tours

Bay Area Green Tours is an authentic touring company! BAGT is thorough in their quest to research and identify locations, people, and events that are consistent with their mission of educating around localism and a cyclical ECO-nomy. They provide the connections between the local context and the bigger picture and inspire action towards a sustainable, regenerative future. Marissa's on-the-pulse connections create unique and non-"tourist" experiences that are organized and professionally delivered. I'm honored to have been a visiting guide on a custom tour we developed around the local textiles and maker community in Oakland. The tour included personal studio visits with local makers, a lunch stop at a local artisanal eatery, wine tasting and ended with a sewing workshop where the participants created a collaborative wall hanging as a keepsake for the honoree's birthday.Hiroko KuriharaCo-Founder Oakland MakersHiroko Kurihara Designs

For those looking for something truly unique to do in the bay area, I highly recommend this tour.I'm not going to try and butter this review up here. Let's be honest - I am not a farm person. I appreciate a good meal but am not one who normally spends much time worrying about where my food comes from. So I expected to be bored on this trip, frankly.Boy was I wrong.This trip blew my expectations away. It was a great mix of different farms and different ways of doing things, and I felt like a kid again on a super-fun field trip where you got to explore and touch and watch the makings of where your food comes from. The farmers were genuine, down-to-earth people and were serious farm-fresh foodies. We literally had meals prepared for us by the farmers right in front of us and they were SO DELICIOUS. I got to pick my own tomatoes right off the vine. I even learned about fruits and vegetables I'd never even heard of. Oh, did I mention I got to try them out, too?The environment was relaxed. The guides were very knowledgeable and interesting. And the design of the event was really mellow but well planned.Did I mention the views? These properties are just amazing. What awesome country to get to go hang out in.Between all the exploring, wine, food and learning, the day went by fast and I got to take in a ton of beautiful sites.This tour was a find. After having my parents visit the bay area regularly and running out of creative things to do with them, I know where I am taking them next. What a great and unique thing to do on your weekend.

My wife and I went on a tour that took us up to Russian River without knowing what to expect.We've always been interested in gardening and farming, but weren't aware of organic farms open to the public where one could organize a tour and really explore the nuts and bolts.Bay Area Green Tours really came through in this regard, and they arranged everything beautifully. The most memorable stop was a farm run by a restauranteur and chef, and they went all out on the tour. We picked our own fruits and vegetables and the chef prepared them in a gorgeous outdoor setting. Meeting the family that owned and operated the farm was eye opening and educational. For example, the farmer/chef explained that his warm-loving citrus trees do much better at higher altitude up his hill rather than at the base due to the downhill sliding effect of cold air.Good eats, great people, and very educational. Not a bad way to spend a weekend or two!

For those who love organic produce, I just went on Bay Area Green Tour's "Farm to Fork Tour" yesterday and it was one of the most delightful and informative experiences of my life (really). We met at nine in the morning at Gather Restaurant in Berkeley and heard a great talk from their award winning chef about how they source their organic foods from farms in the Capay Valley. We then got on a comfortable bus and drove to the Valley about an hour and half away. The ride was filled with everyone enjoying chatting and meeting new friends. A speaker gave us a talk on the Slow Money movement along the way. First stop was Riverdog Farm. We met the owner, Tim Mueler, who was amazingly generous, thoughtful and interesting. Along with growing produce, the farm has a small organic pig farm with baby pigs running around that were too adorable to believe. Next stop was Full Belly Farms where we met the owner, Paul Mullen, who was charming, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the work his farm does and the next generation of young farmers he mentors. And finally we went to Capay Organics and were given a tour of the farm by the owner, Thaddeus Barsotti, a young guy with an engineering mind, who said he is trying to make his farm a model for the whole organic food industry.I was absolutely delighted by the day and the opportunity to meet the farmers of the food I buy at our local farmer's markets. They are all trying to change the world in an important way. And they are doing it.Robert

I went to the Fibershed green tour organized in conjunction with the BALLE conference. The experience was both fun and educational and a great opportunity to meet new people. The tour was very well organized. We stopped at the Skyhorse Ranch; the Valley Ford Mill and Mercantile; Windrush Farm; and finally ended the tour at the 25th Street Collective in Oakland. It was fascinating to see how farmers/artisans create a sustainable textile and clothing culture with products that are both healthy and beautiful.Don't miss an opportunity to go on a tour: it's a fantastic way to learn about sustainable practices and spend a wonderful Saturday with great people.

This is a great way to spend the weekend! We went with a group of friends and the experience was fantastic. Bay Area Green Tours really introduced us to a wonderful world of organic farming and humane animal husbandry. We were swept away to beautiful hidden gems nestled in places we never knew existed!To eat juicy, vine-ripened tomatoes was a special treat for me. I had never tasted a tomato so delicious and will never look at tomatoes the same way.The staff and guides are very friendly and knowledgeable. I highly recommend this tour company.

My friends organized the tour for his birthday party and I was one of the lucky crew to join the party :) It was unforgettable and memorable experience. Definitely I would highly recommend to my other friends as for their birthday party idea! We got on a bus in a morning and went to organic farm, harvested veggies. And the chef was there cooked fabulous lunch outside with it and we eat, drink, picnic :) After lunch, we went mushroom farm to try mushroom picking! The tour was not only amazingly fun and tasty, but also it was so educational.I really see the tour is suitable for birthday party, corporate team building, kids nature orientation etc... Definitely I would love to jump on a bus again :)

Bay Area Green Tours provides an insiders look into what makes sustainable companies and farms work. I learn so much each time I go on a tour. I have an opportunity to talk with the designers, the architects, the managers and the employees and broaden my understanding of what makes the Bay Area the leader in everything Green and Sustainable.In addition the food served not eh tours is always organic and delicious. And we had an opportunity to buy such things as goat cheese right at the farm. What an amazing experience to spend a day with a group of fascinating people on the tour and come away inspired about our future!

I signed up for a fibershed tour as part of a conference I attended. I had a great time! It was so well-organized and the speakers were exceptional. I learned so much in such a short time! The people were great, the mood was laid back and relaxed yet professional. I strongly recommend Bay Area Green Tours!