8 Things to Do on Super Bowl Sunday in the Bay Area (That Are Not ‘Watch the Super Bowl’)

You don’t have to be obsessed with football to know the Super Bowl is taking place on Sunday. (You might get extra points for who’s playing, though: It’s the Seattle Seahawks facing off against the New England Patriots.)

And every year, those who choose not to watch the Super Bowl — for whatever reason — get a big reward: For those few hours the game is on, key Bay Area spots suddenly become much less crowded.

There’s one huge caveat this year, though: this year’s Super Bowl LX is taking place in the Bay Area, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. So, with tens of thousands of visitors coming to our region, and many road closures created by Super Bowl events, enjoying the brief respite from the crowds that a Super Bowl usually brings might not be so logistically simple this year.

Visitors aside, Super Bowl Sunday will still offer many opportunities for NFL watch party or tailgate refusers. Keep reading for where to make the most of Super Bowl Sunday if you’re not interested in the Big Game.

First off, what time is the Super Bowl (i.e., when will the crowds be indoors?)

Kickoff for the Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots Super Bowl LX game is at 3:30 p.m. PST. Expect the roads around the South Bay to get very busy from the morning of Super Bowl Sunday onward, with gates to Levi’s Stadium open to attendees at 11:30 a.m.

At bars and event spaces, many Super Bowl watch parties will begin around 2 p.m., with some starting even earlier, around lunchtime — or as late as 3 p.m. As for home-based Super Bowl parties, many people will begin to pile into living rooms around the Bay Area several hours before kickoff.

Because of the many parties folks will be attending on Sunday, you might want to avoid the grocery store that morning and possibly on Saturday, too — unless you want to compete with all those hosts and guests doing last-minute party planning.

How long will the Super Bowl last?

A 2017 analysis from The Verge found that in previous years, the average length of the Super Bowl was just under four hours. This could mean you get until around 7:30 p.m. to enjoy the lack of crowds … or even earlier. Or even later. There’s no way to predict the exact length of the game, but it’s virtually certain that you’ll get at least three hours of play — and you can pretty safely plan on having until 6:30 p.m. to revel in a crowd-free Bay.

Sunset on Sunday in San Francisco is forecast to be 5:41 p.m., meaning your precious Super Bowl window of (hopeful) solitude could also encompass a hike — more on that below.

If you plan to take a drive that Sunday, you may wish to use your phone to keep a light eye on how the game is progressing. You don’t want your crowd-lite afternoon to end with getting caught in freeway traffic because you’re hitting the road home when all the Super Bowl watchers are heading home from parties and bars, too. And you definitely don’t want to be on the roads around Santa Clara itself after the game ends.

Super Bowl alternative #1: Hit a usually crowded hiking trail

While it’s still a little early to know the forecast for Super Bowl Sunday, you can keep an eye on the day’s weather via the National Weather Service’s Bay Area forecast — and hopefully plan for a hike where you could get the Bay Area’s most popular trails and lookouts all to yourself.

If you’ve been putting off your visit due to weekend crowds, Super Bowl Sunday could give you Muir Woods National Monument all to yourself. Snag a reservation for entry to the park and meander among the redwoods before heading up to the Instagram-famous overlook at Trojan Point. Normally extremely crowded at sunset, that 3:30 p.m. Super Bowl kickoff time is (almost) guaranteed to keep the worst crowds at bay.

Or why not head to what’s normally one of the busiest spots on the coast, Alamere Falls in Point Reyes National Seashore, for a morning hike? It’s an arduous trek — and one that’s worth waiting for the right moment to take on. Just note: There is no park-sanctioned trail to the top of the falls, so be sure to follow the National Park Service’s advice on routes to see this iconic sight, and check the tides before you head out to aim for low tide (around 10 a.m. on Sunday).

If you’re looking for a full-day adventure, take on Marin County’s usually bustling Dipsea Trail, which winds 10 miles up and over a diverse coastal landscape from Muir Woods to Stinson Beach. With the trail’s winding corners and steep staircases, it’s often overrun with visitors, but it may be quieter this coming weekend.

Pro tip: If you’re determined to maximize your chances for the fewest crowds, consider delaying your hike until after lunch. A lot of people planning to watch the Super Bowl will still want to stretch their legs that morning before heading to a watch party, especially families with kids.

Super Bowl alternative #2: Try for a trailhead where parking is usually full

Now we’ve discussed busy trails, what about trails where parking is the limiting factor? If you’ve ever enjoyed a leisurely morning before heading out for a hike only to realize the lot at your chosen trailhead filled up hours ago, Super Bowl Sunday may be a good time to try again — and here are a few ideas:

Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve is one of the best bang-for-your-buck hikes out there — and it’s usually so busy that the agency that manages this open space is working on building more parking. Spaces for cars on both the Highway 35 and Highway 1 sides are scarce, but if you do snag a spot on Super Bowl Sunday, don’t waste it — and be sure to explore as much of the biodiverse redwood ecosystem as you can. If you’re on the coastal side, you could catch the sunset from Poplar Beach or end with a cozy meal at The Mountain House or Alice’s Restaurant on Skyline Boulevard.

Over at the iconic Mission Peak, the parking situation is so brutal it’s even been the subject of a New York Times story. While you can find ample paid parking at Ohlone College, if you want to snag a closer (and free) spot at the much smaller and nearly always full Stanford Avenue Staging Area, Super Bowl Sunday is a great time to try. On a clear day, this hike will not only burn (it’s around 3 miles up over 2,000 feet one way), it will reward you with unparalleled views of the entire South Bay and nearby peaks. Just don’t forget to bring at least two liters of water if you plan to complete the whole thing, as there’s no water available along the way.

Perhaps the East Bay’s most famous overlook, Tilden Park’s Inspiration Point, is often full of cars, especially at sunset. But you may be able to score a spot on Sunday and even bring a picnic to enjoy the panoramic Bay view. Or, to make the most of your day, opt for an around 4-mile loop hike to the top of Wildcat Peak.

Super Bowl alternative #3: Visit a tourist spot for a photoshoot

Playing tourist in the Bay Area is always fun as a local, especially if you never usually do it. And there’s a good chance that even the most popular tourist attractions won’t be as busy as usual. Think: The Ferry Building on San Francisco’s Embarcadero, Alcatraz Island, Muir Woods, riding a cable car, walking or cycling the Golden Gate Bridge.

Another tourist-adjacent idea to consider for Sunday: Checking out one of the Bay Area’s iconic vista points or lookouts that are usually chock-full of visitors, like San Francisco’s Twin Peaks or one of these classic viewpoints for the Golden Gate Bridge. Fewer people means fewer folks in the background of your scenic photos.

One big caveat here: It’s actually hard to predict the extent to which the Bay Area’s classic tourist spots will be markedly less busy during the game. On the one hand, a lot of domestic tourists to San Francisco will definitely want to watch the Super Bowl anyway, plus viewership for the game is more popular internationally than you might expect.

Then again, there’ll still be international tourists visiting the Bay Area over this weekend who have no interest in the Super Bowl and no intention of pausing their vacation for several hours on a sunny day to stay inside and watch it. So don’t be surprised if somewhere like Pier 39 isn’t entirely dead after all.

Super Bowl alternative #4: Walk into a usually-popular restaurant

If you’re happy to have dinner on the early side — or even a late lunch — Super Bowl Sunday could be an ideal time to try for a walk-in table at a popular spot that normally has long wait times. Even if a place isn’t exactly deserted, you still might have a higher-than-normal chance of getting a favored seat with a view.

You could even try to plan ahead and see if any usually popular spots still have reservations available on Sunday afternoon or early evening, by browsing an online reservation system like OpenTable.

There are two caveats to this idea. First, if you’re trying for a walk-in, just be sure to call ahead to ensure that your desired spot will actually be open during the game.

Secondly, make sure that your restaurant, bar or cafe of choice doesn’t have a TV that could still show the game. Otherwise, you’ll basically just be walking into … a crowded Super Bowl watch party, which is presumably the very thing you were hoping to avoid that afternoon.

Super Bowl idea #5: Get a museum all to yourself (for free)

Wandering around a near-empty gallery and having the artworks “all to yourself” can feel undeniably magical — and Sunday could bring you that opportunity if you visit a museum like SFMOMA, the De Young Museum or the Oakland Museum of California.

For folks with kids, it’s also a great chance to visit a normally crowded museum like the Exploratorium or the Children’s Discovery Museum to watch your children enjoy not having to wait their turn to explore their exhibits.

While, unfortunately, there are no free days happening at local museums on Super Bowl Sunday this year, your EBT card can also get you free or reduced admission to many museums around the Bay Area.

Super Bowl alternative #6: Hit the slopes

Tired of weekend Tahoe crowds cramping your skiing style? Try hitting the slopes on Super Bowl Sunday. Most resorts will be cleared out by around noon, so for those who don’t have a ski pass, it may be the one weekend day of the year where you can actually get enough runs in to justify the one-day ticket price.

You can even plan to roll up after lunch, when you’re likely to find a first-row parking spot near the lodge, and purchase a half-day ticket at the window, if the resort offers them. You’ll still be able to get 3-4 hours of solid skiing in without the headache of long lift lines or traffic.

Just remember that many resorts introduced weekend parking reservations during the COVID-19 pandemic, so be sure to check whether you’ll need one for Super Bowl Sunday.

Super Bowl alternative #7: Enjoy easy parking in a busy neighborhood

If you’re frequently dissuaded by exploring popular neighborhoods on the weekend because of the nightmarish parking situation you know you’ll encounter, you might consider declaring the Super Bowl the time to finally try it.

In San Francisco alone, there’s Hayes Valley, the Mission, North Beach, the popular areas around Clement Street in the Richmond and Irving Street in the Sunset — and Sunday afternoon could mean you finally snag a spot without having to circle the same four blocks for 30 minutes.

(Just make sure you don’t let your guard down too much with this newfound sense of freedom and accidentally leave your car vulnerable to a break-in. Read more about how to potentially reduce the risk of having your car broken into with our guide.)

Super Bowl alternative #8: Do your grocery shopping

Sometimes, practicality wins. And one non-football idea for Super Bowl Sunday that was suggested again and again by the minds of KQED: Use the time to do your grocery shopping.

Berkeley Bowl, Costco, Trader Joe’s and Monterey Market were all recommended grocery stores as usually packed places to hit during the game, where uncrowded aisles and short lines at the register could await you for a few blissful hours.

A caveat here: your local Costco might well be showing the game on their televisions, and FunCheapSF notes that many folks use the warehouse as an opportunity for an unofficial Super Bowl watch party, complete with $1.50 hot dogs. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

And if you don’t need to grab groceries? Consider spending the afternoon at another kind of store that can often feel claustrophobic with the usual crowds, such as IKEA in Emeryville. Or apply this kind of practicality to other areas of life — your local gym will probably be delightfully empty on Sunday afternoon as well.

KQED’s Matthew Green, Lauren Farrar, Suzie Racho, Marnette Federis, Autumn Woish, Ethan Toven-Lindsey, Daniel Eduardo Hernandez, Bonnie Zeng Chin, Kevin Cooke, Randy Depew, Maria Miller, Joo Eun Lee, Beth Huizenga, Sydney Johnson, Bianca Hernandez-Knight and Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí contributed to this story, with an earlier version publishing on Feb. 9, 2024.