Livermore Things to Do Tips by AlbuqRay

Livermore Wine Tasting

There are many wineries in the Livermore Valley Wine Country. You can find twelve of them just on South Livermore Avenue which curves into Tesla Road. There are five more on Greenville Road that curves into Crane Ridge Road. The Livermore Valley is one of California's oldest wine regions. Robert Livermore planted the first commercial vines in the 1840s. Pioneer winemakers C. H. Wente, James Concannon, and Charles Wetmore founded their wineries in the early 1880s. International recognition followed when Livermore Valley captured America's first international gold medal for wine in 1889 at the Paris Exposition, putting California on the world wine map.

The pictures here are from the well-established Stony Ridge winery, whose facilities are also used by the newest (Feb 02) Livermore winery, the Crooked Vine. The tasting area is part of the building with the fermenting vats and barrels. There is no charge for tasting, since the prices are reasonable and you will probably buy something you liked after you taste it.

Address: 4948 Tesla Road, Livermore, CA

Directions: Take the North Livermore Avenue exit off I-580 and go south

Altamont Pass Wind Farm in the Summer

In the summer time the hills near Livermore, California, turn "golden" (more like brown) from lack of rain. Grass fires can occur easily. One can see where they plow firebreaks (dark stripe around the towers in the picture) but also where the fires burned. I assume the wind generator towers were designed to withstand this threat. BTW, Patterson Pass Road is narrow (especially at the top) two-lane road and people still drive really fast on it...scary. Fortunately the road is not busy. These pictures were taken in October.

Directions: As seen from Patterson Pass Road east of Livermore, CA

Altamont Pass Wind Farm in the Spring

The Altamont Pass wind farm is the largest power plant fueled by wind in the world. It stretches north and south along the hills perpendicular to the old Altamont Pass Road and the I-580 interstate highway between Livermore and Tracy. Though the Altamont Pass wind farm still contains the world's largest concentration of wind turbines, it has been surpassed in electricity generation capacity by the wind farm in the Tehachapi-Mojave area. The ~6,000 wind turbines in the Altamont Pass farm currently generate 1 to 1.2 TWh (1,000,000,000-1,200,000,000 kWh) per year. There are issues now about aging wind turbines and raptor fatalities, but they are being addressed by using fewer, larger and taller wind turbines. It is a spectacular sight. I recommend Patterson Pass (south of Altamont Pass) for a better view and quiet road. These pictures were taken in March.

Directions: East of Livermore, CA, on I-580 or Patterson Pass Road

Downtown Livermore

Downtown Livermore is small enough that it makes a nice walk. There are plenty of shops, restaurants and historical buildings on First Street in the few blocks west of Livermore Avenue. The area has just undergone some construction and is looking very nice now with new gazebos, benches and green areas. Park in the lots behind the buildings on the north side of First Street. Sometimes (like for Halloween) they block First Street and have a big street party.

Directions: First Street west of Livermore Avenue

Website: http://www.elivermore.com/index.htm