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.
