This Historic California City Is the Most Affordable Getaway You’ve Never Heard Of
It doesn’t take much to picture the perfect California escape with blue water, skyline views, sunshine, and maybe a cold drink in hand. Finding all that without the sticker shock of hotel surcharges or overpriced brunch, though, is rare, and that’s what makes this small, historic city in the middle of San Francisco Bay such a surprise. It’s close enough to see the city’s skyscrapers shimmer across the water, yet it feels miles away. And while most visitors rush to Golden Gate Park or the Embarcadero, this place redefines what a weekend in San Francisco can be.
This 400-acre man-made city, known as Treasure Island, was built during the 1930s for a world’s fair that once celebrated California’s rise on the global stage. Today, it’s a patchwork of history, art, and affordability that has survived war, film shoots, and redevelopment plans to become one of the Bay Area’s most underrated getaways.
A City Born Out Of Imagination
Image via Wikimedia Commons/Dicklyon
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built Treasure Island in 1936 using mud dredged from the Bay to create a platform for the Golden Gate International Exposition of 1939. The fair was a glittering display of Art Deco architecture, sculptures, and neon lights celebrating the state’s engineering triumphs, including the new Golden Gate and Bay Bridges.
After the exposition, plans to convert the island into an airport were replaced by a more urgent mission: it became a naval base during World War II. Over four million service members passed through its training grounds during the war years, and for decades afterward, the island continued to serve as a hub for U.S. military operations across the Pacific.
When the base closed in 1997, the story took another turn. Hangars that once housed aircraft were converted into movie sets for The Matrix, The Parent Trap, and Nash Bridges. That mix of history and reinvention still defines the island today.
Where The Bay Meets A Bargain
Most travelers don’t expect San Francisco and “affordable” to show up in the same sentence, yet Treasure Island manages it. A round-trip ferry ride costs $10, and parking is free and readily available. The ferry from the Embarcadero takes less than ten minutes and rewards passengers with postcard views of the skyline. On the other side, the atmosphere shifts to calm lawns, wide-open space, and water views stretching from bridge to bridge.
Cityside Park, opened in 2025, sits at the heart of it all. The six-acre waterfront park has palm-lined lawns and blue beach chairs scattered along the bay, with the San Francisco skyline front and center. It’s also home to Off the Grid, a Saturday market that runs through early November, where food trucks serve seafood tacos, chowder, and handmade desserts while local DJs set the mood.
Between the lawn picnics, vintage pop-up shops, and laid-back crowd, the place feels like a hidden city within the city.
A Day Of History, Food, And Views
Image via iStockphoto/Judson da Cruz Gurgel
Treasure Island makes it easy to fill a day without emptying your wallet. The Treasure Island Museum, located in the old Art Moderne Building One, preserves pieces of the world’s fair and the island’s military past, including enormous Pacific Unity sculptures and murals that survived from the 1939 exposition.
Aviation fans will recognize the building as the former terminal for the Pan American Airways Clippers, while movie lovers may remember it from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
The food scene is small but worth the trip. Mersea, built from shipping containers, is one of the best-kept secrets in the Bay. It offers burgers, pizza, and tacos that cost less than $20 and come with unbeatable skyline views. For something more upscale, Aracely Café serves brunch and dinner in a cozy courtyard surrounded by fire pits.
Those who prefer their sightseeing with a cocktail can stop by the Gold Bar Whiskey Distillery, housed in a restored Art Deco terminal, where tastings and tours celebrate the island’s aviation history.
A Green City In The Making
Today, Treasure Island is part of a massive redevelopment plan that could add 8,000 new homes, public art installations, and miles of walking paths and open space. The project has been recognized by the Clinton Climate Initiative as one of only nineteen “Climate Positive” models in the world, earning top certification for sustainable design.
Still, the island’s essence remains the same: it’s a small, walkable pocket of San Francisco that feels both historic and new. That’s what makes Treasure Island such a rare find. It’s a city with world fair roots, naval history, and modern flair, sitting undisturbed in the middle of the Bay with a view worth far more than its price tag.