In November the Santa Cruz Mountains offer a tasty bounty. Add local flavor to your Thanksgiving feast by bringing back the goods from these edible escapes.

Legend has it that 150 years ago a Spaniard wandered from the Valley of Heart's Delight (now known as Silicon Valley) to plant a chestnut orchard high in the hills above Palo Alto. Today this little-known spot is home to one of the oldest chestnut orchards on the West Coast, Skyline Chestnuts. At this u-pick haven, owner Hans Johsens will give you a bucket and some gloves for picking (you need the gloves to handle the prickly apple-sized burrs that hold the chestnuts). But save a little room in your bucket: Johsens's ten- and twelve-year-old sons, Cody and Parker (pictured), with cowboy hats and thumbs hitched on their belt loops, will guide you on a short hike to the second highest point in San Mateo County, where the orchard's prized "honey tree" bears gigantic, smoky-flavored nuts. The window for gathering these super-healthy and protein-packed snacks is very short—so go nuts soon!

TIP: Johsens's secret to roasting chestnuts? Get a chestnut pan with holes in the bottom (he sells them for $15), cut an X on the back of the chestnuts, drizzle a little olive oil in a pan, and cook over an open fire. (This recipe can also be found on the back of Skyline Chestnuts's business cards.)

Skyline Chestnuts is located at 22322 Skyline Blvd., 2.5 miles south of Page Mill Rd. intersection in La Honda. Open weekends, 9 a.m. to around 5 p.m., from now until the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Chestnuts are $5 per pound.

The fall leaves aren't the only things that are lush in the Santa Cruz Mountains this season. On November 17, over fifty local wineries will open their doors for an all-day wine-tasting extravaganza. Originally started to give smaller wineries a chance to offer tastings, "Passport Day" lets you sip and savor at all participating vineyards for $30. This is a ripe time to visit off-the-beaten-vine places like the intimate Alfaro Family Vineyards or old-school Fellom Ranch, where you can pet the family's horse and drink to expansive views of the Santa Clara Valley. Our friends at the Santa Cruz Mountain Winegrowers' Association suggest that you pick four or five wineries in a specific area and take your time enjoying them. Don't fret about not getting to all fifty wineries in a day: participating vineyards will honor unstamped passport pages on future Passport Days (there are four a year). Just lushous!

Passports can be purchased at any of the participating wineries, online, or by calling 831-685-VINE. A map and full list of wineries can be found here. Passport Days occur on the third Saturday of January, April, July, and November.

There's something unique about the goats at Harley Farms dairy. Connoisseurs say that the ranch's location, between the mountains and the sea, creates a perfect grass "salad" for the goats and gives their milk—and the cheese produced from it—a very special flavor. The cheeses have been tasty enough to take home six national awards in a recent American Cheese Society competition. Owner Dee Harley (pictured) offers a peek behind the goat's-milk magic on her two-hour weekend tours of the farm, located in tiny Pescadero. The tours end in Harley's renovated barn loft, where participants sample cheeses displayed on a huge handmade table. As a farmstead dairy (there are only a few remaining in the U.S.), Harley Farms handles the entire cheese-making process from start to finish. They even grow the edible flowers that grace the top of the cheese. It's an all-in-one operation and a great education. If you're game, they'll also let you milk one of their prize-winning goats. That's hands-on!

Tour participants need to reserve in advance; the tours frequently sell out. They start at 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays and cost $20. To make a reservation call 650-879-0480.

Harley Farms, 205 North St., Pescadero; 650-879-0480.

Boss got you cornered? Feeling the early frazzles of the upcoming holidays? Ready. Set. Escape. The Sports Club/LA invites you to experience the healthy benefits of a local respite with their Wellness Weekend, November 9, 10, and 11 in San Francisco. The weekend features a variety of specialty classes in yoga, martial arts, and living arts, relaxing massages, tea, cocktails (mimosas and sangria served after yoga sessions!), socializing, and more. It all happens at The Sports Club/LA in San Francisco, with 127,000-plus square feet of contemporary lifestyle fitness. This re-energizing weekend is offered to Weekend Sherpa subscribers for $35. You can come for one class—or all three days. 'Tis the season, so get well soon!

The Sports Club/LA Wellness Weekend: $35 for Weekend Sherpa subscribers. Advance reservations required. To RSVP, please click here or call 866-891-9271.

Friday, November 9, 5:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
Saturday, November 10, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 11, 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

BONUS: As a Weekend Sherpa subscriber, receive a preferred membership rate by joining The Sports Club/LA before November 30, 2007. Staying fit during the holidays just got easier.

The Sports Club/LA, 747 Market St., San Francisco; 415-633-3900.