Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate.  May this truly be a time of renewal and rebirth. Events continue to be virtual, but in-person events are on the rise and hybrids appear to be the norm. We have a few Easter ideas for you, although we found there are drive through easter egg hunts for the wee ones! We have some geared more for you tomatoes! Immersive Van Gogh has come to SF, and The SFFilm festival is back this year. Minnesota Street Project brings us a super cool virtual garden. We have an inspiring podcast this week too. Enjoy the SUN my friends and stay safe!

Easter Explorations

As we enjoy the spring sunshine, what a great opportunity to get out and explore on Easter Sunday. Head to Santa Rosa for a wonderful experience at Bees N Blooms. Although this beautiful farm is currently closed, they will be open this weekend and a few other dates coming up later in May and June. This organic farm’s acreage provides a home for thousands of honeybees and native bees, cut flowers of many varieties, a lavender labyrinth, an acre of lavender for oil production, and a tree nursery of pollinator-friendly trees. Picnic, explore, walk the labyrinth and shop for springtime goodies at this Santa Rosa attraction. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, April 3-4. Free. Beesnblooms.com

Calling all kids at heart! If, like me, you live on the peninsula you may have ordered one of Kathy’s Creative Kakes for a birthday party in the past. Now she is holding an Easter Panorama Sugar Egg Workshop through tomorrow. Bring your design talent and imagination and make your own creative keepsake egg. A large sugar Easter egg, colored icing, bunnies, chicks, lambs and flowers to decorate it will be provided.At Hillsdale Shopping Center in San Mateo Kathyskakes.com

If Napa is in your plans this weekend, head to Meritage/Vista Collina for the Easter Brunch Buffet and Egg Hunt. The outdoor Easter brunch includes a glass of sparkling wine paired with a family-style first course, as well as carving and dessert stations. If you happen to have wee ones in your life, they will love the Bunny and Easter Egg hunt, you will LOVE the bubbly and food. 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 4. $40-$95 per person, children under 5 are free. Reservations required. Meritage Resort, 875 Bordeaux Way, Napa. 844-238-5361. meritagecollection.com

Perhaps Sonoma is on your path, and if so visit one or more of the 30 wineries participating in the Barrel Hunt. With 30 wineries participating, you can explore the Sonoma County wine road and snap a selfie with the “hiding” decorated wine barrels as you tour vineyards and taste wines in the great outdoors. Free to participate but tasting fees vary for each winery. Wineroad.com/eastereggbarrells

Travel and Inspiration with Lea Lane

We had a great conversation with award winning travel writer Lea Lane, who has visited over 100 countries, about her travel memoir, her travel podcast, and travelling again. She also talks about being a “Covid long hauler” and discovering she had breast cancer during the pandemic. LISTEN IN.

April 9-18. SFFilm Fest

The SFFilm festival is the longest-running festival in the Americas and is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and a major cultural event in the Bay Area. This popular festival was canceled last year, but it is back with renewed vigor: 106 titles, both online and in-person at Fort Mason Flix, plus in-person music events.

Drive-in presentations include the opening night film, “Naked Singularity”, a thriller, and closing night film, “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street,” a documentary about the classic children’s tv show. But more than films, festivalgoers can look forward to a live drag performance at Fort Mason Flix to get them in the mood for the centerpiece film, “Socks on Fire”. Perhaps the coolest event of the festival is an appearance at Fort Mason Flix by Fantastic Negrito, the Oakland roots musician who received a Grammy earlier this month. April 9 – 18 Online, with select films at Fort Mason Flix sffilm.org

Van Gogh Exhibit

By now you have probably heard of this amazing exhibit that is wowing people across the world, bringing the art of Vincent Van Gogh to life.  Now we can step inside “Starry Night,” “The Bedroom,” and other famous works in the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit at SVN West. Animated projections and lights highlight each and every brushstroke—and you’ll even find social distancing circles for safe viewing.

This is a way to experience art like never before – lose yourself in 300,000 cubic feet of flawless projections animating Vincent van Gogh’s oeuvre. Wander through entrancing, moving images that highlight brushstrokes, detail, and color – truly illuminating the mind of the genius. Astonishing in scale and breathtakingly imaginative, you will experience Van Gogh’s art in a completely new and unforgettable way. Vangoghsf.com

Virtual Garden

The Minnesota Street Project wows once more. The virtual resident artist and author Rita Bullwinkle unveils, “Oral Florist”, a sound library of authors, musicians and artists reading aloud texts they have encountered in their daily lives. The recordings can be experienced through the Minnesota Street Project Adjacent virtual gallery, in an interactive garden design where visitors click on a bud and watch the flower slowly bloom as they listen.

An algorithm makes the petals bloom randomly, making no two flowers the same experience. For 30 days Bullwinkle will post a new recording and then the library will be updated weekly. Online at Minnesota Street Project. www.oralflorist.com