What are the odds that one tiny, off-the-beaten-track town would be home to the two best places to see a concert in the Bay Area? If you grew up in Saratoga, like I did, you’ve probably floored your dad’s sports car up windy Pierce Road to the Mountain Winery—or walked through a neighborhood of megamansions to get to Montalvo Arts Center—more times than you can count. Since I moved to San Fran­cisco, my parents have learned that the only way to get me to visit is by tempting me with concert tickets. Though my city-centric friends stubbornly refuse to believe me, these scenic, starlit, architect­urally magnificent spots are so worth an hour’s drive down 280.

To make the most of a pair of tickets at Montalvo Arts Center, head down after a weekend brunch and spend the afternoon hiking through the estate’s 175-acre redwood forest. Con­certs, like the Wailin’ Jennys (Apr. 13) and the Cypress String Quartet (Apr. 17), take place at the 1912 plantation-style mansion, either in the 1,150-seat garden theater or inside the 300-seat Carriage House. Restau­rants from downtown Saratoga serve food and Santa Cruz Mountain wines at booths around the mansion, and early birds eat and mingle on the porch and lawn before settling into the no-seat-is-a-bad-seat theater to watch the show.

While just as fancy-schmancy as Montalvo, the Mountain Winery draws acts that tend more toward pop than Montalvo’s artsy classics. The show begins well before curtain, with a three-course prix-fixe dinner on the château deck, looking out over Silicon Valley. Head down to admire the stage backdrop at the amphitheater—it’s made from the façade of a circa-1852 church, which makes for phenomenal acoustics. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Ray Charles, Lyle Lovett, Norah Jones, and Stevie Wonder have all played here. Since 2007, the winery has addressed its audiences’ number-one complaint—that the seats are too close together—with an extensive remodel. And a 10:30 p.m. wrap time for shows means a city dweller can make it home by the stroke of midnight.


Montalvo Arts Center: 15400 Montalvo Rd., Saratoga, 408-961-5800, montalvoarts.org; Mountain Winery: 14831 Pierce Rd., Saratoga, 408-741-2822, mountainwinery.com.