Golden Gate Area Best Of

There's a famous line that reads "life is like a box of chocolates..." but luckily for chocolate lovers there are several sweet tooth attractions that look outside of the box. These candy attractions range from a mystical chocolate world to a relaxing chocolate spa to a high end chocolate fashion show.

The first documented arrival of Europeans to San Francisco Bay was in 1769 when a Spanish exploration party, led by Don Gaspar de Portola, landed on the peninsula. Seven years later, they created the Mission San Francisco de Asis. Upon independence from Spain in 1821, the area became Mexican territory, during which time the mission was converted into a town by the name of Yerba Buena. For the next 25 years the town continued to attract American settlers. The area changed domination once again in 1846 after the Mexican-American war, when it was claimed by the United States. Yerba Buena was subsequently renamed San Francisco, which, due to the Gold Rush and promise of riches, would eventually become the metropolis it is today.