San Francisco Day Trips
Feb 14th, 2008, 12:37 PM
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San Francisco Day Trips
I am looking for day trips from San Francisco. I will be there for 7 days early June. I am planning to rent a car for the day a couple of times and I am looking for short trips out of the city. This time I will be traveling with my 17 year old daughter and my 14 year old son. Is there any thing in the area that teenagers would be interested in since they can not drink. I was in the Napa valley many years ago, had a great time but my wife does not think that there will be anything of interest to them.
Any other teenage-proof ideas in the area?
Any other teenage-proof ideas in the area?
Feb 14th, 2008, 01:22 PM
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We took a day trip to Muir Woods one year and enjoyed it--we don't have kids so take that into consideration!
http://www.visitmuirwoods.com/
My favorite day trip from San Fran was a trip to Monterey, visiting the aquarium, then taking the 17 Mile Drive along the coast and through Pebble Beach--gorgeous.
http://www.mbayaq.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17_Mile_Drive
http://www.visitmuirwoods.com/
My favorite day trip from San Fran was a trip to Monterey, visiting the aquarium, then taking the 17 Mile Drive along the coast and through Pebble Beach--gorgeous.
http://www.mbayaq.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17_Mile_Drive
Feb 14th, 2008, 02:03 PM
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Santa Cruz would definitely be on the list. I grew up there and for some reason all my cousins wanted to visit me every chance they got. I don't think I would have been nearly as popular if I had grown up in Fresno 
In addition to the Boardwalk, there is a really walkable downtown with bunches of independent shops - sort of a hippy-ish, counterculture area. Capitola Village is fun to and if you head out to the lighthouse, you may see some world-class surfing.
Monterey is fun too. You can take short boat trips from the wharf, the Aquarium is fun. Renting bikes or these 4-wheel peddled vehicle things that they have and riding along the paths at Pacific Grove is good too. Kayaks are fun if the water is calm. I wouldn't choose 17-Mile drive and Pebble Beach though. We used to have to do that drive when people came to visit us when I was growing up. It was always pretty boring (as a teenager - the adults liked it). For spectacular coastal scenery in that area, head to Point Lobos state park.
The Santa Cruz mountains was also mentioned - another good choice. Roaring Camp has the narrow gage railway, which is fun. And there are a couple state parks for hiking and picnicing.
The idea of taking the kids to see a couple college campuses is good. In addition to Berkeley and Stanford, we've got Santa Clara, San Jose State, UC Santa Cruz, and CSU Monterey Bay.
In addition to the Boardwalk, there is a really walkable downtown with bunches of independent shops - sort of a hippy-ish, counterculture area. Capitola Village is fun to and if you head out to the lighthouse, you may see some world-class surfing.Monterey is fun too. You can take short boat trips from the wharf, the Aquarium is fun. Renting bikes or these 4-wheel peddled vehicle things that they have and riding along the paths at Pacific Grove is good too. Kayaks are fun if the water is calm. I wouldn't choose 17-Mile drive and Pebble Beach though. We used to have to do that drive when people came to visit us when I was growing up. It was always pretty boring (as a teenager - the adults liked it). For spectacular coastal scenery in that area, head to Point Lobos state park.
The Santa Cruz mountains was also mentioned - another good choice. Roaring Camp has the narrow gage railway, which is fun. And there are a couple state parks for hiking and picnicing.
The idea of taking the kids to see a couple college campuses is good. In addition to Berkeley and Stanford, we've got Santa Clara, San Jose State, UC Santa Cruz, and CSU Monterey Bay.
Feb 14th, 2008, 02:21 PM
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If your children have an interest in nature and ecology, a trip to Muir Woods could easily be combined with a visit to Audubon Canyon Ranch right after. The egrets and their habitat are a gorgeous sight. The Audubon Canyon site is on Highway One, between Stinson Beach and Bolinas. You would exit the Muir Woods area westward onto Highway One and head north. Good views of the Pacific along the way.
http://www.egret.org/
http://www.egret.org/
Feb 15th, 2008, 05:15 AM
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I apologize, I did not post the original question right. I was really interested in going to Napa-Sonoma for a day trip and visit some wineries, but I don’t know if minors are allowed near wine tasting facilities. I should have asked if there is anything of interest to teenagers in the area other than wineries. Thanks… Jim
Feb 15th, 2008, 08:35 AM
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It depends on the winery and how it is set up - some allow minors in the tasting rooms and some do not. The wineries that have tours may interest your kids.
I have friends who to an annual trip where they bike from winery to winery - if your family likes active stuff, that would probably be fun for the kids.
As mentioned in other posts, there are some good areas for hiking around there too - Muir Woods, Armstrong Redwoods, Point Reyes National Seashore.
There isn't as much up that way to interest kids as there is south of SF, but they probably wont die of bordom either
I have friends who to an annual trip where they bike from winery to winery - if your family likes active stuff, that would probably be fun for the kids.
As mentioned in other posts, there are some good areas for hiking around there too - Muir Woods, Armstrong Redwoods, Point Reyes National Seashore.
There isn't as much up that way to interest kids as there is south of SF, but they probably wont die of bordom either
Feb 15th, 2008, 08:40 AM
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Actually, I think they might die of boredom in the wine country, especially if visiting wineries is the main thing on the agenda. Napa is bucolic, and one winery tour might be of interest, but after that, there's nothing for kids there. And the other areas J Correa mentioned are not exactly close.
Feb 15th, 2008, 10:16 AM
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Jack London park, museum, and his grave in Glen Ellen.
In Calistoga, the geyser and petrified forest.
In Sonoma, maybe they are too old for TrainTown? There are a couple of museums.
In Napa, you can take the wine train with or without food. Copia - check for exhibits.
In Calistoga, the geyser and petrified forest.
In Sonoma, maybe they are too old for TrainTown? There are a couple of museums.
In Napa, you can take the wine train with or without food. Copia - check for exhibits.
Feb 15th, 2008, 07:03 PM
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Why not go to Gold Country - its really more than a day trip. You would need to stay over night. But there are many wineries and cool stuff for kids - caverns - gold mines, etc.
for the caverns cehck out:
http://www.caverntours.com/index.html
we did black chasm - very cool.
also you could try a whale watch in moss landing.
for the caverns cehck out:
http://www.caverntours.com/index.html
we did black chasm - very cool.
also you could try a whale watch in moss landing.
Feb 19th, 2008, 04:25 PM
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When I was there a few months ago I took the ferry from the Ferry Building to Sausalito--first time I've done this (though I lived in SF for years). It's really fun and the views are amazing and Sausalito is a fun place to walk around for a few hours.
Feb 19th, 2008, 04:47 PM
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artlover's recommendation for the ferry to Sausalito reminded me of another great SF day trip - Angel Island. I haven't been out there in awhile, but it is always a really neat trip - you can hike, rent bikes, picnic, check out the historical buildings, etc. And of course, on a nice day, the views are great.
Feb 22nd, 2008, 05:08 PM
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There is fabulous art in the Napa Valley. How about the di Rosa Preserve
http://www.dirosapreserve.org/ which has local artists, including a huge outdoor space filled with sculpture.
http://www.dirosapreserve.org/ which has local artists, including a huge outdoor space filled with sculpture.
Feb 22nd, 2008, 05:30 PM
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The ferry to Saucilito -- I gather it drops you at marina. Is it walkable to the town?
If we just want to wonder around a bit, how long should we allow? We won't want to shop, just enjoy the sites.
Deb
If we just want to wonder around a bit, how long should we allow? We won't want to shop, just enjoy the sites.
Deb
Feb 22nd, 2008, 07:22 PM
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Sausilito ferry drops you in the middle of town. The "sites" in Sausilito are its views of SF, Tiburon, and Angel Island across the water, the ride on the ferry there and back and of course the views of the Bay. So you can spend as little as an hour if you don't intend to have a meal or wander around the shops We still like to go to Sausalito to have brunch on a sunny day and take in the lovely views, but the shops are just not that interesting. The town used by have some nice galleries, but not any longer.
