Our family would like to explore the San Francisco and surrounding area for this years vacation spot. We have three teens (17-15-13) and will be flying into SF on June 30th and back to NC on July 7th. We would like to be in the bay area on the 4th for the fireworks. My wife would like to see vineyards in sonoma or napa, and i would like to visit monterey if possible. Yosemite is another suggested stop. Teens are pretty good travelers and want to see alcatraz, the wharf, ride the cable cars. Are there any other must? We welcome all ideas and suggestions with Itinerary help, where to stay, and how long at each spot as well as any other ideas you might have. Thanks in advance!

Here's a great thread from the Fodor's archives that should provide more ideas than you can possibly use in the six full days you'll have in SF. Pay special attention to Stu Dudley's post.

For ideas about where to stay, type "San Francisco hotels" into the search box for a zillion past posts on this subject.

Enjoy your trip!

To save some where and tear, check out the vineyards & wineries in Monterey County and Carmel Valley. No different than seeing a vineyard or winery in Napa/Sonoma. This will make things more convenient for Monterey.

Have fun.

MY

The John Muir Woods, just north of SF, is a beautiful spot for a walk in the woods. Staying around Union Square is a good idea if your teens are girls and want to shop. Otherwise, I would stay up around the wharf. There's actually a decent Holiday Inn there that has reasonable rates. Also a Marriott. My girls loved Alcatraz as teens, walking around the Wharf area, Ghiradelli Square, etc.

It might be helpful to actually post the link that I mentioned above:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34854566

Try 3 days SF(with visit Napa and Muir woods)then 2 days Yosemite return to SF by way of Monterrey-Carmel and visit the Winchezster mystery house in San Jose.PAul

If I may politely disagree with Paul: Skip the Winchester Mystery House. It's a tourist trap, IMHO.

If it's a clear day, take a ride up Mt. Diablo for a wonderful view of the entire Bay Area.

My husband and I spent a fantastic day that started by driving across the bridge and going to Sausalito. Once there, we walked around and picked lunch up at a great deli. After that, we drove to Muir Woods to enjoy the Red Wood trees - so beautiful! From there we drove up the mountain (it starts with a T - I am drawing a blank right now!) and the view of the area from there was fantastic!

The Monterey-Carmel area would be more interesting than Napa or Sonoma for teen-agers. There are some good wines that come from that area, so it should be possible to combine visiting a vineyard while staying in that area.

If going to Napa or Sonoma, I would choose Sonoma and visit the Jack London State Park (have the children read Call of the Wild and White Fang which presumably financed Jack London's Wolf House). Going to the state park, you will pass by Benziger winery which has an interesting tour of the vineyard. For a different tasting experience, Glen Ellen has a store that specializes in olive products and offers olive oil tastings.

You could do either Yosemite or Monterey/Carmel but not both. Each is a 3 hour drive and your family won't thank you for a vacation that spends days sitting in a car. In fact, you could save both for a later trip and still have no problem filling your schedule.

I also think that Stu's lengthy email is fantastic, but note that after seeing 2-3 of his recommended city views you won't really need to visit the dozen-plus others.

Same thing with his recommended neighborhoods and attractions. Don't try to do all of them. Pick your favorite half-dozen and enjoy yourselves. I'd add the farmer's market that surrounds the Ferry Building on Tuesdays and Saturdays. You'll enjoy wonderful meals and spectacular surroundings will enjoying a truly San Franciscan people scene.

I will point out that it is frequently quite foggy in July in San Francisco. The fireworks shows can be great, but are more often obscured by fog. Be sure and bring a light jacket and/or sweater, unless you want to buy one as a souvenir.

Muir Woods is on Mt. Tamalpais, so you could also drive to the top of the mountain and savor the view of the Bay Area. Also, the turnout/viewpoint on the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge is a simple and rewarding stop. The fireworks display at Crissy Field is good. Check with the concierge at the hotel - occasionally fog ruins it, but not usually. You might like to check with the concierge about show tickets. The hotel concierges have connections for tickets - there might be something really good to see when you are here. Beach Blanket Babylon is a really fun show, but Teens can only go to the matinees.
Does your wife just want to see vineyards? Or is she interested in tasting some truly great wine as well? I love both Napa and Sonoma regions, but I live in Napa Valley and absolutely love it here. The Napa Valley is a more compact wine-growing region, so it is easily visited. It's beautiful and the Rutherford area is know for it's fabulous cabernets. If you choose to go to Sonoma Valley, pick either the town of Sonoma or the town of Healdsburg. I haven't visited wineries in Monterey, but if your wife is just interested in seeing vineyards, it might make sense to see them there as someone else suggested.

Yosemite is definitley worth a trip but don't do it in one day! I would drive up, spend the night in or near the park, explore a little then head back to SF.
I think that Yosemite would be more interesting for the kids than Monterey/Carmel.
Another suggestion would be to rent bikes and ride over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. That was quite an experience! Be sure to have lunch at the hamburger place in Sausalito! YUMMY!!!

Thanks so much for the tips...keep them coming....my wife enjoys wine so thats why we thought napa...she questions as to whether the teens would like to visit the vineyard or if our time would be spent elsewhere. we just thought it would be nice to do something for mom!

You could visit some of the Santa Cruz mountains wineries on the way to Carmel and Monterey. There is some really good wine made there. http://www.scmwa.com/
We visited Ridge and David Bruce last fall. You don't have to go to Napa to taste good California wine.
http://www.ridgewine.com/visiting/visiting.tml
http://www.davidbrucewinery.com/

Well, then, I think you should take Mom to Napa Valley! It is gorgeous and is the primary wine growing region. I always recommend Peju Winery in Rutherford because it is my favorite - lots of fun in the tasting room and great wine - lovely gardens, fountains, flowers, www.peju.com
But there are others, too - AND great restaurants and picnic spots.

My kids as teens were fans of San Francisco, Angel Island, Santa Cruz and Carmel/ Monterey/ Pacific Grove. Not so much with Napa and Sonoma.

Your kids probably wouldn't mind a couple short tastings if the focus on the Napa Valley day was on its picturesque scenery and perhaps an interesting cave tour at Schramsburg or elsewhere. Keeping the tasting events limited would also allow you to drive your own rental car instead of hiring an expensive driver or bus tour.