Anaheim-San Francisco CA
 

We're planning our 2016 summer vacation and CA is our destination, we live on the East Coast never been that far West.
2 adults and 13 yr old daughter
Arriving 6/21 to LAX and leaving on 7/2.

So far we've decided to go to the San Diego Zoo on 6/22, need additional ideas for anything to see that day in San Diego.....
6/23-6/25 Only days set in stone are these days for Vidcon in Anaheim, Bday present for the 13 yr old.
On 6/26 going to DisneyLand. Mom is a Disney dork.

Leave bright and early on Mon 6/27 to head to San Francisco, need ideas to stop and see along the way, would like to get into the hotel in SF late on 6/28. So travel some on 6/27 see Hollywood (??) and honestly I'm lost with other ideas as I'm overwhelmed with everything online.

6/27- Hollywood and ......
6/28 no idea what to see enroute to SF.....
6/29 Alcatraz and Montery Aquarium ???? Not sure if enough time for both.....
6/30 drive through Napa Valley and head to Yosemite area to see Sequoias ???? Again unsure of time restraints for both..... Only want to go to one winery to say "been there, done that"
7/1 unsure what to do that day
7/2 leaving super early to head back to LAX, flight in the evening back to DC

So far our absolute musts are Hollywood/Walk of Stars, Jelly Belly Factory (maybe??), Alcatraz, Monterey Aquarium, Napa Valley, and the Sequoias.

Thanks for any input!!!

1. I would stick to S. California, if you already have your airfare booked. Plenty to see and do.

2. Or go as far north as Monterey, looping over to Yosemite then back to LA.

3. Or go up to SF, but skip Yosemite, and fly home from SF.

Whichever you choose to do, skip Napa. It will be a total yawn for your daughter. Plenty of other places along the way to see vineyards, wineries and taste wine.

6/28 see the Monterey Aquarium on the way to San Francisco.
There are several wineries south of San Francisco so you can avoid going to Napa. Get the boat tickets for Alcatraz before you get to San Francisco.
Head back to LA from Yosemite and see anything you missed, on 7/1.

Your plan after Anaheim totally falls apart unfortunately. Some random points:

• SF is a looooooong way from Orange County and if you want the scenic route up the coast you need a minimum of 2 nights and 3 would be MUCH better. From Anahem to SF up the coast is a nine hour drive without a single stop. so in real life it takes 3 days if you want to see the sites and visit the Aquarium.

• There is nothing really for a teenager in Napa (unless you stay over and to Safari West)

• going to Napa and then visiting Yosemite would require 3 days minimum (JUST for Napa and Yosemite).

• You can't see Sequoias in Yosemite for the next two years *the Mariposa Grove closed early this year and won't re-open til 2017.

• There is no reason to go all the way to Napa to visit a winery. There are hundreds of wineries in California - all over the state including in southern CA near Santa Barbara.

• Alcatraz and the Monterey Aquarium can't really be done the same day.

• The Jelly Belly factory is in Fairfield and since you don't have time for Napa or Yosemite, you don't have time for Fairfield.

• SF to LAX the fast/ugly route down I-5 is a 7 hour drive

. . . So what to do . . . Stick to southern California

Disney is a full, long, tiring day. "Leaving bright and early for San Francisco"....hmmm...I don't know about that. On a Monday morning? Well, if you leave Anaheim at by 6:15 am you might avoid most Los Angeles city traffic, otherwise it's a mess. Don't set out til 10am. And you'll want to leave Hollywood and hit the freeway northbound by 3pm or you're toast.
You could stop in Santa Barbara for an early dinner and then continue onward with a sunset drive up to maybe Pismo Beach area for the night. Next day you might make it to Monterey Aquarium for an afternoon visit, but then you've got traffic to deal with if you head up towards San Francisco early evening. Maybe spend the 28th in Monterey then 29th and 30th and part of the 1st in San Fran and then drive part of the way to L.A. on the afternoon/evening of the 1st. Going into a holiday weekend the traffic might be a big problem on July 2nd so breaking that drive up is probably a better idea. Finding accommodation for just one night on Friday July 1st might be difficult though, especially on the coast.

Yes staying in Southern California for the whole time might work out better, unless you really love driving. And sitting in traffic and driving some more. And sitting in traffic and driving some more.

Like others have said, you need two nights minimum to drive Highway 1. Maybe stop in Pismo Beach and Monterey. The aquarium takes 2-3 hours at least (it is expensive). You can visit wineries in Santa Ynez valley near Santa Barbara and also Paso Robles near Cambria. Lots less expensive than Napa.
Hollywood is quite underwhelming and only takes 1-2 hours max.
Maybe take a tour of Warner Bros studio?

Lots of good advice above. I would definitely take another crack at your itinerary.

I don't know if anybody mentioned the San Diego plan - but SD is about a 2.5 hour drive from LA, so a day trip to SD will be a long one - 5 hours in the car - so decide if that is something you want to do in order to see the SD zoo. It's a cool zoo, but if you decided to skip it, that would leave more room in your itinerary for the other things.

San Diego is worth more than a day trip. So much to see and do. I would give it at least 2 or 3 days.

You have only set aside 4 days for Anaheim -- one of those days for Disneyland. That is not long enough for DL <i>anyone</i> let alone a self-proclaimed 'Disney dork'. :) Each park takes pretty much a full day. So I'd add a day to Anaheim, then head down to San Diego of 2 or 3 days, then up to the LA area for the last 3 days.

If you just want to see a zoo - Santa Barbara has a nice one that is on your way north toward SLO or Monterey.