Hi all.

Would very much appreciate a little help with a California road trip itinerary, especially the middle part. Traveling with a 6 year-old and a 15 year-old next week!

Here goes:

Fly into OC. Overnight in Carlsbad.

Spend day at Legoland. Overnight in Carlsbad.

Drive through LA, stopping to eat dinner at a certain restaurant. Overnight in Marina Del Ray.

Getty Villa in the am (10am reservations). Overnight in Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara Mission. Overnight ??? In Santa Barbara or drive to San Luis Obispo?

Possible Hearst Castle. Overnight in Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo (or some other starting point for drive up the Big Sur coast the next day.

Drive Big Sur. Overnight in Monterrey/Carmel.

Spend day in Monterrey/Carmel. Overnight there.

Drive to Palo Alto for appt. Overnight in San Jose to be close to airport.

We have spent time in San Diego, LA and San Francisco on previous trips, so the focus of this trip is the central coast, and Big Sur in particular. We have to go to Legoland, and that is why we are starting so far south. As long as we are driving through LA, we want to go to the restaurant and the Getty Villa. After that, we are open - not wedded to the idea of Hearst Castle, but will consider if we have the time. I guess my main question is should we spend that extra day/overnight in the Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo area or should we spend it in Carmel/Monterrey? We have to be in Palo Alto on the last day.

Kids will do pretty much anything we decide. We can make anything fun. Our hotel in Santa Barbara has a pool. Will it be warm enough to swim? That might make the decision easier for us.

Also thinking that we might be able to spend more time in Monterrey if we ever go back to San Francisco someday. Any thoughts Cali experts?

Thanks!

I like your itinerary.

Getty Villa is beautiful, but I doubt the antiquities on display there will be of much interest to your children. Getty Museum would be a better choice, in my opinion.

Your children may be interested in the Presidio State Historic Park in Santa Barbara.

Most people enjoy a visit to Hearst Castle—highly recommended.

Your children will also be fascinated by the sea lions that hang out about ten miles north of San Simeon.

Carmel is a pretty little town your family may enjoy exploring.

Monterey has a world-class aquarium that is well worth a visit.

Santa Cruz has an intriguing old-fashioned amusement park.

We go to Palo Alto four times a year. An interesting drive there is up Highway 1 to Halfmoon Bay, and then Highway 92 to Palo Alto.

Big Basin Redwood State Park is another option between Santa Cruz and Palo Alto.

HTtY

The courthouse in Santa Barbara is in Moorish style and a fine place to visit. The kids would probably like seeing the works of the big clock and the views from the tower.

Just so you're not disappointed, before you decide to include Santa Cruz, check the hours of the "amusement" part of the boardwalk - I don't think it's "season" yet so it might be open only on weekends. If it is open, it's a lot of fun.

I think your itinerary is fine, but I'm not really sure Santa Barbara will be of interest to your kids.

I was 12 the first time I went to Hearst Castle and was definitely "wowed" by it.

Think your itinerary is fine although I would stay in Pismo Beach rather than San Luis Obispo. There is probably more to do in the Monterey area if you are going to spend 2 nights somewhere on the central coast. Have fun.

Your 15 year old will be totally bored with Legoland. Same with Santa Barbara. Maybe spend one night around SLO. Go dune buggy or humvee riding on the Pismo Dunes. So fun! The Elephant Seal beach just north of San Simeon is a must. Give Monterey/Carmel 2 nights.

Are you sure that your kids would enjoy the Getty Villa. I went with a friend and we both were a bit bored by it.

I've been going to Santa Barbara and Pismo Beach since a baby. I don't know why anyone would say that a 15 yr old would be bored there. We always enjoy driving out on the pier, the beach, walking around town.

It's fun driving on the beach in Pismo.

I would probably spend 2 nights in Monterey and drive around the area. Carmet is worth a visit.

Thank you, all, for your responses. We will do 2 nights in Santa Barbara and 2 in Monterrey. What should the starting point for the drive up the Big Sur coast be? A friend suggested Morro Bay, and posters here recommended Pismo Beach. Does being closer save us much time (Morro Bay) or is it inconsequential (Pismo Beach)? I've heard we will spend all day driving and stopping along the Big Sur coastline.

The 15 year-old and I are NOT going to Legoland. I thought we could spend the day exploring Carlsbad or San Clemente while my husband and the little guy go to Legoland. Any thoughts on the best place to spend a day?

Thanks for the advice on the courthouse in Santa Barbara, Hearst castle, the sea lion beach, and Santa Cruz. We will try to check all of those out. I hope Getty Villa is not too boring! I've always wanted to see it!

Pismo Beach has much better lodging options than Morro Bay--many rooms with balconies and ocean views.

Getty Villa and the view from the villa are beautiful, but there is little else there to hold the interest of most children. Here is a list of the current exhibits there. They don't interest me, but they may interest your children: http://www.getty.edu/visit/exhibitions/

HTtY

I just looked at the exhibits on at Getty Villa and it's pretty similar to when I went. Vases, silver, reliefs. It got dull real quick. The sight itself is pretty with the view but other than that ....

I do want to go to the Getty Museum some day though.

Is the 15 year old a boy or girl? There are some outlets in Carlsbad.

I think 2 nights in Santa Barbara is too much. After touring the mission, head north. SLO is a nice place to stop, lively student town. Only a couple of hours north of SB. As for the Hearst Castle, buy the tix on line. You can do a couple of tours back to back if your kids would like it. Saves going up and down the hill. Plenty of hotels/motels near the Hearts castle. From Heart to Carmel is actually only a couple of hours. Don't miss the Aquarium in Monterrey. Plus lots of early Calif. history there. Wonderful mission in Carmel. Nice to compare to the one in SB. With your 15 yr old you might want to tour the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, or UCSD while you are in Carlsbad area. 15 is not too young for that.

There is not much in San Clemente (it is one of my favorite beach towns but little to do/see but the beach)... It could be warm enough for the pool..or could be could. We had record breaking temps over the weekend....

Laguna has a little more to "do" as far as walking into shops etc... Fashion Island in Newport Beach is a wonderful outdoor mall area that has amazing views if you or your 15 year old like to shop. i would head south personally to La Jolla though if I was in Carlsbad....

Have a blast!

The 15-year-old likes to shop. Thanks for the advice on the shopping in Newport.

khor - it is a beautiful shopping area... unlike any I have been to

http://www.shopfashionisland.com/

Khor, are you only coming to SD county to visit Legoland? Your itinerary looks good.

If you can be in San Luis Obispo on Thursday night, there's a great farmer's market with live music and food stands that I think your kids would like. Pismo Beach tends to have a younger crowd than Morro Bay, so I think your kids might like it there better - but if you're going into SLO for the market, I'd just stay there for the night. Try either Firestone's (tri tip sandwiches) or Woodstock's (pizza) for dinner on San Luis.

At that age, I loved Hearst Castle and the Monterey Aquarium. (I'll be honest - I'm in my thirties now and I still love both of them!)

nanabee - Yes, only coming to SD to visit Legoland. We promised the little guy, so we are getting it out of the way. We love SD and spent spring break there a few years ago, but this time wanted to focus on the Central Coast and Big Sur.

Thanks for the restaurant tips in SLO, margotheangel.