California Coast Trip Ideas
Jun 3rd, 2012, 07:50 AM
#22
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I agree LA would be fun and interesting for a 10 year old. In addition to the previously mentioned attractions, I suggest La Brea Tar Pits, which are conveniently located next to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
http://www.lacma.org/art/collection
http://www.tarpits.org/la-brea-tar-pits
The Santa Monica Pier is also fun on a sunny day, which is most days in LA.
When you drive north to Mendocino, consider taking Highway One up the coast. You cannot drive that fast up Highway One, as it is a demanding drive, but worth the effort if you enjoy wild coastal scenery with ocean, pastoral, and forest views. Break up the trip by spending a night in Marin, maybe in Inverness or Olema, so that you can visit Point Reyes and Tomales Bay. Or you can spend a night on the Sonoma Coast, which is closer to Mendocino, but not as convenient for exploring Point Reyes.
http://directions.uptake.com/from-ca...177-28423.html
http://www.destinationmendocino.com/...irections.html
When leaving Mendocino, go south on Highway 128 that cuts over to Highway 101 (wineries along this road). Healdsburg sits right on Highway 101, and would make a good base for exploring Sonoma Wine Country. If you feel like more time in the redwoods, Healdsburg is also about 35 minutes from Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve (near Guerneville).
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=450
http://sonoma.com/visitorsinfo/Sonom...Winery_Map.pdf
Special event:
http://rrvw.org/passport-to-pinot-ba...sting-weekend/
When leaving Healdsburg, you can take Highway 101 south straight to San Francisco (takes about 90 minutes) or take a more scenic detour by cutting over to State Highway 12 (exit 488B at Santa Rosa) toward Sonoma town. This will take you through the wineries of Kenwood and Glen Ellen. Historic Jack London State Park is also in Glen Ellen.
http://www.jacklondonpark.com/
To return to San Francisco from Sonoma, take Highway 121 to Highway 37 (more wineries along the way), which will eventually meet up with Highway 101 in Novato. From the city of Novato, it is about 20 minutes (more or less, depending on traffic) to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Mendocino is beautiful. The town is cute. Its headlands are gorgeous. The state parks in the vicinity have wonderful hiking trails and interesting sites, such as Glass Beach (though some state parks are closed due to the budget crisis). Your son would probably enjoy a Skunk Train ride, which you catch from Fort Bragg, 10 miles north of Mendocino.
http://www.skunktrain.com/
My favorite Mendocino coast town is Elk. Blink and you'll miss it, but its pretty beach is worth a look.
The Albion River Inn, six miles south of Mendocino, has a nice restaurant with ocean views.
I love Mendocino, but if you spend three nights here, you'll miss out on some other great northern California places.
Given your itinerary, I think three nights in Sonoma wine country also might be one night too many.
Nancytwo is correct. Coastal northern California (from Big Sur on up) gets foggy during the summer. Though the fog generally burns off for a few hours in the middle of the day. Our best weather is September-October.
http://www.lacma.org/art/collection
http://www.tarpits.org/la-brea-tar-pits
The Santa Monica Pier is also fun on a sunny day, which is most days in LA.
When you drive north to Mendocino, consider taking Highway One up the coast. You cannot drive that fast up Highway One, as it is a demanding drive, but worth the effort if you enjoy wild coastal scenery with ocean, pastoral, and forest views. Break up the trip by spending a night in Marin, maybe in Inverness or Olema, so that you can visit Point Reyes and Tomales Bay. Or you can spend a night on the Sonoma Coast, which is closer to Mendocino, but not as convenient for exploring Point Reyes.
http://directions.uptake.com/from-ca...177-28423.html
http://www.destinationmendocino.com/...irections.html
When leaving Mendocino, go south on Highway 128 that cuts over to Highway 101 (wineries along this road). Healdsburg sits right on Highway 101, and would make a good base for exploring Sonoma Wine Country. If you feel like more time in the redwoods, Healdsburg is also about 35 minutes from Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve (near Guerneville).
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=450
http://sonoma.com/visitorsinfo/Sonom...Winery_Map.pdf
Special event:
http://rrvw.org/passport-to-pinot-ba...sting-weekend/
When leaving Healdsburg, you can take Highway 101 south straight to San Francisco (takes about 90 minutes) or take a more scenic detour by cutting over to State Highway 12 (exit 488B at Santa Rosa) toward Sonoma town. This will take you through the wineries of Kenwood and Glen Ellen. Historic Jack London State Park is also in Glen Ellen.
http://www.jacklondonpark.com/
To return to San Francisco from Sonoma, take Highway 121 to Highway 37 (more wineries along the way), which will eventually meet up with Highway 101 in Novato. From the city of Novato, it is about 20 minutes (more or less, depending on traffic) to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Mendocino is beautiful. The town is cute. Its headlands are gorgeous. The state parks in the vicinity have wonderful hiking trails and interesting sites, such as Glass Beach (though some state parks are closed due to the budget crisis). Your son would probably enjoy a Skunk Train ride, which you catch from Fort Bragg, 10 miles north of Mendocino.
http://www.skunktrain.com/
My favorite Mendocino coast town is Elk. Blink and you'll miss it, but its pretty beach is worth a look.
The Albion River Inn, six miles south of Mendocino, has a nice restaurant with ocean views.
I love Mendocino, but if you spend three nights here, you'll miss out on some other great northern California places.
Given your itinerary, I think three nights in Sonoma wine country also might be one night too many.
Nancytwo is correct. Coastal northern California (from Big Sur on up) gets foggy during the summer. Though the fog generally burns off for a few hours in the middle of the day. Our best weather is September-October.
Jun 3rd, 2012, 08:40 PM
#23
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If you have time in San Francisco, check out Golden Gate Park. The Academy of Sciences is completely re-done and is great for a ten year old. Also see the Exploratorium,which is in the Palace of Fine Arts. It's close to the GG Bridge.
Also second the La Brea Tar Pits. My son LOVED it when he was 10.
Also second the La Brea Tar Pits. My son LOVED it when he was 10.
Jun 7th, 2012, 06:19 PM
#24
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I am a bit puzzled that you are not taking your ten year old to Disneyland. Is it true? Does he /she know this? Or, do you already visit the
Orlando one? I think this is a serious miss, if I were ten again, or 66.
Orlando one? I think this is a serious miss, if I were ten again, or 66.
Jun 9th, 2012, 04:54 PM
#25
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3 weeks is a long time, but there is so darn much stuff to see! We love Cambria, and recommend one of the hotels on Moonstone Beach. The 10 year old might enjoy hunting for agates on the beach. Great walking paths along the sea probably appeal more to adults. Hearst is a great place to visit, but allow more time than you think you will need. Just north of there the beaches feature lots of elephant seals which are kind of neat. The Big Sur coast requires more time than you think to travel especially if you want to stop and enjoy the experience. Carmel is neat for adults, don't know if kids would appreciate its unique architecture and ambiance. Just north of Monterrey is Marina with some incredible sand dunes to climb. Also cost of hotels etc is lower than downtown Carmel or Monterrey. We stayed at a decent Holiday Inn Express in Marina recently. The De Young Museum in Golden Gate park exceeded our expectations. However a 10 year old might also like Fort Point which is just at the base of the Golden Gate bridge and really quite appealing. Kids probably would also enjoy the boat trip to Alcatraz. Adults will find the grounds more scenic than they would expect. They probably would also like the cable cars and China town in SF. You could also catch a mini view of redwoods at Muir Woods. It is not a good as the Redwood National Park, but you can get a feel for it with less driving if you are running short on time. We recommend limiting the mileage and intensifying your experiences rather than running yourself ragged trying to see everything in one trip.
