California Dreamin'
Feb 27th, 2003, 03:58 AM
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California Dreamin'
Looking to Travel LA to SF with two teen children in late summer for 10-12 day car trip. Looking for suggested itineraries. Perhaps 3 days in LA, 4 in SF and 3 or 4 on the road. Any suggestions?
Feb 27th, 2003, 04:45 AM
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We did this drive over a one week span, you are LUCKY to have 10-12 days! One of our favorite trips ever. We started in LA and slept in Santa Barbara, San Simeon, Monterey, and Santa Cruz. In Santa Barbara, we stayed at a wonderful little place just outside of the city, here is the website:
http://www.cliffhouseinn.com/
In San Simeon we stayed at a budget place called San Simeon Lodge that I would probably not do again (room was stale and smoky smelling) but we LOVED Hearst Castle. In Monterey we stayed on cannery row and from our hotel room in the morning we watched otters fishing for crabs for breakfast! We stayed at the Monterey Bay Inn. Our hotel in Santa Cruz was also great, the Westcoast Santa Cruz Hotel, right on the beach. Don't miss the surfer museum in Santa Cruz, the kids will love it!
Here are links to our photos so you can see what you will experience! Let me know if you have other questions. The best part of the trip is the scenery from Highway One.
http://community.webshots.com/album/31778060aCrwQTaJyr
http://community.webshots.com/album/31778339eJirxnPbJj
http://community.webshots.com/album/31778751aJXsGbRunp
http://www.cliffhouseinn.com/
In San Simeon we stayed at a budget place called San Simeon Lodge that I would probably not do again (room was stale and smoky smelling) but we LOVED Hearst Castle. In Monterey we stayed on cannery row and from our hotel room in the morning we watched otters fishing for crabs for breakfast! We stayed at the Monterey Bay Inn. Our hotel in Santa Cruz was also great, the Westcoast Santa Cruz Hotel, right on the beach. Don't miss the surfer museum in Santa Cruz, the kids will love it!
Here are links to our photos so you can see what you will experience! Let me know if you have other questions. The best part of the trip is the scenery from Highway One.
http://community.webshots.com/album/31778060aCrwQTaJyr
http://community.webshots.com/album/31778339eJirxnPbJj
http://community.webshots.com/album/31778751aJXsGbRunp
Feb 27th, 2003, 04:48 AM
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I forgot to say, I would save LA & SF for separate trips. The wonderful places to see between these two cities along Highway One are too many to fit into your trip already! We only used LA & SF as airports, that's all. Don't get me wrong, great cities - we are going back to SF this summer and then heading north into wine country, but you will find that if you spend any significant amount of time in LA or SF, you will short change your driving adventure alogn highway one!
Feb 27th, 2003, 10:09 AM
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Sounds like a great trip to me. I think you can do it all in that time frame. There is definitely enough to see between SF and LA to take up a couple weeks, but you can pick and choose and see quite a bit.
If I were doing this trip with a couple teenagers - taking 4 days/3 nights on the road - here is what I would do.
Day 1 - Drive to Santa Cruz - leave SF and head down Hwy 280 to 85 and over Hwy 9 through the Santa Cruz mountains. You will go through some great coastal redwoods. There are a couple state parks you could stop at - Big Basin or Henry Cowell. Then head to Santa Cruz. Spend the afternoon at the beach. There is the Boardwalk, the wharf, the surf museum in the old lighthouse at Steamer's Lane. Your kids will probably love the Boardwalk.
Day 2 - Drive to Monterey. The drive from Santa Cruz only takes an hour without traffic, longer if you are doing this on a weekend. In Monterey check out Canery Row, the Aquarium, Fisherman's Wharf. There are also some museums you might find interesting such as the Customs House.
Day 3 - Drive to Morro Bay on Hwy 1. This is a very scenic, but narrow road. Take your time. Stop often and enjoy the scnery. You will pass through Big Sur which is incredible. Several state parks and state beaches you can stop at and do a little exploring. Point Lobos, just south of Carmel is great.
Day 4 - Drive back north a little bit, take a morning tour of Hearst Castle, and then make your way to LA. Stop in Santa Barbara along the way.
If I were doing this trip with a couple teenagers - taking 4 days/3 nights on the road - here is what I would do.
Day 1 - Drive to Santa Cruz - leave SF and head down Hwy 280 to 85 and over Hwy 9 through the Santa Cruz mountains. You will go through some great coastal redwoods. There are a couple state parks you could stop at - Big Basin or Henry Cowell. Then head to Santa Cruz. Spend the afternoon at the beach. There is the Boardwalk, the wharf, the surf museum in the old lighthouse at Steamer's Lane. Your kids will probably love the Boardwalk.
Day 2 - Drive to Monterey. The drive from Santa Cruz only takes an hour without traffic, longer if you are doing this on a weekend. In Monterey check out Canery Row, the Aquarium, Fisherman's Wharf. There are also some museums you might find interesting such as the Customs House.
Day 3 - Drive to Morro Bay on Hwy 1. This is a very scenic, but narrow road. Take your time. Stop often and enjoy the scnery. You will pass through Big Sur which is incredible. Several state parks and state beaches you can stop at and do a little exploring. Point Lobos, just south of Carmel is great.
Day 4 - Drive back north a little bit, take a morning tour of Hearst Castle, and then make your way to LA. Stop in Santa Barbara along the way.
Feb 27th, 2003, 10:34 AM
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Just a note about late summer on the CA coast in case you haven't been here before.
July and August tend to be foggy in SF with highs in the mid 60s. The fog usually burns off in the afternoon and comes back in the evennings. I think the fog is beautiful, but just remember to bring sweatshirts, long pants and windbreakers. Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Big Sur have similar weather. The further south you go, the less fog you get.
September is our Indian Summer with usually the warmest temperatures along the coast - usually clear days with lots of sunshine, highs in the mid 70s, even into the 80s occasionally.
Sometimes Indian summer comes early and August is warm and sunny along the coast, sometimes it doesn't. It has a lot to do with how hot the weather is in the inland valleys - hot temperatures inland create an inversion layer which brings the fog to the coast.
This weather pattern takes a lot of people off guard and they end up in SF wearing their shorts and tank tops, and are cold.
July and August tend to be foggy in SF with highs in the mid 60s. The fog usually burns off in the afternoon and comes back in the evennings. I think the fog is beautiful, but just remember to bring sweatshirts, long pants and windbreakers. Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Big Sur have similar weather. The further south you go, the less fog you get.
September is our Indian Summer with usually the warmest temperatures along the coast - usually clear days with lots of sunshine, highs in the mid 70s, even into the 80s occasionally.
Sometimes Indian summer comes early and August is warm and sunny along the coast, sometimes it doesn't. It has a lot to do with how hot the weather is in the inland valleys - hot temperatures inland create an inversion layer which brings the fog to the coast.
This weather pattern takes a lot of people off guard and they end up in SF wearing their shorts and tank tops, and are cold.
Feb 27th, 2003, 01:38 PM
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Loangalsal and J Correa are right about the many different things to see between LA and SF. You may want to spend a little less time in LA and SF so that you can see more of the sites along the way. I would plan on 4 nights along the way between LA and SF.
First Day: Take Highway 1 from LA and stay one night in Cambria. Along the way you can stop off in Santa Barbara and Morro Bay.
Second day: Take a tour of Hearst Castle in nearby San Simeon. (www.hearst-castle.org) Do make reservations for Hearst Castle in advance. Drive up Highway 1 for some great scenery along Big Sur on the way to the Monterey Bay Area. Stay 1 night in the Monterey area (www.monterey.com)
Third Day: Check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium (www.mbayag.org) Fisherman's Wharf (www.montereywharf.com) 17 Mile Drive, and the quaint town of Carmel. Take Highway 1 north to Santa Cruz. If you like seafood, stop along the way for lunch at Phil's Fishmarket and Eatery in Moss Landing. Stay the night in Santa Cruz. I second Loangalsal's recommendation of the West Coast Santa Cruz Hotel. Each room has a view of the ocean.
Fourth Day: In Santa Cruz your children will like the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. (www.beachboardwalk.com) From Santa Cruz take Highway 17 north toward San Jose and stop off at Big Basin Redwoods Sate Park (www.bigbasin.org) From there drive to San Jose (www.sanjose.org) and stay one night there. The downtown area would be the most convenient (www.sjdowntown.com)
Fifth Day: Some of the main attractions in San Jose include the Tech Museum (www.thetech.org), Winchester Mystery House (www.winchestermysteryhouse.com) , Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum (www.egyptianmuseum.org), Japanese Gardens and the History Museum (www.historysanjose.org). If your kids prefer going to an amusement park, check out Great America in Santa Clara, that is assuming that you are not already going to Disneyland. If you are there on a Friday, there is a great Farmer's Market from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM in San Pedro Square. Take the scenic 280 Freeway north to SF. If you have time, stop for a tour of the Filoli Estate (www.filoli.org) in the town of Woodside.
Have a great trip.
First Day: Take Highway 1 from LA and stay one night in Cambria. Along the way you can stop off in Santa Barbara and Morro Bay.
Second day: Take a tour of Hearst Castle in nearby San Simeon. (www.hearst-castle.org) Do make reservations for Hearst Castle in advance. Drive up Highway 1 for some great scenery along Big Sur on the way to the Monterey Bay Area. Stay 1 night in the Monterey area (www.monterey.com)
Third Day: Check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium (www.mbayag.org) Fisherman's Wharf (www.montereywharf.com) 17 Mile Drive, and the quaint town of Carmel. Take Highway 1 north to Santa Cruz. If you like seafood, stop along the way for lunch at Phil's Fishmarket and Eatery in Moss Landing. Stay the night in Santa Cruz. I second Loangalsal's recommendation of the West Coast Santa Cruz Hotel. Each room has a view of the ocean.
Fourth Day: In Santa Cruz your children will like the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. (www.beachboardwalk.com) From Santa Cruz take Highway 17 north toward San Jose and stop off at Big Basin Redwoods Sate Park (www.bigbasin.org) From there drive to San Jose (www.sanjose.org) and stay one night there. The downtown area would be the most convenient (www.sjdowntown.com)
Fifth Day: Some of the main attractions in San Jose include the Tech Museum (www.thetech.org), Winchester Mystery House (www.winchestermysteryhouse.com) , Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum (www.egyptianmuseum.org), Japanese Gardens and the History Museum (www.historysanjose.org). If your kids prefer going to an amusement park, check out Great America in Santa Clara, that is assuming that you are not already going to Disneyland. If you are there on a Friday, there is a great Farmer's Market from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM in San Pedro Square. Take the scenic 280 Freeway north to SF. If you have time, stop for a tour of the Filoli Estate (www.filoli.org) in the town of Woodside.
Have a great trip.
Feb 27th, 2003, 03:57 PM
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David is right, you need reservations at Hearst Castle, sometimes the tours sell out and it messes up your schedule, and you won't want to miss it! Also, the Monterey Bay aquarium is wonderful, but gets very crowded. I wish we would have arrived before it opened so we got in early before the crowds.
Feb 27th, 2003, 09:17 PM
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The alternative to the coast is to go up I5/US99. Deadly boring, hot, flat farm country, but ... then you can visit Yosemite and Sequoia national parks. Or perhaps go up the coast as far as San Simeon or Monterey, then cut across to Yosemite.
It depends on your preferences. I personally would steal days from San Francisco for Yosemite, but then I like the mountains, and SF always feels either grungy or touristy (or both).
It depends on your preferences. I personally would steal days from San Francisco for Yosemite, but then I like the mountains, and SF always feels either grungy or touristy (or both).
Feb 28th, 2003, 07:04 AM
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I'm with JCorrea except might skip Santa Cruz and spend a night in Santa Barbara instead.
Definately don't skimp on SF or LA. Both can be done in 3-4 days. For LA, tell us where you plan to stay (if you know) and any highlights you want to hit and I'm sure we can give you hints for managing your time.
Definately don't skimp on SF or LA. Both can be done in 3-4 days. For LA, tell us where you plan to stay (if you know) and any highlights you want to hit and I'm sure we can give you hints for managing your time.
Mar 1st, 2003, 08:31 AM
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While in the Monterey area do take a walk around Point Lobos. It's a state park with good trails. You will see some beautiful vistas, lots of seal lions and tide pools. It's on Hwy 1.
Eat at Monterey Fish House. This a is good local place for fish. You can get almost anything(and it will be fresh) cooked almost anyway you want it. Prices are reasonable.
Folks are right about the weather. Late summer on the coast can be quite foggy. I used to live in SF and there were days in August I wore a down jacket. So bring some warm clothes just in case. I would also recommend you consider a trip to Point Reyes while in the SF region. It is about 1 1/4 hours north of SF. This is a national seashore. There are many beaches, ranges of Tule Elk, great(and many easy) hiking trails. For folks from TN...it will also be another world and a magnificent one at that.
Eat at Monterey Fish House. This a is good local place for fish. You can get almost anything(and it will be fresh) cooked almost anyway you want it. Prices are reasonable.
Folks are right about the weather. Late summer on the coast can be quite foggy. I used to live in SF and there were days in August I wore a down jacket. So bring some warm clothes just in case. I would also recommend you consider a trip to Point Reyes while in the SF region. It is about 1 1/4 hours north of SF. This is a national seashore. There are many beaches, ranges of Tule Elk, great(and many easy) hiking trails. For folks from TN...it will also be another world and a magnificent one at that.
