Lisa

My husband and I will be travling with our 3 children ages 9, 15, and 17 this summer to the central California area for 7 nights. We would like to see the Heast Castle, Big Sur, Yosemite, San Franscisco, and possibly the wine country. We will be flying in to San Jose. I need help planning an itinerary, as I do not know travel time from place to place.

Elaine

You are very ambitious. You are describing a 2 week trip. What do you really want to see? Each site would take a night and San Francisco you need a couple of days at the minimum. Hearst Castle is a few hours south of all the rest (go Hwy 101 south). Along the way you could even stop at San Juan Bautista, one of the early California missions. After visiting Hearst Castle you can drive north along Highway 1. You drive along the cliffs which is spectacular and end up in Big Sur. This would be a very full day, maybe too much driving depending on your kids. I would go to the Monterey/Carmel area for 1 night. Monterey is unlike any other and has a fabulous aquarium and boardwalk for the kids----great honeymoon area too and about 1-1 1/2hr drive from San Jose. Big Sur is just on the otherside of Carmel. Carmel is very picturesqe as well and there is a great tidepool area at Point Lobos. Then maybe you could go to Yosemite. It is grand and about 4 hours east of San Jose. You would need to do an overnight. The wine country is about an hour+ north of San Francisco. San Francisco is 50 miles north of San Jose and will take you an hour or so unless you get there at commute time----VERY SLOW going north at commute time, otherwise is okay. You need to get advanced reservations for Alcatraz or you won't get there and maybe a city tour to see all the sights---Chinatown is quite special and the Wells Fargo museum is just closeby. I would take the kids to see the Muir woods(redwoods) and the Golden Gate Bridge. Save the wine country for a honeymoon repeat. It is gorgeous, but not really for kids. Nothing to do for them except picnic and watch you wine taste.You will have to decide how much driving and how much to squeeze in. Good Luck.

krh

Lisa,
Hearst Castle is moderately interesting, but the kids will not be that impressed. They will have musch more fun going up to Muir Woods and hanging out for two days in San Francisco. By the time you take in all that SF has to offer 2 1/2 days have disappeared. If you can get seats for a Giants baseball game, it is really special, even if you are not a big baseball fan. Monterey is fun, but it loses its appeal for kids following the Aquarium. My kids found the wine country to be interesting, especially Christian Brothers Winery. Get a copy of "Spanning the Gate," a book on the building of the Golden Gate Bridge, and have your kids read it (or at least glance through it), before you go. When your kids see it, they will have an amazing feeling. Alcatraz is another interesting place that not only is visually stimulating, but gives you that historical feeling down to the bone. Still, nothing beats the cable cars, crab on the wharf, and of course, a monster sundae at Ghiradelli Square. Yosemite will be too much for this 7-day trip.

xxx

My nieces and newphews really enjoyed the Hearst Castle tour and it is one of the most popular attractions on the Central Coast, so don't dismiss it just because of one poster.

Does your family have any particular activities that everyone enjoys? Do your children have any special requests for the trip? I've found that in traveling with children, it's nice to allow everyone to go through the travel book and choose one activity that would make the vacation special for them. You wind up with a diverse activity list and everyone comes home happy and with fond memories.

kam

Have guided many houseguests around in California with kids of various ages. I've found them to be most interested in San Francisco (for at least 2-3 days), Santa Cruz ("Surf City, U.S.A."--and yes, they can take surfing lessions), Monterey (the Aquarium, kayaking with sea otters in the Bay, bring or rent skateboards or scooters for the bike path from Cannery Row to Fisherman's Wharf, and all the ticky tacky shops on the Wharf, Big Sur for beautiful dramatic scenery, Hearst Castle is OK but the kids I have been with weren't so very impressed. If you want to see Yosemite (and it is certainly as spectacular as you've heard), I would advise going only to Yosemite and San Francisco with a day trip from SF up to Stinson Beach and Point Reyes Nat. Seashore. Distances are greater than you might think and unfortunately our traffic gets worse and worse. Also, if you find you'll be staying in San Jose for a day, there's a wonderful Tech Museum just in the downtown center. You can't do this all in 7 days, you'll need to come back. What will really make you miserable is too much time in the car with 3 kids.