Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Drive in Dc from LA to SFO with Kids age 3 and 5

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Drive in Dc from LA to SFO with Kids age 3 and 5 - ideas?/

Hi there We are from Australia, taking a week to drive LA to SF and wanted ideas on specific hotels or appartments good for kids?? Maybe n the beach, also activities to do along the way - what would they enjoy Many thanks Andrew - ps Thx to Susan for your previous post

that should be at Christmas in December - sorry

Andrew, Definitely visit Christmas in the Park www.christmasinthepark.com in Downtown San Jose www.sanjose.org The kids really enjoy looking at all the amazing lights and displays.

Great plan David - thanks for that - any more Christmas Carol info for SFO of Sth to LA?? A

The weather in December is very unpredictable. It may be sunny or we could have huge storms, esspecially along the coast. If the weather is good, I definitely recommend Hwy 1 with stops at Hearst Castle, Big Sur, and Monterey. If the weather is stormy, I wouldn't attmept Hwy 1 between San Luis Obispo and Monterey. It can be trecherous. I would take Hwy 101 - not as scenic, but definitely safer in a storm. You can make reservations to stay in San Luis Obispo or Morro Bay and in Monterey. That way, you can choose your route when you know what the weather is like. In Morro Bay, Morro Rock is fun to wander around on. Also, there are boat tours and kayak rentals. On the south end of Morro Bay is a nice state park. In San Luis Obispo, there is the mission. The Big Sur coast is great - lots of views, cliffs, and small beaches. Point Lobos State Park, just south of Carmel is nice. In Monterey, the aquarium is fun, esspecially if you have kids. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is closed in winter, but you might go to Santa Cruz anyway to check out the surfers. Just above Santa Cruz in the mountains is Felton. The Roaring Camp Railroad is a fun place for kids. Then there are all the state parks in the area, which are great for hiking and outdoor activities. Many of them have nature centers and museums designed with kids in mind.

I'd highly recommend San Luis Obispo, in Central California between Monterey and Santa Barbara. I like to recommend SLO to foreign guests because (with the exception of San Francisco) the rest of California cities are fairly non-descript. SLO is a small town, should give you as authentic a taste of Old California/Americana with all the modern amenities. Hit it on a Thursday night for the Farmers Market, the main street in town shuts down and all of the storekeepers have outdoor sales weather permitting. The local restaurants also have samples of their food out, and lots of live music. I'm sure that Christmas time would be a very special time to go, with the decorations and all. I think the kids would like it too. The aquarium in Monterey might be another fun family thing to do. And down in the LA area, I'd recommend Santa Monica. Park at one of the municipal lots near the 3rd street promenade, nice place to walk around and soak up the LA scene.. and in the evenings, street performers and musicians. Perhaps during the day you could take the kids to Pacific Park, a healthy but do-able walk from 3rd street. P Park is a very small, but nice old-style amusement park on the Santa Monica Pier. Big ferris wheel over the ocean, lots of old-style arcade stands, etc. Hope this is some food for thought.. An early welcome to California to you. Happy travels.

Thanks for all your help - still a bit short on hotel ideas - kid friendly or appartemnts in say Monterey? Thx A

Andrew, I concur with J Correa's recommendations. Although Highway 1 is scenic, I would instead take 101 if the weather is bad. From LA take 101 north to 156 west and over to 1 south towards Monterey. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is great. From Monterey head up 1 north to Santa Cruz. If weather permits, I would check out the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk www.beachboardwalk.com From Santa Cruz you can take 17 north into San Jose www sanjose.org In addition to Christmas in the Park, the Children's Discovery Museum www.cdm.org and the Tech Museum of Innovation www.thetech.org are also great for the kids. The Tech is also a fun place for adults as well. Off of the 101 south of San Jose, in Gilroy, Bonfante Gardens Family Theme Park www.bonfantegardens.com has rides for the kids, and the gardens will be decorated for Christmas. Sorry I can't be of more help with kid friendly hotels/apartments. Have a great trip.

For Kid friendly hotels, San Luis Obispo has a Best Western on Marsh Street that is economic and walking distance to Farmers market. There are others on the upper end of Marsh, towards Cal Poly, that are farther away. In Pacific Grove, very close to Monterey, try Asilomar State Park, which has economic cabins in a beautiful rustic setting. Or try the Olympian, for economics.