Family trip to Cali. Need ideas
 

There are 8 of us taking a trip to California this July. We are thinking about starting in San Diego and possibly ending in San Fran. There will be 4 adults and 4 children (ages 8, 6, 4, and 2). So far, we plan to go to Legoland and Universal Studios. We are considering a whale watching tour if anyone has a good recommendation for that we would appreciate it. We have thought about going to the San Diego zoo, but we are from Omaha which has the best zoo in the country so other zoos never compare. Any recommendations on things that the kids would like to do between San Diego and San Fran? Please do not recommend SeaWorld (saw the documentary Blackfish). Thanks in advance!

California.
San Francisco.

The kids would enjoy the maritime museum of San Diego- the ships were a big hit for us.

Lots more at Balboa Park than just the zoo, so check that out even if you decide against the zoo.

Can't really comment on the rest of San Diego, except our least favorite part was SeaWorld, so I feel like you're not missing anything by skipping it. We spent the last couple days on the beach. Are your kids more into touristy things like amusement parks or can they entertain themselves pretty easily at beaches or parks?

How much time do you have for this trip? You could also include Disneyland, Monterey Bay Aquarium. Best options for this age group.

We'll have to agree to disagree about "best zoos"-- I respectfully defend the SD Zoo as the US' best by far, mainly because it's a gorgeous facility with a great variety of wildlife, surrounded by an equally-gorgeous urban oasis in Balboa Park, itself boasting fifteen museums, lovely gardens, open-air performance venues, hiking/running/bike trails, etc. The SD Zoo maintains a separate facility: SD Zoo Safari Park, which is near Escondido and is pretty fantastic as well.

It sounds like you're planning the ol' Coastal Drive up to San FranCISCO; how long do you plan for the whole 520+-mile journey? That will determine how much you'll be able to see on the way. And I expect you'll want to spend a couple of days in San FranCISCO, at least. The Exploratorium and the CA Academy of Sciences are wonderful for kids, to name a couple of family highlights.

Do these kids travel well on long road trips? Driving up the coast is not quick; it is EASILY one of the most-discussed topics on this Forum, so be aware that you will NOT be alone on CA-1 (or US-101, a slightly-quicker albeit less-jaw-droppingly scenic alternative). Two nights on the drive seems to be the minimum, and you'd have to miss out on some stuff. Outsiders tend to underestimate the sheer size of CaliFORNIA (but not Cali, which is the third-largest city in the country of Colombia ;) ).

Legoland is just outside San Diego in Carlsbad, while Universal Studios Hollywood is in messy, huge metro Los Angeles, a city that might be hard for small children to appreciate. Actually, given the age of your children, Universal might be a bit lost on them (too small for most of the rides, no?); maybe Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park (Orange County) would be better for the little kids, and it IS fun for older folks too.

There are some lovely cities on the way up, like Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Cambria, etc. The Monterey Bay Aquarium would be on my "must-see" list, if I were driving up CA-1 all the way to San FranCISCO. And CaliFORNIA is absolutely beautiful, especially in July; you should be past June Gloom, so morning fog and overcast won't be much of a problem.

You've given us a blank slate, so I'm sure suggestions will pour in. In any case you won't run out of things to do, even with kids (an all-adult trip up the coast would open up another infinite set of things to do, but that's for another day!). I'm sure you'll all have a great time!!

I feared you were taking your kids to Colombia ;) >)

Now that's out of the way, for kids the ages of yours, the San Diego zoo, legoland, Disneyland/California Adventure, Knott's and the Monterey aquarium, the tide pools at Point Lobos are the must see sites.

. . . And in San Francisco the Exploratorium and Academy of Science.

Monterey would be a good place for a whale watch. You will also likely see plenty of porpoises and dolphins and other critters. We once had hundreds, it seemed, of dolphins escorting the boat, leaping out of the water. Here is a link to some of the wildlife you will see: http://www.blueoceanwhalewatch.com/wildlife.html

It's not your fault but most of us locals (especially those like me, born and raised here) don't care for the tourist, or whoever invented the moniker, Cali. Ugh...

The abbreviation is Calif. San Diego is located in So Cal when abbreviated. This is just FYI.

In San Diego the kids might enjoy Balboa Park.

OH WAIT - before I say more - WHEN in July? You don't want to come here July 8 - 12th. The biggest convention of the year will be here, ComicCon. Hotels will be impossible and the ones available will be $$$$$$.

July isn't whale watching season. Even if it were are your kids used to being on the open sea in boats with the very real possibility of sea sickness? If they are sea worthy tikes then you could do a cruise looking for dolphins or blue whales, perhaps.

Ok, having said what I have, it's impossible to give advice on this trip without knowing how many days you have to get between San Diego and San Francisco.

Everything depends on how many days you have.

We are planning the trip for the last 2 weeks of July. We don't have an exact number of days yet. It depends on how much we want to do and how much time we need to do it. 7 days at the minimum and 14 at the max. The kids are great in the car so we aren't worried about the drive. The love amusement parks, hands on activities, and the beach. If it's a place where you look at stuff and move on, they get bored. We took them to Yellowstone and they were extremely bored. I think we will spend a lot of time at the beach because they will play in the sand and water all day. So any recommendations for beaches on the route would be great too. Thanks everyone!

There's really nothing at Universal for kids that age, that would be a waste of 500 bucks. The Safari Park (in Escondido, now part of the San Diego Zoo) might be worth looking into. Knotts Berry Farm in Buena Park has a nice section for small children, but all those amusement parks are crazy-overcrowded in July and most of your day is just waiting in lines in the hot sun.

There are some nice whale watch boats or harbor cruises in Santa Barbara and that would be a nice overnight stop to break up the drive....however it's very hard to find accommodation for 6, and in July very hard to find a place that doesn't have a 2-night minimum. You could easily do 2 nights there however as arrival might be late on day one... then a beach & boat day on day two. Monterey is also a place you need to book a.s.a.p.

>>I think we will spend a lot of time at the beach because they will play in the sand and water all day.<<

Just so you know that 1) July won't necessarily be warm on the coast (the best/warmest weather is usually in September - July can be cool/foggy). And 2) the Pacific is very VERY cold. May be a bit much for little kids to spend a lot of time in the water. Of course we do go in the water -- but in 'real life', beach time is often more about sitting bundled up on the sand and not swimming.

We have an amusement park on the beach in Mission Beach called Belmont Park
http://www.belmontpark.com/

Would they enjoy an aquarium?
http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/

Balboa Park
http://www.balboapark.org/

Our downtown bayfront you can walk along the water from Seaport Village past the USS Midway to the Maritime Museum. Across the street from the Maritime Museum is a great park for kids to blow off steam with play equipment to climb all over
http://www.sandiegocounty.gov/parks/Waterfrontpark.html

The Safari Park is not a good idea in July. It could be at least 100 degrees out there. It's not in San Diego but at an inland town, Escondido.

July in San Diego at the beach is generally pleasantly warm. Average temp is 75 - 78 degrees. It has different beach weather than north of Los Angeles.

Coronado is a great family beach in July. It's less crowded and the beach is wide and the waves are generally fairly small.

Pacific Beach & La Jolla Shores will be packed and parking can be a nightmare unless you get there first thing in the morning.

South Mission Beach is less crowded.

Once you leave San Diego some good stops in Orange County before LA for the beach are Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Huntington Beach. In LA County, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica.

After LA I like to stop at Santa Barabara, Pismo Beach, Morro Bay, Cambria (Hearst Castle), Carmel, Monterey.

You'd have to read up on the drive and decide where to stop for what would be best for your family. If you are a member of AAA they have guides with info on the drive.

July isn't a good time for whale watching. I wouldn't waste your money at that time. they migrate Oct-April.

"beach time is often more about sitting bundled up on the sand and not swimming."

Not in San Diego. Our weather these days is very warm, even at the beach. If it is overcast/foggy in the morning,it will clear and be warm. The water is warmer than usual, but still not "warm"! Our beaches are filled with kids who play in the water all summer. Be wary about rip currents, it's always a good idea to park youselves on the sand close to a lifeguard and ask them where it's safe for the kids.

Santa Cruz, which is a coastal town just south of SF, has a very pleasant beach front amusement area with rides and such, feels like some place out of the '60's. Perfect family stop.

My comments were about the rest of the trip up the coast -- not the SD bit, which looks like will be maybe 3-4 days. I was talking about the coast north of LA/rest of your trip.

(SD is abou the only place in the state where I can comfortably swim. Up in Aptos where I spent summers as a kid my water time consisted of mainly wading til my knees turned blue and dashing back to the beach to bundle up in a blanket :) )

Any recommendations on places along the route to see redwoods?

Also, it sounds like whale watching might be out, but what about dolphins? Any recommendations for that? I think the kids would love to see the animals in their natural habitat.

Best places for redwoods along your route would be Big Basin State Park http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=540 and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=546 inland from Santa Cruz. Both are wonderful, with good hiking and beautiful trees. And camping!