I have a two-day work trip to SF in the first week of June and I'd like to spend an entire week in the area and bring my wife and three-year-old daughter.

I want to fly in on Friday, June 1 and fly out on Friday, June 8. I have to spend the two work days staying in the Financial District, about a five minute walk from the Ferry building. But for the rest of the trip I can do what I want, but I have never been to SF and I have no idea where to start.

Should I start the trip staying in a different area of SF?
Should I stay a day or two in Napa? Does that make sense with a three-year-old?
If I stay in the city, do I need a car?

Any guidance would be fantastic.

>>Should I start the trip staying in a different area of SF?>Should I stay a day or two in Napa? Does that make sense with a three-year-old?>If I stay in the city, do I need a car?

OK so how does this sound a preliminary outline :

Fly in Friday. Saturday in SF (maybe see Giants game in the evening), drive to the Monterey /Carmel area on Sunday after breakfast and stay until Tuesday afternoon. Stay in the city from Tuesday to Friday.

Is Monterey /Carmel a good area to do maybe one winery experience for a few hours and then do other family stuff?

Carmel Valley has some wineries you can visit. But, IMO, the winery stuff is about a "B-" or so - unless you are big wine people. The other stuff in Carmel/Monterey (Pt Lobos, Carmel Beach, shops, cute houses, aquarium, 17 mile drive, Pacific Grove, Spanish Bay, Big Sur, Nepenthe, etc) are all "A" events. A winery visit/tour/taste will consume 2 to 3 hrs including driving there.

How many full days in San Francisco does your itinerary give you? Half day Sat? Half day Friday (if you fly home on Friday). I hope it is at least 4 full days. I assume that your two-day "work" will subtract quite a bit from that time. Two nights in Carmel/Monterey is fine - and you can come back anytime on Tuesday that you like - but just remember the evening rush hour traffic. Either leave Carmel between 10 am to 1:30PM, or after 6PM. It's about 2 1/4 hrs from Carmel to SF without traffic - add 1 to 1 1/2 hrs if you hit peak traffic congestion.

You might consider flying into SFO and then immediately head to Carmel from there. This is probably a little more efficient. Or if you can get a diredt flight to San Jose - fly there & then head to Carmel.

Here are some ideas of things to do & see in the region:
https://www.fodors.com/community/uni...ations-356478/

Stu Dudley

Oops - you fly in on Friday. Is that a full day here?

Stu Dudley

There are about 20 wine tasting rooms in downtown Carmel. These are offsite tasting rooms so not a "winery experience" but an option if your time is limited. Folktale Winery located mid-valley in Carmel Valley is the closest winery to the Monterey Peninsula and they do offer tastings and tours https://folktalewinery.com/visit/ Otherwise most of our wineries are out in the Salinas Valley about an hour from the peninsula River Road Wine Trail | Monterey County Wineries

If you decide to drive down Hwy 1 from SF toward Monterey, you can stop in Santa Cruz along the way - it's about 2/3 of the way to Monterey, on the north end of the Monterey Bay. There are plenty of beaches (Natural Bridges State Park, New Brighton State Beach, Seacliff State Beach are all easy stops, with wide flat beaches), as well as the Santa Cruz Wharf, and the Beach Boardwalk - which might be fun for your family, depending on whether you like amusement parks. Capitola is another lovely little seaside village, just south of Santa Cruz. There are also some wonderful state parks just inland from Santa Cruz, with easy walking loops through the majestic old-growth redwoods. Hallcrest Winery is in Felton - it's same little mountain town as Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park - about 20 minutes up scenic Highway 9 from Santa Cruz. There are many many other wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but they are a bit further than you might want to go for a side trip.

You are probably aware that June in San Francisco can be very cool and foggy. Many locals refer to it as "June Gloom" or June-uary" - bring some warm clothing to layer! That goes for Monterey and Carmel. Santa Cruz tends to be a bit sunnier and warmer, but there can be fog anywhere along the coast. The more you head inland - sometimes just a few miles - the more chance of having a sunny day.

What will your wife be doing with your little one during the conference?

The Exploratorium would be fun for them and easy to get to from the Financial District. It is on Pier 15.

https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/...-family-outing

During your conference, you would be close to the Ferry Building for dinner. The food here is excellent. The restaurants are off a main hallway of the ferry building, a little like a food court, more casual (but each with their own specific seating). So it would be a great option for your family. Just hit a different place each night.

That’s the first time I’ve ever heard the restaurants at the ferry building compared to a food court��

That was supposed to be a smiley face, not two question marks!

I wondered who would notice I wanted him to know that the Ferry Building was definitely more casual and accessible than a regular restaurant.

I went back and forth between saying "a little like a food court," or "a more upscale and permanent version of Portland's food cart pods." But he hasn't been out West yet, so there you are.

It IS sorta hard to describe the Ferry bldg - just special.