Hi, we're going to be in CA from Dec 14-24. We have a 3 yr old child and are traveling on a budget. We plan on spending the weekends with family in Fremont but the weekdays are open for adventure. What should we see/do that doesn't cost a lot and is within a 2 hr drive of Fremont (approx)? We have thought of day trips to San Francisco (GG bridge, cable cars, maybe some museums), time at Fairyland and the Oakland Zoo...what else? We're ok to hotel it a few nights, so overnight in San Francisco or other locations is definitely a possibility. There seems to be an overwhelming amount of things to do in CA, we are just unfamiliar with the layout of the land and what would be worth it. We're not into skiing or other strenuous events, esp with our 3 yr old in tow! Our days don't need to be packed full of events, we're good with some unscheduled down time too! Thank you so much for your suggestions...

You might think of using BART. It runs from Fremont throughout the Bay Area.

For San Francisco, parking is pretty expensive. Public transportation in SF is fairly cheap and very plentiful.
Just look up SF Muni.

If you google to Oakland zoo, you can see easy public transportation.

That sounds great, it's going to be an awesome trip!

Here are are few things I can think of, that you could choose from:

1. South of Fremont, CA:

-Monterey, which is about a 1.5 hour drive, (southbound). There is a 17 mile scenic drive and a famous aquarium.

-Big Sur, a 45 min drive from Monterey (southbound)

-Hearst Castle, a 1.5hour drive from from Big Sur (southbound)

2. If you're going to SF, don't miss Fisherman's Wharf

3. Kind of off-topic, but may want to check out the Stanford campus, it's awesome

4. North of Fremont - I was going to recommend Redwood National Park, but that's too far I guess. It is an amazing place though, you just have to keep that on your "to do" list for some other time.

You'll will have a lot of fun!

If you go to the Golden Gate Bridge, you can also go to the Marin Headlands. Absolutely beautiful views. There's also a wildlife rehabilitation center there. The three year old might enjoy seeing some sea lions there.

If you come back to visit again and have time for a longer trip, go to Yosemite. But it's four hours each way so much longer than what you want to do this time. But it's a fabulous place to visit when you have more time.

On a clear day drive up to the top of Mt. Diablo. If lucky you'll have a view that goes from the Pacific to the Sierra.

Muir Woods and Mt. Tam makes a good combination for a day's outing.

Will you rent a car? Or do you want to do this trip only with public transportation?

What great ideas - thank you!
I had also thought about checking out Stanford & Berkley campuses. My husband is a tech-geek type so I found some cool computer museums south of Fremont with reasonable entry prices (in some cases, free) and a few science centres, but I think they may be too advanced for our child to get much from (then again, you never know what they're picking up on!)

I like the idea of a scenic drive, especially if it hugs the coastline! We're land-locked here, so if we want to see water we need to find a lake or river.

We will be renting a car - easier to get around with a small child (still in a car seat), especially if you'd like to go a little further away from 'home base'

You may want to check into the Exploratorium in SF. I think they have thing geared for all age groups.

Renting a car's a great idea, gives you much more convenience and freedom (i wasn't sure since you mentioned being on a budget).

Definitely do a day trip into San Francisco proper. The cable cars, Chinatown, Embarcadero, Fisherman's Wharf are definitely worth experiencing.

If scenery's your thing don't miss Muir Beach and Muir Overlook--5 minutes from Muir Woods, and about 30 minutes from SF.

Just got back and loved SF and the surrounding areas. We found very inexpensive motels w/free parking on Hotwire and Priceline.

If you're on a budget, make sure that your hotel includes parking. Some hotels charge as much as $60 just to park overnight.

Lawrence Hall of Science above the UC Berkeley campus is a great place to hang out with kids.

If you enjoy visiting college campuses, as my DH does, Berkeley and Stanford are outstanding.

A three year old is really too young for the Exploratorium, but the perfect age for the Bay Area Discovery Museum that's tucked under the Marin side of the GG bridge. Great views for the parents too. http://www.baykidsmuseum.org/

Fooey - lost another post getting this webpage. Anyhow - in addtion to driving on part of the 49? mile scenic drive around SF - you might also take a Ferry over to Sausalito - for a great view of the Bay, Golden Gate Bridge and SF Skyline.

And perhaps the biggest attraction of all is Golden Gate Park - and the young one might enjoy seeing the Bison/Buffalo (if they are still there) down by the beach - and in the middle of the park are Museums, Zoo, the Japanese Tea Garden, whatnot. http://www.golden-gate-park.com/

My Bad: Guess the Zoo moved years ago? see: http://www.sfzoo.org/plan-directions

And here is another page on Golden Gate Park. We used to love to go to the huge park - to walk around, tour the museums, ride bikes - and play frisbee, touch football, tennis, softball and also Rugby. It's what - 50 blocks long?

http://www.sfgate.com/neighborhoods/sf/goldengatepark/

And how many San Franciscans remember Fleishhacker Pool, billed as the largest in the world? Over a quarter of a mile long.

I can remember as kids in the mid-50's - swimming there (really more like wading?) - and thinking - this is really, really big.

Now it's a parking lot and an abandoned building? http://www.terrastories.com/bearings...-san-francisco

http://tinyurl.com/cm4al4k