kdckm

Need help master planning a family trip to California for 7-10 days.
Will be traveling with our two kids (ages 9 and 12).
Would like to start at the top of CA and work our way down the coastline.

From the surfing I've done, it seems like there are plenty of choice places to visit, so I am seeking advice on top picks for our family to create a special trip.( I've been to Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Napa and nearby. Loved them all!)

Now would like to share the CA experience with our kids and need some brainstorm advice to make it an exciting and engaging trip for all! We would fly to a start point in CA (suggest pls) and then drive (if you think that's wise) to tour points, and then fly out at the end point of a 7-10 day trip. We love northern and southern CA so we are open to ideas!
Would travel during summer due to school demands, any month possible June/July/August.

Thanks in advance for any help or inspiration! Happy travels to all!!

tracys2cents

I'm thinking...

Point Lobos State Park just south of Carmel

The Science Center/ Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles...also the Wild West Museum and a sunset visit to Griffith Observatory

The Wild Animal/Safari Park in Escondido

June will probably get you slightly better room rates and availability. Try to fit Los Angeles into a Sat/Sun when traffic is quite a bit easier.

Check one-way car rental rates as going south to north is sometimes half the price, other times it is the opposite.

Plug CALIFORNIA KIDS into the forum search box above and lots of previous information will magically appear giving you a whole afternoon of reading.

spirobulldog

Fly into San Francisco- spend a couple of days there. See Chinatown, Ride Trolley Cars, maybe a Segway Tour. Drive to Yosemite(my favorite spot that I have ever been to). Spend 2-4 days there. See the Giant Sequoias, hike, see the Yosemite Valley. Then backtrack and drive down the coast visiting Big Sur, Monterey, Channel Islands. From there you could hit Disneyland or drive further to San Diego and do Legoland, Zoo, etc. This would work well in June.

For August
Consider starting out in San Fran, work you way up the coast to Redwoods National Park and Lassen Volcano National Park.

For July, you could fly into La and many options there, perhaps drive over to Sequioa National Park and then down to San Diego.


Personally I had rather spend quality time in just 2 or 3 spots than driving all over the place.
I would probably tend to just go to just 1 major city and then a national park in that time span.

Lodging in National Parks are very hard to come by, especially Yosemite. You have to book those a year in advance to get exactly what you want. You probably still have some options left. Your kids would probably think the tent cabins in Yosemite would be fun. Those tend to fill up last and are the least expensive.

tracys2cents

I think it's way too late to get anything in Yosemite for this summer, but you could check daily for cancellations I suppose.

mlgb

Yosemite still has plenty of availability at Camp Curry tent cabins..kids that age will love them. Book now and then plan the rest of the trip around that.

Asilomar might work well in the Monterey Bay area. Point Lobos is a must see.


www.visitasilomar.com
http://www.yosemitepark.com/Accommod...ngDetails.aspx

montereybob

Highway 1 is currently closed 12 miles south of Carmel due to a landslide. The current estimate is 2-3 weeks until it opens again. This is not an unusual occurance so always check on these issues before proceeding down Hwy 1 through the Big Sur area.
For your kids, I would highly recommend the Monterey Bay Aquarium as well as San Diego's Sea World. Also, the Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park in Santa Cruz.