San Francisco and Monterey with toddler
Aug 27th, 2002 | 08:08 AM
#1
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San Francisco and Monterey with toddler
Hi all,
Firstly thanks for all of the info I have read about this area, it has helped quite a bit in making my itinerary.
We are travelling (me, DH, 1 1/2 year old) to CA in late Sept/early Oct, staying in SF for 4 nights (Orchard Hotel) and Monterey for 4 nights (Hotel Pacific), flying into SFO and out of SJC. My questions are:
- Any other suggestions on things to do with young kids besides the aquarium in Monterey? Also kid friendly but upscale restaurants in SF/Monterey?
- Would like to drive a bit down Big Sur while staying in Monterey but don't want to be in the car too long...is there a good point to drive to, stop for a bite/hike and turn around?
- DH is dying to golf at PB but from what I hear (and what they told me) it is almost impossible to get a tee time. Any insider info on how to get a tee time or another PB-esque course to play?
- Any other advice?
Thanks very much!
WendyN
Firstly thanks for all of the info I have read about this area, it has helped quite a bit in making my itinerary.
We are travelling (me, DH, 1 1/2 year old) to CA in late Sept/early Oct, staying in SF for 4 nights (Orchard Hotel) and Monterey for 4 nights (Hotel Pacific), flying into SFO and out of SJC. My questions are:
- Any other suggestions on things to do with young kids besides the aquarium in Monterey? Also kid friendly but upscale restaurants in SF/Monterey?
- Would like to drive a bit down Big Sur while staying in Monterey but don't want to be in the car too long...is there a good point to drive to, stop for a bite/hike and turn around?
- DH is dying to golf at PB but from what I hear (and what they told me) it is almost impossible to get a tee time. Any insider info on how to get a tee time or another PB-esque course to play?
- Any other advice?
Thanks very much!
WendyN
Aug 27th, 2002 | 09:27 AM
#2
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Wendy,
In the Santa Cruz Mountains off of Highway 17 in the town of Felton, The Roaring Camp Railroad www.roaringcamp.com which is a steam train tour through the redwoods, is fun for both adults and children. For your little one, I would also recommend the Children's Discovery Museum www.cdm.org in Downtown San Jose www.sanjose.org as well as the Happy Hollow Park and Zoo www.happyhollowparkandzoo.org which is a petting zoo in Kelley Park, south of Downtown. The Tech Museum of Innovation www.thetech.org also downtown, would be another worthwhile attraction good for both adults and kids. If you are leaving San Jose on a morning flight, especially on a weekday morning, I would recommend that you stay in San Jose the night before your flight. Traffic heading into the city from either 101 or 17 will be a nightmare in the morning from Monterey. It will take about 2.5-3 hours.
Downtown San Jose has many nice places to stay and is only about 5 miles from the airport. San Pedro Square in downtown has a number of great eateries.
www.sanpedrosquare.com
Have a great trip.
In the Santa Cruz Mountains off of Highway 17 in the town of Felton, The Roaring Camp Railroad www.roaringcamp.com which is a steam train tour through the redwoods, is fun for both adults and children. For your little one, I would also recommend the Children's Discovery Museum www.cdm.org in Downtown San Jose www.sanjose.org as well as the Happy Hollow Park and Zoo www.happyhollowparkandzoo.org which is a petting zoo in Kelley Park, south of Downtown. The Tech Museum of Innovation www.thetech.org also downtown, would be another worthwhile attraction good for both adults and kids. If you are leaving San Jose on a morning flight, especially on a weekday morning, I would recommend that you stay in San Jose the night before your flight. Traffic heading into the city from either 101 or 17 will be a nightmare in the morning from Monterey. It will take about 2.5-3 hours.
Downtown San Jose has many nice places to stay and is only about 5 miles from the airport. San Pedro Square in downtown has a number of great eateries.
www.sanpedrosquare.com
Have a great trip.
Aug 27th, 2002 | 09:42 AM
#3
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Wendy,
Sounds like a great trip. We used to live in the Bay Area when our first two were little (now 12 and 10).
In SF, Golden Gate Park and the Zoo are both good for toddlers.
In SJ, I'd second (highly) Happy Hollow. In addition to the little zoo there are great rides for the little ones and a lot of shade.
In Monterrey, the Hotel Pacific will be great. You can walk to the Monterrey pier and watch the pelicans and gulls. There are also some sandy areas with rocks for climbing and you can watch the scuba divers get in their gear. You should rent a trolley-style bike and figure to spend a couple of hours on it.
As far as restaurants, most are very kid friendly. Rio Grill in Carmel was upscale and fun and included crayons and paper tableclothes. Last time we went we sat next to Joe Montana and Huey Lewis - very cool.
Cafe Nepenthe (sp?) is where you'll want to stop, look around and eat in Big Sur.
Have a great trip,
Kevin
Sounds like a great trip. We used to live in the Bay Area when our first two were little (now 12 and 10).
In SF, Golden Gate Park and the Zoo are both good for toddlers.
In SJ, I'd second (highly) Happy Hollow. In addition to the little zoo there are great rides for the little ones and a lot of shade.
In Monterrey, the Hotel Pacific will be great. You can walk to the Monterrey pier and watch the pelicans and gulls. There are also some sandy areas with rocks for climbing and you can watch the scuba divers get in their gear. You should rent a trolley-style bike and figure to spend a couple of hours on it.
As far as restaurants, most are very kid friendly. Rio Grill in Carmel was upscale and fun and included crayons and paper tableclothes. Last time we went we sat next to Joe Montana and Huey Lewis - very cool.
Cafe Nepenthe (sp?) is where you'll want to stop, look around and eat in Big Sur.
Have a great trip,
Kevin
Aug 27th, 2002 | 09:45 AM
#4
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For Big Sur, I would suggest Point Lobos. It isn't actually in Big Sur, but it is a really beautiful park on the coast just south of Carmel so it's a fairly short drive. There are plenty of trails to wander around on and rocks for your toddler to climb on. And you will probably see some wildlife.
In Monterey, Denis the Menace park is fun for little kids. It's fairly close to the wharf area, so it is a good place to let your child run around and play and release some energy.
You might also consider a boat ride in the bay. There are several tour operators at Fisherman's Wharf. I would think that a 30-45 minute tour close to shore would be fun for a toddler because there are generally a lot of sea animals that hang around the rocks and kelp beds.
David's suggestions for Roaring Camp and San Jose are also good.
In Monterey, Denis the Menace park is fun for little kids. It's fairly close to the wharf area, so it is a good place to let your child run around and play and release some energy.
You might also consider a boat ride in the bay. There are several tour operators at Fisherman's Wharf. I would think that a 30-45 minute tour close to shore would be fun for a toddler because there are generally a lot of sea animals that hang around the rocks and kelp beds.
David's suggestions for Roaring Camp and San Jose are also good.
Aug 27th, 2002 | 09:47 AM
#5
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Hi Wendy,
Definitely hit the following with your toddler:
Denise the Menace playground in Monterey
Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose
Happy Hollow Park and Zoo in San Jose
(They are near enough to each other you can do both in the same day)
Roaring Camp in Felton, especially if you have a Thomas the Tank Engine fan.
Bonfante Gardens in Gilroy! Highly recommend this place, though it is at risk of closing it's doors due to low attendance. It is the sweetest park and right on your way from SF to Monterey, along the 156 West. Check the website to make sure it will be open when you are here. www.bonfantegardens.com.
Just playing on the beach on Monterey will probably occupy the good part of a day.
In SF, dim sum restaurants are fine with kids, noisy and lots of visual appeal to keep them occupied. Other places I've taken my little kids: Little Joe's in North Beach, R&G Lounge for Chinese, the Beach Chalet and Citizen Cake.
David's suggestion to stay in San Jose the night before you fly might be good, especially if you have an early flight.
Definitely hit the following with your toddler:
Denise the Menace playground in Monterey
Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose
Happy Hollow Park and Zoo in San Jose
(They are near enough to each other you can do both in the same day)
Roaring Camp in Felton, especially if you have a Thomas the Tank Engine fan.
Bonfante Gardens in Gilroy! Highly recommend this place, though it is at risk of closing it's doors due to low attendance. It is the sweetest park and right on your way from SF to Monterey, along the 156 West. Check the website to make sure it will be open when you are here. www.bonfantegardens.com.
Just playing on the beach on Monterey will probably occupy the good part of a day.
In SF, dim sum restaurants are fine with kids, noisy and lots of visual appeal to keep them occupied. Other places I've taken my little kids: Little Joe's in North Beach, R&G Lounge for Chinese, the Beach Chalet and Citizen Cake.
David's suggestion to stay in San Jose the night before you fly might be good, especially if you have an early flight.
Aug 27th, 2002 | 09:13 PM
#6
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About the golf: we were in this area a few weeks ago and my husband and son played a round at Pacific Grove Municipal Golf course. The course is often referred to as the "Poor man's Pebble Beach". Part of the course runs along the bay, and my guys enjoyed it very much. I don't have the website handy, but the link is through the city of Pacific Grove's website. Reservations can be made by phone about a week in advance. Clubs are availale for rental, but can't be reserved in advance. At $40, the club rental is more than the golf.
We stayed at the Hotel Pacific and loved it! Be sure and call them to request a courtyard room, as high up as possible--I've read some negative postings about the place from people who had rooms overlooking the street and were kept awake by street noise. With a toddler in tow, that would not be much fun! Have a wonderful time!
We stayed at the Hotel Pacific and loved it! Be sure and call them to request a courtyard room, as high up as possible--I've read some negative postings about the place from people who had rooms overlooking the street and were kept awake by street noise. With a toddler in tow, that would not be much fun! Have a wonderful time!
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May 6th, 2005 | 10:47 PM
#10
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skatterfly, why are you bumping a two and a half year old thread to the top just to make sure everyone knows you're planning to do the same trip? You already commented on the fact that you're doing it five months ago, and now you just bump it to the top to get a response like this?
May 7th, 2005 | 01:08 PM
#11
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Sequoia,
I think you've completely misinterpreted my intentions and are being a bit accusatory, don't you think? I would never top a post to "make sure everyone knows" I'm planning a trip. Especially not for a quick drive to Monterey. And especially when the trip was so 3 weeks ago.
But I do occasionally top older posts that I want to read or find easily (by being able to click on my profile)... since the search function here at Fodors can be a little wiggy from time to time.
I'm not exactly sure what happened with this one since I had already topped it a while ago. But I had been topping some posts about San Diego a few days ago, research for a future trip... all I can think is that I accidentally topped this one.
Hope you can forgive the error.
And god forbid you don't think I'm now bragging about possibly going to San Diego, too. Because, of course, here on a travel forum where people talk about there travel, I would think it's appropriate to talk about, well, um... travel.
~k
I think you've completely misinterpreted my intentions and are being a bit accusatory, don't you think? I would never top a post to "make sure everyone knows" I'm planning a trip. Especially not for a quick drive to Monterey. And especially when the trip was so 3 weeks ago.
But I do occasionally top older posts that I want to read or find easily (by being able to click on my profile)... since the search function here at Fodors can be a little wiggy from time to time.
I'm not exactly sure what happened with this one since I had already topped it a while ago. But I had been topping some posts about San Diego a few days ago, research for a future trip... all I can think is that I accidentally topped this one.
Hope you can forgive the error.
And god forbid you don't think I'm now bragging about possibly going to San Diego, too. Because, of course, here on a travel forum where people talk about there travel, I would think it's appropriate to talk about, well, um... travel.
~k
