San Francisco Thanksgiving
 

Hi all...i am going to be in SF this thanksgiving with my wife and 2 kids(11 &amp; 9).<BR><BR>we go everythanksgiving.. but this year i would like to try something we havent seen or done, and that the kids will enjoy.<BR><BR>things already done: golden gate,coit,alctraz,wharf,union squre,ghiradelli,china town, sony metreon, ice skating(yerba buena and embarcadero).<BR>dont get me wrong, we love this city, to us, its the best city in the world. we always enjoy ourselves here. just wanna try something new.<BR><BR>also, any nice Italian eateries in the italian part of town that brings back a little bit of Italy, and the kids can enjoy too?<BR><BR>spauge

A trip up to the Napa or Sonoma Valleys would be nice during Thanksgiving. There really no longer is an Italian part of town. It used to be in North Beach but basically now it is part of Chinatown. Much the same thing has occured in The City at Canal and Mulberry Streets.

Cirque de Soleil is in town. Maybe you can get tickets.

Musee Mechanique is great for kids. Would they like to spend a day at the zoo? Tea party for girls.

The Exploratorium is a fun science museum that kids love -- it's right near the Marina and close to the Golden Gate bridge. We've been having lovely weather -- Baker Beach is accessible by city bus, and Point Reyes National Seashore is a little over an hour's car ride away, and has lovely beaches and hikes (but can get windy and quite cool). Muir Woods can be fun if you haven't seen redwoods (but it can also get quite over-run with tourists, so you need to be prepared). Have fun!

Is it Baker Beach where nudists are allowed? Great fun for kids!

top it off

I second the Point Reyes Seashore plan. There are wonderful beaches and lenty of places to take easy hikes with kids.<BR>Stop in downtown Point Reyes Station for lunch or dinner at The Station House. It is a good place to take kids.<BR>The bigger hotels should be decorated for the holidays. You could take a cable car up to Nob Hill and circle about the htels or simply have tea at the Fairmont. If you want old Italy in North Beach I recommend Bocca Giovanni.

Re: Baker Beach -- <BR>Only a very small portion of the beach, way down to the right, is frequented by a few nudists. So few, and so far down to the right that I had forgotten about it (the rest of the beach is full of families and others, many of whom are unaware of the other part of the beach), but you're right to mention it. Remember, even when our weather is great, it's still usually pretty cool at the beach, so there aren't tons of people dying to take their clothes off. :-) Anyway, Pt. Reyes is, indeed, probably a better choice, but requires a car. Stinson Beach in Marin County is much closer than Pt. Reyes, is a very kid-friendly place, and is accessible by bus, but easier by car.

We love San Francisco too! If you have a car and are up for a day trip it is worth the drive to see Carmel, Monterey and the 17 Mile Drive which are located south of SF. Monterey has the Monterey Bay Aquarium but we haven't been there in years so don't know what it is like these days. Napa Valley is a great adventure but wouldn't be much fun for the kids. If you are in the Bay area in the summertime a day trip to Santa Cruz would be great fun for the kids. <BR>We will be spending one night in San Francisco in December. Can you suggest a decent priced hotel room within walking distance of the Wharf? Hope you have a great trip.

It seems that you have seen a lot of SF. There ae several day trips you can consider. The Wine Country (Napa and Sonoma Valleys), Monterey and Carmel including the Monterey Bay Aquarium and 17 Mile Drive, and also San Jose (www.sanjose.org) would be a nice day trip from SF. In San Jose some great places to go with the kids would be the Tech Museum of Innovation (www.thetech.org), the Children's Discovery Museum (www.cdm.org), the Winchester Mystery House (www.winchestermysteryhouse.com) and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum <BR>http://www.egyptianmuseum.org/<BR><BR>Have a great trip.

Definitely take the kids to the SF Museum of Natural History in Golden Gate park. It has a nice aquarium, a planetarium and a very interesting section on earthquakes. My nine year-old could have spent hours building lego buildings on a special platform that then simulates an earthquake -- is you building designed to withstand it? The Far Side gallery is a kick also.<BR><BR>You can also take a ferry to Angel Island and rent bikes to ride around the trails. There is a snack shop or you can bring a picnic lunch. <BR><BR>Dungeness crab season is in full swing and there is a glut of crabs so the prices are low. Be sure to get yourselves some.<BR><BR>If you are there on a Saturday check out the farmer's market in the Ferry Plaza at the foot of Market. There are a few restaurants that set up to serve breakfast and the variety of foods available are fun and interesting to see, lots of tastes available and you can pick up a few NorCal specialities, like local olive oils, jams, vinegars, etc.