What are some great things to do with kids in San Francisco in early December?

Might depend on the age of the kids...

Cable car rides

Fire truck ride

Fisherman's Wharf

the Mint

Cable House

Alcatraz tour

Thanks for the suggestions. My son is 11. He's going to a football game on Sunday, but we have Friday evening and all day Saturday. Can you recommend any restaurants?

The exploratorium is a fun way to spend 1/2 a day for kids. It is at the Palace of Fine Arts which is very close to the northbound entrance of the Golden Gate Bridge

http://www.exploratorium.edu/

Golden Gate Park, years ago my kids loved the tea garden. Also take a ferry to Sausalito (sp?).

If the weather in nice, Angel Island is really great.

My kids (11, 14, 16) loved Alcatraz...get your tickets ahead on line. They also liked Chinatown, cable car ride, seals at Fisherman's wharf, Muir Woods.

My kids didn't think they'd like the Exploratorium, but they did. They really liked their tactile dome.

And yes, cable cars and alcatraz!

Kids really love the Alcatraz tour. It combines a boat ride on the bay complete with terrific views of the Golden Gate, with an outdoor experience on an island, and a tour of a creepy former prison. It will be chilly at that time of year so bring coats and be sure to make reservations as it's really popular. Rent the audio tour, as it has many fun details of attempted escapes, etc.

The Exploratorium is great fun for a bad weather day. It's one of the best hands-on science museums for kids in the country. Check out familytravelforum.com for more ideas for kids in SF - very helpful website that I write and blog for. I live in SF Bay area.

There is a tour on a real fire truck, remember to bring a camera, so your son can brag to his friends later

If the weather is good, maybe you want to take him to Muir Woods for an easy hike?

Also a drive to Telegraph Hill ot check out the views, and a drive down the crookedist street.

We spent three days in SF in August with our DD age 10 and DS age 12. Here are their top picks of the things we did:
Alcatraz tour
Cable Car rides
Ride down Filbert St. (it's the steepest grade in SF--about three blocks south of famous Lombard St.)

For eating, I might suggest the Tonga Room at the Fairmount HOtel. We went just for drinks and didn't tell the kids in advance about the lightning storm. They were wandering around looking at the set/dining area when all of a sudden it started to flash and rain. They thought they had done something wrong! Son just said the other day that he wished we had eaten dinner there so they could have enjoyed it more.

Great city--have a blast!

The Tonga Room is a great idea for drinks or dinner - it's super fun and is in the lower floor of the Fairmont hotel. If you have dinner you can often get better seats and be closer to the "rain storm." The dining area is more atmospheric than the bar area, which often has a sports game on its TV.

for kids - i would say the Mint, whale-watching boat trips, alcatraz prison tour, riding a cable car..
for more ideas of what to do there you can try this page http://www.tripcart.com/usa-regions/...nia-Coast.aspx
they have the different ideas pop up on the map..to bad they don't have driving directions as well.

I think enough people have suggested plenty of ideas of things to do (although I might add The Cartoon Museum) but here is a restaurant suggestion:

Buena Vista Cafe - the most san francisco place you will find along fisherman's wharf. Best for breakfast or brunch (omelets, eggs benedicts and french toast are tops). It is crowded and you seat yourself but you can't beat the atmosphere or the food.

If I think of some dinner places I will let you know.

Where should we stay?

What's your budget, and will you have a car to park?

around $300 or less per night, and I will have a car

Try the Cow Hollow Suites; they have free parking.

Lee Ann