emme

We are planning a family trip in June to Lake Tahoe for 4 days and then San Fransisco for 4 days. We will have our 6 year old daughter with us. I would love to let her see those sequoia trees, how far is that? What do you recommend we all do? Thanks in advance! We are travelling from Mississippi, and will probably not make this trip again anytime soon.

janis

The best place to see redwoods on your itinerary would be in Muir Woods in Marin County north of SF. There are better stands - farther up the coast, in Big Basin near Santa Cruz, and places in central and southern sierras.

But Muir Woods is a beautiful park and easily accessible from San Francisco by car.

While you are up at Tahoe be sure to take a trip on the Tahoe Queen or Miss Dixie - they are paddle wheel boats that criss-cross the lake and offer wonderful views.

Also take the gondola from near the casinos at Stateline up to over 9,000 feet - you will be on top of the world. Take snacks up and have a picnic on benches looking out over hundreds of miles of Sierra scenery.

Up near Incline Village is the Ponderosa Ranch - sort of a tourist trap - but kids usually LOVE it with the horses, burros, gunfights etc.

Also check out the stream chamber - it is in a stat park on the south end of the lake and youu walk underground where the bank of a stream has been replaced by a glass wall and you can see the fish and plants in their natural state.

These are all good for kids but enjoyable for adults too . . .

utahtea

One of my favorite places to see the Giant Sequoia trees is Calaveras Big Trees State Park just a few miles from Arnold, California on Hwy 4 (Ebbits Pass) From Lake Tahoe take Hwy 50 to Hwy 89 to Hwy 4.

Utahtea

DuckFaceMcJones

I recommend a visit to Virginia City. It's a bit touristy, but the look and feel of the Old West make it worth the while. I don't know anyplace else where you can see a dress made of silver dollars, as well as a display of U.S. Grant's cigar butts. Being there made me want to go out prospecting for silver.

J_Correa

I like the idea of going to Calaveras State Park because you will see the trees and also have a chance to see a little more of the countryside.

I think that Roaring Camp in Felton is a good choice too. Your 6 year old will love the train ride through the woods. We've got kids in our family and it is a BIG hit with them.

Jocelyn_P

emme, I'd also print out this thread so you don't lose the information you have here. Sometimes the whole thread will be deleted.

Grasshopper

If you do make it in the neighborhood of Calevaras (probably the best example of Sequoia Gigantia in California) it would be worthwhile to go to Columbia. The small town is a restored gold rush town and is really interesting for adults and children.

KathrynT

The Tech museum is fun but I think a 6 year old might enjoy the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose or the smaller one in Sausalito more. My kids always love the SF Zoo and the low-key Japanese Tea Garden. If the weather is nice, a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge is memorable.

easytraveler

I was in Muir Woods this past weekend and highly recommend it for children as a relatively safe and easy walk/hike to see the redwoods. There were many kids and old people there and the trail is extremely well marked.

One of the appealing aspects about Muir Woods is the number of explanatory signs.

Another is the ease of access, about 20-30 minutes off a major highway.

When in San Francisco, the kids in our family, boys and girls, loved the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Even the girls, especially when they were young, were fascinated by the snakes and alligators. Many of the tiny snakes were hard to find in "natural" habitats and the kids delighted in pointing one out when it was spotted hidden somewhere behind the safety glass.

The gigantic pendulum is also a major draw and the penguins and fish in their tanks never cease to delight and amaze the little ones. The stuffed animals in the African Safari section allow the kids to get up really close to leopards, gorillas, and deer.

Another thing they loved was having the largest ice cream, the "Earthquake", served in the Chocolate Factory in Ghirardelli Square (near Fisherman's Wharf). For about $20 you get a huge mound of various scoops of ice cream liberally dusted with chocolate chips, fudge, cream, cherries, and tiny chocolate streetcars. Even when in college, our kids want to take their friends to have an "earthquake"!

Well, have fun! And see if you survive the "earthquake" - LOL!

J_Correa

Just a note on the Academy of Sciences - I believe it has been temporarily moved downtown or someplace so that the building can be remodeled. I don't know the details, just remember hearing something on the news about it.

easytraveler

J.Correa is correct. The Academy will reopen in May, 2004 at 875 Howard Street in downtown SF. It'll reopen in Golden Gate Park in 2008.

If you do go to the downtown location, then visit the Metreon (4th and Mission), which has the topmost floor dedicated to small children. Dine at Lulu's which is also on Howard and will not be too far from the relocated Academy. Great pizza and roast chicken!

The hotel to stay at in that area is the Marriott (also on 4th and Mission) - a gigantic place with so many elevators you wouldn't be able to find your way out - Lo! If you can find your way around the various elevators, go up to the "View" floor - for the gorgeous - view (what else!). This weekend when we were up there, some kids came and adopted us since we had the window seats right in the middle of the spectacular mid-arch area. We almost adopted them too! Cute kids!

designwright

I love the hike to Eagle Lake right above Emerald Cove. It's not too far but you feel as though you've accomplished something and can thoroughly enjoy that beer with dinner. Also, when you are up there, you can go for a swim in the specatacular lake.

Lexma90

When our son was 5 we visited San Francisco. He enjoyed Lombard St. (his choice - don't ask me why), a cable car ride (of course), a boat trip in the bay (but not Alcatraz, as we also had a baby with us), a dim sum meal at Yank Sing, Pier 39 (as much as I disliked it), the sea lions near Pier 39, the old sailing ships and submarine near there, eating crab at Fisherman's Wharf, and a fire engine tour/ride (see http://www.fireenginetours.com/).

sfmvca

A couple of attractions my kids really liked in San Francisco were the Pompanito WWII submarine berthed at Fisherman's Wharf, the Discovery Museum in Sausalito, and the IMAX theater at the Metreon.