My wife and I will be taking my 2 year old daughter to the San Francisco area for summer vacation in June (5-12), for some sightseeing. This is our first trip to the area and we want to see as much as we can without running ourselves into the ground.

Please help me build the following intenirary:

Sat: Arrive Oakland 1 PM
Plan to Stay in SanFran (Any Lodging suggestions? Is it worth trying Priceline in SanFran? How is the Columbus Motor Inn?)

Sun: SanFran sightseeing, Chinatown, wharf

Mon: Alcatraz, more sightseeing.

Tues: Open

Wed: Open

Thurs: Open

Friday: Open, but plan to stay at Oakland Holiday Inn Express Airport Fri nite.

Saturday: Depart at 6:20 AM

We would like to visit some wineries, which I assume will take one of the days, Monterey, Yosemite, and Tahoe have also peaked our interest, but we realize we may only be able to see one of these along with the wineries. Please help me add some meat to my schedule on Tuesday, Wed, Thursday, and arriving sometime in the later afternoon back to Oakland on Friday. Keep in mind we have a 2 year old, and long hikes are not an option, so I'm not sure if a day in Yosemite is worth it yet? Is it still nice to drive through? Would you pick Yosemite over Monterey area if you had a 2 year old, or is there a way to do both during my open days?

Any thoughts on what to see to make this flow good in the 7 days would be great.

Thanks,
RW

I don't have much to add, I just hate it when posts go unanswered!

I would combine the Alcatraz day with the wharf sight seeing day as the boat to Alcatraz leaved from that general area. I would also plan to walk thru Ghiridelli (sp?) square that day if you
are so inclined.
As for San Fran, I would plan to combine the China Town area with North Beach and also don't miss Lombard street (the crooked street). Union square could take some time if you wanted it too.
How about renting a car and driving over to Saucilito and the Muir woods one day. There is a short walking loop that would be appropriate for a young child (coming from a childless person).

As for wine country or Monterey I think expecting to do both is just too much! Choose one or the other. You may even want to spend one of those nights in wine country. Napa or Sonoma is about an hour from San Fran (plus you get to go over the golden gate bridge) IMO, Napa would be more kid friendly.

As for using Priceline, after you check to be sure you can live with their rules (I don't know what they might be regarding cribs or extra beds) I think you should be able to get a great deal! We went to San Fran last summer using priceline for a hotel and paid about $45 per night for a priceline 4*.
Good luck! and have a great time.

Agree with Marci that both Monterey and the wine country would be lots of travel, as they are in opposite directions from each other. Monterey is about 2 hours from San F. You could spend the night there. It is lovely and the Aquarium is very nice, which might interest a 2 year old more than the wind country (although, I've not been to Napa, just Sonoma.)

There was once a great thread on Fodor's about kid-oriented activities in SF, but it was probably deleted thanks to the SJ Weirdo, as usual, lol.

Some things that come to mind are:

Exploratorium in the Palace of Fine Arts complex -- hands-on, fun-filled science exhibits for kids of all ages.

Aquarium and Golden Gate Park -- watch feeding time at the penguin exhibit, buy a kite from a vendor and fly it in the park, run around, have fun.

Pier 39 - outdoor shopping area where the seals are usually lolling on the piers, and there are lots of street performers, magicians, and so on to keep you entertained.

Your toddler may enjoy a beach/seashell day (Half Moon Bay area?) or seeing the otters and the beautiful aquarium in Monterey.

Yosemite is always a fun experience, even if you don't hike. The views are enough. If your daughter travels easily, a drive there and back may be worth it for the scenery, IMO. Lake Tahoe is scenic, but lots of casino gambling there and the lake is far too cold for swimming.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but all the other adults at the famous Napa area wineries will really thank you for not bringing your two year old. It's an adult activity and is meant to be enjoyed by adults. There are some nice places to picnic, but please, don't attempt to tour the wineries with a toddler in tow.

Have a fun time.

With 3 days open I definitely suggest sidetrips to both Monterey and San Jose as there is alot to do in both places for a little one. In the Monterey Bay Area (www.monterey.com) the aquarium, Fisherman's Wharf, and Point Lobos are nice to see.

In San Jose (www.sanjose.org) I'd suggest the the Children's Discovery Museum, The Tech Museum, as well as Kelley Park which has the Japanese Gardens and the Happy Hollow Petting Zoo. Fedding the Koi fish at the Japanese Gardens is fun with the toddler.

Have a great trip.

Speak of the devil, eh? And I see the devil has yet another new name - but still promoting the same old SJ sites, lol.

Forgot all about Santa Cruz Boardwalk until I saw it mentioned on another thread. The boardwalk area itself is geared for older kids, but the beach is nice there.

San Francisco alert: aquarium at the Golden Gate park questionmotives mentioned, or Science Museum, is closed now as of 01/01/04 for remodeling or rebuilding, if I remember correctly it's scheduled to open in 2008. The animals will be moved to a location on Howard Street, South of Market area. Not sure if everything will be displayed in one location. There is more on their website.

There is some kind of aquarium in the Fishermen's area, pier 39.

I would choose SF and 1 side trip - Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, or Monterey. Sat-Mon in SF, then Tue-Thur in another place, fly home Fri.

The drive to Yosemite is about 4 hours from SF. It's an absolutely beautiful place and part of the drive in scenic. Same goes for Lake Tahoe. If you choose Yosemite or Lake Tahoe, definitely plan to spend at least 1 night, preferably 2 since the drive is long.

For Yosemite, try to stay in the valley to make maximum use of your time and make your reservations soon.

At Lake Tahoe, southshore is centered around casinos, esspecially right there at Stateline. North and west shores are quite different. West shore is pretty quiet and very laid back.

Monterey is another great option. It's about 2-2.5 hours from SF, longer if you stop along the way and there are plenty of places to stop and things to see.

I second the recommendation not to take a 2 year old to the wineries. It's really not a destination for kids and a lot of people go to the wine country for romantic trips to escape their own kids - LOL.

The aquarium at Pier 39 is pretty cool. It's not very large, but it does have a tunnel which goes under a couple tanks. That's pretty interesting.

Your two year old would like the aquarium in Monterey. My kids loved watching the sea otters forever in there when they were that age. There's also the beach and so many fun things to do there. The wharf has fun boat rides in Monterey and all the fun candy shops there.

I would save the Napa/wineries for another time without the kids. We have used this area as our special romantic getaway for the past five years. There used to be a really cool carousel in Monterey at Cannery Row but last time we were there it was shut down.

Of course, there is the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk that your two year old would love!! Weather would be wonderful in June for this. Have fun and cherish the travel memories with your little sweetie!! ***kim*** Take a lot of pictures, they grow up so fast!!!