We are planning a trip to San Francisco with our 5 yo son. We are planning to spend 3 days in SF (staying with friends in Palo Alto, actually) and 3 days in Monterey/Carmel area (staying in the InterContinental in Monterey). We have previously been to SF so we want to center this trip on what would be of interest to our son. He is a well travelled kid (we lived in UK for a few years and took him on trips quite a bit with us) and he is excited about this trip. He is looking forward to seeing the Golden Gate bridge and riding a trolley car. We'd love to take him to the Muir woods and to spend an afternoon at the Golden Gate Park. In Monterey, we are obviously going to the aquarium. What else is not to miss that would be of interest to him? Would very much appreciate any suggestions.
Thank you!

In SF, the Exploratorium.

In Monterey there is place that young kids love called Dennis the Menace Park. They love climbing up, down, over, and through all the giant interactive play equipment.
Kids, of course, also love the beaches and tide pools in Monterey and Pacific Grove. They also like to take a family pedal surrey ride along the coastal recreation trail that goes along the rocky coastline in Pacific Grove.

There are many activities that Monterey has to offer for your son as well as your family!

-MY Museum, the Monterey County Youth Museum, all the activities are perfect for young children.

http://www.mymuseum.org

-Point Lobos State Natural Reserve in Carmel is a short drive from Monterey and is home to sea lions, harbor seals, elephant seals, sea otters, also is a year-round stopping point for orcas. If your feeling up to hiking there are trails ranging from easy to challenging.

http://www.pointlobos.org/

-Taking a road trip to Big Sur to enjoy hiking and nature. It is about an hours drive down highway 1, along the coast. Pfeiffer Big Sur and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Parks, both have short, easy trails which is good for hiking with a small child.

http://www.seemonterey.com/big-sur-california

-Whale Watching is always a fun activity for all ages. In the Monterey Bay, you can see Grey Whales, Risso’s dolphins and Dall’s porpoises.

http://www.seemonterey.com/tourist-a...whale-watching


Hope this helps! I work for the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau, so it's my job to make sure you have a good time when you visit! If you have additional questions, please let me know.

I second Michael's vote for the Exploratorium in SF. It's great fun for all ages, including adults.

My daughter loved the Aquarium in Monterey, as well as the Dennis the Menace Park mentioned above. Have you considered stopping in Santa Cruz and spending 1/2 at the Boardwalk?

In Monterey you can take a short boat tour of the harbor - leaves from Fisherman's wharf and takes about a half hour, so just a short little jaunt. You get up close to the sea lions and harbor seals, maybe sea otters as well. The boat has a glass-bottom viewing portion so you can see some fish. The water isn't really clear in Monterey, so you can't see a lot through the bottom of the boat, but it is still neat.

There are longer boat trips, of course, but our nephews really liked this harbor tour.

ooooh, some great advice, marking for later