After a four hour flight from Houston, we will be arriving in Oakland around noon time. The first leg of our trip will be to drive to the Monterey peninsula and stay for 2 nights and continue on to Yosemite (4 nights) and finally San Francisco (4 nights). I think we should grab lunch prior to the drive on the coast so my tween kids won't whine but where? Oakland, San Jose, etc. Are there some places to stop and eat prior to Monterey? Shall we take Hwy1 all the way down to Monterey or take the faster route to San Jose then drive via the coast to Monterey.
How much time will this take for each route provided we make some of the tourist stops?
Any recommendations for Monterey or Carmel when we arrive in the late afternoon. We wish to visit the Aquarium, 17 mile drive & Big Sur. Is doing all of these on Day 2 too much. Haven't decided if we will stay in Carmel, Pacific Grove or Monterey yet.

I'd say feed the kids first. The Hwy 1 route while beautiful is quite winding and takes much longer as a route than 101. It will take you somewhere in the neighborhood of two-three hours to get to Monterey from Oakland. Commute traffic can be a bear through San Jose so keep that in mind when calculating travel time. Once you hit the Monterey Penninsula you will have great views of the coast. I think everything you have planned for day 2 is too much. I'd stick with the Aquarium(which will take at least 2 hours) and maybe 17 mile drive. If you tack on Big Sur that is alot of car time and even more car time with kids. I suggest you check out Point Lobos State Park. This is on HWY 1 near Carmel. There are many easy shorepaths to travel. There are tide pools and beach side viewing of sea lions. The vistas are stunning. There is also a whalers' cabin which provides a small idea of the industry and the point in days gone by. Your kids might welcome the chance to move around after a plane flight and car ride. In Monterey I would also suggest you take a walk around Fishermens' Wharf. Your kids will sea the seals and sea lions lounging about the docks and barking their heads off. For dinner in Monterey and a spot that will please both kids and parents alike, I recommend the Monterey Fish House. It's a local place, pretty casual and has fresh fish cooked a multitude of ways. If you don't see what you want cooked how you want it..just ask them. You might also want to walk around the old houses/fort by the wharf. There is usually an organ grinder playing there with a monkey dressed as you might expect. Kids can watch this for hours! Enjoy..it's all very beautiful.

If you're doing Big Sur anyway, AND if you aren't golfers, you can safely cross 17 mile drive off your list. Big waste of time, IMO.

I second the suggestion above to try to fit in Point Lobos State Park. Your kids will enjoy it.

I agree with Pam. I would make sure to get through San Jose as early as possible as commute traffic starts about 3. Figure it will be 1:30 by the time you get your rental car. It will take you at least til 2:30 to get through San Jose.

Point Lobos is one of my favorite places on earth and you would do well to use your time there rather than Big Sur. You'll find some of the same type of environments in Point Lobos. I like to take the perimeter walk, a 6 mile ring which will take you through cypress groves, deciduous forests, along coves with sea otters frolicking, past the Whaler's cabin, up a hill with a 360 degree view, on sealion islands and to some very cool tide pools. Park outside and walk in, turning right at the first trail by the pay station. http://pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us/

After, go a bit further south to Rocky Point and have a drink and shrimp cocktail outside overlooking the ocean. Another fun thing to do is to stop at the Inn at Spanish Bay and have a sunset drink waiting for the bagpiper to come across the 18th Green.

You will have so much fun!

Roosterlady:

There really isn't much in the way of places to eat around Oakland airport, it's a pretty industrial neighborhood. Most of the places in Oakland that would be fun are in the opposite direction and will add and hour of travel by the time you add in coming and going and finding parking.

Fast food is sort of the only real option for that area.

In terms of getting down to Monterey, you have about 3 options.

1 - Head south on 880, take the San Mateo Bridge, cross the bay, continue to take highway 92 all the way across to half Moon Bay, journey down the coast from there. This is the most scenic, most time consuming route.

2 Head south on 880, take the San Mateo Bridge and continue on to Highway 280. Take 280 to San Jose, take Highway 17 to Santa Cruz, follow the coast from Santa Cruz to Monterey. This is probably the fastest route.

3 - Take 880 all the way south to San Jose, and then take 17 to Santa Cruz. This would be the least scenic route, you get to see the most sprawling aspects of the bay area in all it's most industrial low rise splendor.

One word of caution, depending on what time you leave Oakland airport, I'm guessing about 1pm after dealing with baggage & rental car, it'll take about 45 minutes to get to San Jose. If you spend more than 2 hours in San Jose you will find yourself mired in traffic (if you are travelling on a weekday) as you try to leave for Santa Cruz.

Hi. One lunch option you might consider for the tweens is a California-only fast food treat - In n Out Burger. Yum! They make the best burgers. Seriously, McDonald's has nothing on this place. In n Out has migrated up from southern California fairly recently, so people often go out of their way to eat here and you may encounter long lines. There is one along Hwy. 101 in Mountain View, if you head over the San Mateo Bridge. While it may not be worthwhile for mere fast food, you could alter BayArea's excellent option 2, to head down to San Jose via the 101 instead of the 280. The 101 is more prone to traffic than the 280, but should be fine during early afternoon. Enjoy your trip.

Thanks for all the excellent tips. We don't like golf so we'll skip the 17-mile drive and do the state park instead. I forgot to mention we will be arriving on a Saturday. Is there heavy traffic on weekends in San Jose?

The best option would be to take 880 into San Jose where it changes to Highway 17 and exit 280 south to 87 north and grab lunch in downtown SJ. After you leave the San Jose area there are not many other places where you can stop to eat. Assuming you leave Oakland by 1:30, you should get into the city by 2:30PM. If you leave by SJ by 4:00 you should be pkay with the traffic. From SJ you could either take 17 south to Highway 1 south or the less scenic slightly faster option is 101 south to 156 to Highway 1. Plan on about 2 hrs. to get to Monterey from San Jose.

I think that if you can, spend another day in Monterey. There is too much on the agenda for Day 2.

Roosterlady,

Traffic in San Jose on a Saturday will not be as bad as a weekday, however in a major city you always have to contend with it to some degree or another. If you should stop there for lunch, by the time you leave the city most of the traffic will be heading inbound on a weekend late afternoon/evening. Since you are arriving on a Saturday, I would suggest taking the scenic route (17 to route 1) instead of 101/156/1.

Hearst Castle would be worthwhile to visit if you have not considered it. It is necessary to book tickets in advance.
www.hearst-castle.org

Have a great trip.

If your kids are dying of hunger about a half-hour after you leave the airport, you'll be very close to an In-n-Out Burger south on the 880 in Milpitas at the junction with the 237 in a shopping center called McCarthy Park, on the right hand side of the freeway. Definitely stop! It's a California institution, delicious burgers (ask for grilled onions), shakes and fries. You'll probably see them in various places during your travels, but this is a good spot for a quick stop if the kids are starving.

Spike, I'm adding this place to my list of stops. Thanks a bunch! I was really looking for something quick and good and this meets the criteria. We'll have plenty of time later to do the long sit down meals. My objective is to get to destination A and enjoy it before sun down.

This is the absolute best travel forum I've ever participated in. All of yall are great people!

Another vote for a stop at In 'n Out (we call it IOB at our house) for the kids and parents alike. A California treat. In addition to great hamburger, you can get a veggie burger (without the burger) or a protein burger ( without the bun, wrapped in lettuce instead). Can't believe I'm typing this--I don't even like hamburgers, but this chain is special! Unfortunately, my cholesterol level only permits about one per year.

Another absolutely yes vote for In and Out Burgers..it's a great suggestion. Don't forget to get some fries..their fresh,hand cut and yummy..their shakes are pretty good too. You can drive through or go in and sit down to eat.
They have a semi retro look about them.

Spike has an excellent suggestion for In n Out. Here's a link to the code words for ordering: http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/sleuth/sleuth2a.htm

If your kids like the crispy fries have them order the fries "well done" otherwise they are pretty limp.

In and Out is nothing special. I do'nt understand what all the hype is about. Their hamburgers are about the greasest I have ever had and also quite small. Makes McDonald's look like health food.

Do yourself a favor and skip In and Out.
We ordered 2 hamburgers, 2 cheeseburgers and 4 regular fries and drinks. The burgers were nothing special. About what you could get at other fast food joints. The French fries sucked the big nasty. They tasted as if they had been cooked for half the amount of time they should have. They were soggy, not even browned. Yuck!

Wow, looking at a couple of the other opinions on In-n-Out, I'm wondering if I just ate at the two horrible restaurants in the chain.
The first thing I'll tell you is why--these were the GREASIEST burgers I've EVER had, after waiting 20 minutes for my order. The little piece of paper they wrap them in was soaked through, and
pretty much tore in half as I tried to peel it off. So then, my grease-ball of a burger fell out of my hand and back into its box, due to the bun being so soaked.
I looked like I'd just finished off a full order of ribs when I was done, rather than two double-burgers. My face was covered with ketchup, and the only
reason was that I'd used all my napkins back when I tried to finish the first burger. After that, I just gave up until the second one was done. I probably
needed a full car wash to get all the grease and ketchup off my hands and face.
Now for the kicker. Thinking that I just had a bad experience once, I reluctantly gave in and went a second time for another burger at a different place in
Vegas (that's where these two were located). Dumb, dumb, DUMB me. Same problems.
But hey, at least I didn't have to spend all day trying to decided what to eat from their menu!
Oh, their staff was pretty friendly, and the place was much cleaner than I would have though. Now, if only there was a way to clean up this burger. Also there are no kids meals on the menu.

Actually, if you want that same fresh tasting hamburger but with better flavor and seasoning, head over to Johnny Rockets. I have found Johnny Rockets to
use all fresh ingredients just like In-N-Out from the tomato and lettuce to the bun. It's just that the Johnny Rockets hamburger and their fries are extremely well-seasoned, better than In-N-Out's fresh but bland food. Johnny Rocket's does this whole thing much better, and gives you 50's rock-n-roll tunes for a nickel while you wait.

Just when you thought you had the problem solved..also..if your kids are really hungry there are places in the Oakland Airport to eat..knowing what tween kids sound like when they whine..I'd say go for the easiest option
(and the tweens I know like In and OUt).

Round table pizza is in the airport and I thing, 360 burritos. So if you are leaning toward fast food, you might want to just eat at the airport. It sounds like you have everything already set up, but it might have made more sense to do Yosemite, then Monterey, then SF for less zig-zagging across the state. That said I love Yosemite and have another visit planned myself next month.

Originally Yosemite was intended for the first leg of the trip then Monterey and finally San Francisco but the more I thought about it I felt it would have been a total wasted day driving and not seeing anything spectacular along the way since we would be arriving around 5pm too late to do any hikes and didn't want to do yet more driving in the park. Visiting Monterey on the arrival date would at least give us something to see and do in the evening.

I'm having second thoughts about the greasy burgers. Last thing I want is heartburn during the scenic drive. LOL