Our family is going to S.F. in mid-May, and our kids have put riding a cable car near the top of their "must-do" list (sigh). I'm not looking forward to standing in line for hours. Any suggestions for cutting down on the wait time? I know the Powell-Hyde is supposed to have the longest lines, but we may "have" to go on that one, since "The Cable Car and the Dragon" is a popular book in our house. I'm willing to get them up at 6 am, I think, to avoid lines!

Also, we're planning on going to Alcatraz and (separate day) the Exploratorium. Any better days for those? We have several week days and one weekend day; I'm assuming the Exploratorium would be better during the week.

And lastly, we're probably going to rent bikes and ride them to the Exploratorium (past Crissy Field, Fort Point, the wave organ, etc.), then on to Baker Beach. Any suggestions here? I have a list of restaurants in the area of the Exploratorium, but I'm thinking that, as we're biking, a picnic lunch would make more sense.

Thanks

To avoid the lines for the cable car: don't start at the beginning of the line at Powell and Market. Go to the Union Square station (It's only a couple of blocks away). Each cable car usually reserves a few spaces for people at the Union Square stop, which has a much shorter line.

Don't go any further, as the cable car will be filled and no one else will be allowed on at the stations past the first two, unless someone gets off (which isn't likely).

We just stayed in Union Square and after about 10am the cable cars were already full heading to the wharf.
Either start earlier at Powell/Market or take a bus to the wharf and the cable car back the other way!
Also, it's $3 per person for one cable car ride. Or $15 per (not sure about kids rates) for a 3 day unlimited pass. I'd recommend the pass.

Good for your kids, I say! We caught the cable car at the Aquatic Park turnaround as much as possible and, although the lineups sometimes looked daunting, we found they went pretty quickly. The ride up that hill is astounding and great fun. Try to secure a spot on the back platform at least once. If you have a pass you won't mind hopping off and on. That line goes by the crooked part of Lombard Street and also the Cable Car Museum. You don't have to spend a lot of time in the museum but it is fascinating, free (donation box) and well worth a visit.

While in the Aquatic Park area (could be done on your Alcatraz day), your kids might like to eat at Lori's Diner in Ghirardelli Square. Sit at a window seat and enjoy the view.

You didn't mention going to the Legion of Honor, but if you planned to show your kids some art and The Thinker statue, Tuesdays are free.

There is another, crossing line along California street, from Market/Embarcadero BART to Van Ness. And it goes trough the highest point at Powell/California too. You can take this one if you hate lines.

I was going to suggest what Faina did, that you ride the Califirnia line. I find that due to the steepness of California Street, it's a much more exciting ride. And I've never had to wait in line for that car, ever.

I'm ashamed to say I'm not sure which lines we rode but we rode twice last week and and there was no waiting midweek. I think it was the Powell Hyde. We caught it in Union Square and rode to the Wharf.

Are there usually waiting lines for the cable cars even when it's not summer? I was thinking mid May should be pretty good....

Thanks for the info re the cable cars. Maybe I'm being overly pessimistic, because I thought I recalled that on our last 2 trips to S.F. (withOUT kids), any time we walked past the beginning or ends of the lines (admittedly, we didn't do that very often), there were huge masses of people. I'm glad to hear things may be better than that.

Any info on the Exploratorium, bike rentals, etc?

The Exploratorium is fabulous with kids. If your kids are 7 or older I would recommend calling ahead of time to see if you can get tickets to the Tactile Dome. It's an amazing experience but they don't let smaller children do it. You go through an area completely in the dark, you get to go thruogh several times, the first time it's pretty weird and you tend to go through quickly on subsequent times you can try to "find" the things they tell you are inside. Really cool. It sells out though which is why reservations are recommended. It's a bit more than the regular admission, but well worth it. Exploratorium is closed on Mondays. But go mid-week to avoid lines. The great thing is there are so many wonderful exhibits you can move from thing to thing avoiding lines. The outside setting is on a pond with ducks and great for a picnic lunch. Have fun. May is a great month in SF. Don't know about renting bikes, but there are lots of places in the Fisherman's Wharf area and your hotel can probably help you.