Two couples will be visiting San Francisco, Tahoe, Yosemite, Kings Canyon/Sequoia. Monterey and Santa Cruz in June. Are the following sights worth the time & money. Ponderosa Ranch, Truckee, boat ride on the Tahoe Lake, 17 mile Drive, Hearst Castle, Monterey Bay Aquarium. Has anyone eaten at the Shadowbrook near Santa Cruz? Thanks in advance for youe input.

Yes to Hearst Castle, Seventeen Mile Drive, and Monterey Bay Aquarium. No to Ponderosa Ranch unless you're a big fan of the Bonanza show.

Agree with Paul's advice although if I were a first time visitor I think a boat tour on Tahoe is obligatory. It is an opportunity to see another side of Tahoe (besides gambling).

We have eaten at Shadowbrook a couple times.The place is beautiful when the gardens are blooming. I enjoyed the warmth of the bar area more than the eating area The food is o.k..Standard fare.We still go there because we love the hillavator and there just are not that many other good choices for a special night out.

If you're coming to Monterey and want to drive Big Sur to Hearst Castle, I wouldn't bother with the 17 mile drive (although it's a $7.75 per car charge which is rebated if you stop and have a meal at one of the places on the route---suggest Spyglass which has a very nice restaurant for lunch.) Instead, I would recommend stopping at Pt. Lobos St. Park just south of Carmel before you begin your drive down Hwy 1. The Monterey Aquarium is great but if you have a good aquarium near your home and aren't particularly interested in Monterey Bay, then you might want to give it a pass. Ponderosa Ranch, Truckee and a boat ride on Tahoe I would personally take a pass on. Santa Cruz is not known as a gourmet restaurant type place, but probably the best food can be found at Chaminade, which is a resort off Rt. 17 near Soquel Ave. A very popular place is Hobee's, but it's certainly not grand! Santa Cruz is "Surf City" and not very chi-chi.

There are some really nice restaurants in the Santa Cruz area, if not in Santa Cruz proper; the above posters are just not aware of them!. You need to head to Aptos (about a 25 minute drive from downtown Santa Cruz), where Chez Renee, the Veranda, and Bittersweet Bistro all have very good food in very nice atmospheres. (Bittersweet Bistro has a web site, too-www.bittersweetbistro.com) Chaminade is alright, but really only worth the money for Sunday brunch IMO. I don't think Shadowbrook is worth it, but food quality is important to me. Hobee's? It's just a mediocre chain, though not bad for breakfast. You can do much better in Santa Cruz for casual dining than that.

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