West Coast Suggestions
 

My wife and I would like to visit the West Coast and plan to spend 2 weeks but can not decide where to go. We will be traveling in September and enjoy small shops, scenery and sights of interest such as mansions, landmarks, etc. We would like to hear your suggestions as to what areas we should visit.

Thanks

slee: You have already posted this question and received a few replies. If you can't find your earlier threads - simply click on your name.

I'll try to help you out... I do understand that when you don't know an area, it is so very difficult to even know which direction your thinking/planning should take!

1. I've spent a great deal of time in San Francisco, but don't consider myself and expert. However, there are lots of things to do there, including seeing Alcatraz, riding the cable cars, shopping, visiting Pier 39, the Embarcadero. I know there are other things as well, but most of my time there is spent visiting with family.

2. Lake Tahoe seems as though it would be just what you are looking for. It is beautiful (although crowded during the tourist and ski seasons - Sept. shouldn't be too bad). You can ride the Heavenly gondola and get a beautiful "aerial" view of the lake. There are a number of historic mansions & sites there, including the Ehrman Mansion http://www.tahoecountry.com/oldtimetahoe/ehrman.html , Tallac Historic Site http://www.valhalla-tallac.com/ (this site is down right now, but should be up next month), Vikingsholm on Emerald Bay http://www.vikingsholm.org/. You can take a lake cruise http://www.tahoevacationguide.com/Ac...kecruises.html If you like to hike, there are plenty of trails, there are dedicated bike trails (something my husband and I really enjoy), if you like to gamble there are casinos on the Nevada side. Tahoe has beaches and beautiful scenery. You can also take a little side trip to the Nevada side of the mountains, where you will find Genoa which is a quaint little place. It has a nice little museum and a park paying tribute to the early Pioneers. There is also a railroad museum in the area.

3. The Carmel area has great shopping (small shops, many are unique). There is a mission in Carmel that you can visit, Monterey is just a very brief drive away, with the aquarium. I know there are more thing to do in the area, but they aren't rolling off the top of my head at the moment.

4. We also have wine country, a rugged and beautiful north coast, and an equally beautiful and(occasionally) rugged central coast with lots to do. All within a day's drive of San Francisco. Actually, wine country could be a day trip. Coastal trips should be overnighters (IMO).

If you post back with specific questions, I have no doubt that someone will help you with advice.

I hope I've been helpful in getting your thinking started. Please repost on this thread if you want more info. Good luck.

There is so much here, it is hard to decide what to see, but with 2 weeks, I would do something like this.

An open jaw type ticket, flying into LA or San Diego and flying out of SF - or visa versa. I would spend a little time in SD, a little time in LA, then head up the coast to Monterey, taking a couple days for that. Then head inland to Yosemite for a couple days, then head back to the coast and spend the remaining time in SF, taking a day trip to the wine country. That should just about use up your 2 weeks. This will give you a nice overview, some great scenery, some small towns and some cities.

If it is too rushed and you want to spend more time in each place, you can take something out - perhaps not go to San Diego, or do an entirely coastal vacation and not go inland to Yosemite.

I find the Eyewitness Travel Guides to be great for the first steps in planning a trip - plenty of pictures help me get an idea of where I want to go. These guides aren't particularly detailed, but I find them to be a great starting point. Then once I decide on basically where I am going to go, I look at more detailed resources. You might check your library for one of these guides. Here is the link to one of the guides so you can see what I am talking about:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/078...e&n=283155

Thanks for the info, it will make it a lot easier to pick our destination. We live in Atlanta and have no idea of where to begin.

I like the idea of flying into San Francisco, spending a week and then exploring the coast north... like mendocino, elk etc...

Or a week in SF and a week in Pacific Grove/Carmel. When you narrow it down, post back.

Each f these areas have lots of historical buildings, landmarks and as a bonus, some of the most beautiful CAlifornia coastline!