You said you had narrowed your side trips down but wanted to include Yosemite. However, with really only 7 full days, going to Yosemite for a couple of days seems a little ambitious to me especially if you want to see any of the coast. I just spent 4 days in SF and Cambria and we didn't even begin to see everything. We didn't get to go to Alcatraz because the weather was bad but that's something your kids would really like. I took my 17 yr old daughter and her 18 yr old boyfriend so the kids are a comparable age. We also spent the night in Cambria on the way back to San Diego but ended up not doing Hearst Castle because of time constraints. We did stop for lunch in Carmel but couldn't drive through Big Sur as the road was closed due to rain.

I am sure some of it depends on whether your children are boys or girls and what their interests are but mine just loved going all around SF, shopping in Union Square and Nordstrom mall as mentioned previously. They also enjoyed Chinatown and Haight Ashbury for shopping.

By the time you arrive in SF on 3/19 and get settled in your hotel, you might have a couple of hours to look around and have dinner.

Sun-Tues Spend in SF and during that time could include a trip to Muir Woods and possibly Point Reyes. We got up early, drove over the Golden Gate Bridge stopping for the views. We had a good breakfast at Dipsea Cafe in Mill Valley then followed the road to Muir Woods. We were back in SF by early afternoon and went to Haight Ashbury on the way back into town. This will give you time to go to Alcatraz and all the tourist spots.

Wed - Drive to the Monterey/Carmel area going by way of Santa Cruz and spend the night there. Shop in Carmel or visit the tourist attractions in Monterey.

Thurs -Drive down to Cambria by way of Big Sur. That will take the better part of the day if you stop to see the sights-if your kids like hiking there are trails in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Spend the night in Cambria.

Friday - Visit Hearst Castle in the am and then drive back to SF via 101 in the afternoon. Spend the night in SF

Sat - Do last minute sightseeing in SF and get ready to return home.

As you can see, even without going to Yosemite this is a lot to do in 7 days. You could always stay in Big Sur instead of Cambria if you want to be in the woods for a day or so. The weather in March can be iffy and you might get snow in Yosemite or rain in Big Sur so you need to plan for that just in case.

Whatever you do have a great trip. Despite the bad weather, we had a good time. We daughter and her boyfriend really enjoyed San Francisco.

Meant to say - My daughter and her boyfriend

Thanks for all of the information and advise. Here is our plan. We're arriving midday on Saturday so we are going to use the rest of the day to drive to Yosemite. We will spend two full days and three nights (inside the park)there. It didn't seem possible to do it justice in less. Then we'll come back to San Francisco for the balance of our trip. We are staying at Cow Hollow Motor Inn/Suites. We're are going to do quite a bit of walking (Chinatown,...) but what does everyone think of a private tour for the six of us? I enjoyed one of the bus tours the last time we were there but I think I'd like the more personal treatment. Any recommendations?

That sounds like a good plan. I'd just like to add that for beautiful coastal scenery you could take an easy day trip (or even half day-it's only an hour away) to Point Reyes. Gray whales will be migrating by the point, if you are interested in whale watching.