We are travelling from San Francisco to Yosemite (Fish Camp) next week.... advice needed on a good/interesting or fun place to stop for a meal and some recreation...I have 2 children 4 and 6 and they will need to stretch their legs/let off steam.
Thank-you

Good luck!!!! I'm serious. There is nothing of interest between San Francisco and Yosemite.

Native

There was a Hershey's factory tour outside Manteca, once upon a time. I don't know if that's still going.

I also can't think of a particularly good spot for a stop. We usually just plow on through. When you get near the park there are some nice places to stop, like Fish Camp, but then you're right at the entrance to the park and might just want to get there. That's how we feel, anyway. However, from Fish Camp through the entrance and then to Yosemite Valley is still about another hour, so you might want to stop for a bite or a stretch.

I just reread your post, Louise, and your destination is Fish Camp? So you aren't going to the valley? I am also reminded of the first time I drove my kids to Yosemite, they were about your kids' ages and my six year old daughter got carsick right at Fish Camp. Not a pleasant memory! The roads get windy so perhaps Dramamine is advised, or at least a handy receptacle!

The roads are windy and our daughter
got sick also.

If you get a fairly early start from San Francisco, you can stop at the McDonald's in Tracy which has a kid's playground. Take the Central Tracy exit and turn right. It's down 2 blocks on your left. That immediate area has just about every fast food place you can think of.
I'm assuming you'll be anxious to reach Yosemite and not that interested in taking a tour of the Hershey's Candy Factory.
Another place, beyond Tracy, by about 45 minutes is the small town of Escalon, population is about 5,000.
You will have to go through it to reach Yosemite. It's on State Highway 120.
There's a Deli in town, on your left, used to have blue awnings on the windows. It used to be Callizo's Deli; now it's called something else; don't remember the name. Escalon has a small park; anyone at the Deli can tell you where it is. Buy sandwiches at the Deli, take them to the park and let the kids run off some steam.
There's also the Water Slides (near Manteca) but I don't imagine you'll want to take that much time off on your way to Yosemite.

The Hershey Factory is in OAKDALE which is beyond Manteca and beyond Escalon.

McDonald's, Escalon...give me a break. First off, who needs advice to find a McD's along any highway in America? Second, and more important, if you are going to Fish Camp, you need to approach Yosemite from Highway 140, not 120 through Manteca. The quickest route for this is through Los Banos, to Hwy 99 south. This part of California is not exceptionally scenic, in fact it doesn't get real pretty until the last 45 minutes of the trip, when you get to Coursegold.

I think you actuallly go to Fish Camp on 41. You might need to be on 140 for a little bit, not sure. By the way, don't use yahoo maps for this route, I just tried to do it to clarify which roads you are on and they totally screw up this one. They have you on roads that only a backwoods miner could find!