Two weeks will be a fine trip. We're in the Monterey area, which is home to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. There is the Carmel Mission for history and beaches (altho the water up here is cold) and restaurants galore. And not excessive traffic like you'll find in the Bay Area.

One thing is that everything costs. Admission fees to attractions can add up fast. A couple of years ago, we met my son and his family at Disneyland, and both-park admissions fro two days for 5 people was $100 per person per day! Add THAT up!

Local kid-magnet attractions like the Santa Cruz boardwalk are open.free and you just pay for rides, and you can find discount packages available at Costco for the ride wristbands. Come to think of it, the local Costco also has has discount restaurant cards, and to some really great restaurants, too. Like $79.99 for $100 in gift cards.

You can easily see the Golden Gate, Alcatraz and drive up to the Muir Woods in 2 days. (We did it in 1, without kids.)

Don't forget a cable car ride, a trip to the waterfront and a drive down Lombard St.

ML

We have done two CA "road trips" that we really enjoyed. One was a combination of San Francisco and Yosemite. Nice combination of a nature trip and a city trip. The other was Monterey, LA/Hollywood, and San Diego. During that trip we also visited Carmel, Big Sur, Pacific Coast Highway (day trips from Monterey, I think?). So fun!

I was also going to suggest the Muir Woods. Beautiful.

Cal. coast is a wonderful drive.

Really liked Sausalito too.

Personally, I consider Lombard street too artificial to be worth the time.

You and your kids might enjoy a Segway tour in SF, if it's in your budget. Check the height and weight restrictions, as a small 12 year old, though old enough, might not weigh enough.

If you head north, one place good for hiking and off the beaten path is Lassen Volcanic National Park. Think moonscape.

Remember that CA climate can vary dramatically depending on where you are with respect to the mountains.

Are you serious or casual hikers?

Oh, you remind me of our honeymoon in CA! We were about 10 days as I recall, so 2 weeks would be plenty. This was over 30 yrs ago. We started in SF...alcatraz, fisherman's wharf, Lombard st, the Presido. We drove up to Muir woods, went to Napa to the Krug Winery, then drove out to Yosemite where we stayed a couple of nights in a tent...they have raised wooden floors. Then we drove back down to Monterrey. Went to see the witch tree on the 17 mile drive. Then we drove down the coast, stopping at Hearst Castle, hitting the Madonna Inn (a must imho) in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara then down to LA where we stayed on the Queen Mary and went to the Universal Studio Tour. It was a wonderful trip. You'll have a terrific time.

You might want to see what Tauck does. They go further to include San Diego, and given who their customer base is, they tour national parks much more quickly than we like to, but this might give you an idea of what to see, where to stay, and how long to comfortably drive between sights.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tauck Calif

"Remember that CA climate can vary dramatically depending on where you are with respect to the mountains. "

And the ocean. Northern CA coastal areas can be quite cool in the summer. You should pack (or buy!) sweatshirts and light jackets. Even in warmer areas away from the coast, our evening temps can be cool.

Ann, what a honeymoon! thanks to everyone...I am excited. The ideas are perfect and all noted.

We are casual hikers...

What is the best beach for swimming/tanning?

If you want to go to Alcatraz you'll need to book ahead.

We have driven and vacationed Los Angeles and south and San Francisco north and the whole thing can probably be done in 2 weeks. Although that will depend on how much time, if any, you plan for Disneyland and other theme parks. You could probably use up 2 weeks just doing that.

We're in Northern California.

Once you are north of San Francisco, you can easily hit Muir Wood/Mount "Tam"alpais and the Marin Headlands by crossing the bridge. The area around Drakes Bay has some excellent easy hikes with big ocean vistas. However, the biggest trees and largest park (including Redwood NP) is far to the north.

A tip on Alcatraz -- reserve your tickets in advance. They book up in the summer.

Staying in the Monterey/Carmel area is recommended -- there is quite a bit to do with kids. Be sure to also hit Big Sur and the Aquarium. Sabta Cruz's boardwalk can be fun, but there are better amusement parks down south.

Midway down, SLO and Santa Barbara (and Solvang) are great towns, but perhaps won't have the same appeal to the teens. This will also be the point where it will begin to warm up.

Regarding beaches, you really need to wait until you hit southern california, really starting north of LA (Zuma, Malibu, Venice, Hermosa, etc) and peaking with beaches of San Diego (Coronado, etc). Going to Beverly Hills/Hollywood/Melrose can be fun and funky for teens. The older kids will appreciate Six Flags Magic Mountain (north of LA) as an amusement park if they like coasters -- but obviously Universal Studios/Disneyland has the biggest pull.

This post was edited by gooster on Thu, Jan 29, 15 at 18:17

I haven't been, but you could consider Malibu Creek State Park where many Hollywood movies and TV shows were filmed, eg. Planet of the Apes & MASH. There is a 4.5 mile hike or bike trail.
I have been to La Brea Tar Pits Museum. Depending on the kid's interests, they might like it. I loved it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Malibu Creek State Park

Just a couple of notes...The waters of the Pacific Ocean are always cold, so be prepared for that. If you want good beach weather, you will need to visit in late July through August. The beaches in southern California are often foggy and cool through Independence Day. However, inland areas where the amusement parks are located can be hot to miserably hot, especially in August.

If your family doesn't suffer from motion sickness, you might enjoy a whale watching tour out of San Pedro or Dana Point or even a day spent hiking around Catalina Island. If you want to go to Catalina, though, you need to book the ferry tickets early as they sell out in the summer.

I've lived all over California. I wouldn't drive from SF down the coast to LA. I lived on the Central Coast (Santa Maria) from 1981 to '86 and hated it. It's very dry and barren and there's no scenery except for the ocean, and there's not much easy ocean access. Do Monterey and Hearst Castle but then head inland. There's some neat Gold Rush towns east of Sacramento in the Sierra foothills like Placerville and Nevada City. The Sierra redwoods are pretty amazing--the trees are much wider than the coastal redwoods, and more impressive imo. You could do Yosemite and Sequoia National Park before heading into So. California.

If you've lived all over California you know that Santa Maria is quite a bit inland from the ocean. The drive down Highway One is spectacular, but no, you don't do it just for the beaches.

The boardwalk is in Santa Cruz. Carmel would be aghast if they thought they had a boardwalk.

Beaches in southern CA have warmer water. We get the fog and cold water up north (Santa Barbara is about the dividing line.). All beaches are great for tanning, tho.

I hope you are looking at a map while reading all this. California is a huge state, and if you try to follow the recommendations, you'd be bouncing around by about 3000 miles!

@sushipup: haha I just realized I accidentally slipped in Carmel into my response --

I have travelers who do the north-south state jaunt quite easily in two weeks -- and throw in a long side trip when in the south to Vegas (long) or Palm Springs/Joshua Tree (please, not in the summer!). Or they go to Yosemite (not a short side trip). Doing it all in one two week period would be a lot -- I agree its a ton of driving.

And one word of caution -- summertime on Highway 1 is beautiful -- but can be painfully slow (or carsickness inducing). Allow plenty of time.

How timely this thread is. We are trying to decide on a 30th anniversary vacation. It could be anytime in the next 12 months. One idea was driving the California coast. The farthest west I have ever been is Ohio but DH went to San Francisco on a business trip. We would not have two weeks, more like 1 week. Not sure if it would be worth it or not.

Highway 1 through Big Sur is gorgeous but not so fun for folks who get motion sickness. I'd suggest that if you do that drive, take 2 days rather than 1, include a short hike at Julia Pfeiffer Burns and maybe stay overnight at Deetjen's (I haven't stayed but friends rave about it).

Redwoods National Park is quite far from the Bay Area. If you would be satisfied with some smaller redwoods, I like Henry Cowell and Big Basin state parks north of Santa Cruz, as those are much less crowded than Muir Woods (though if you go to Muir Woods on a weekday and get there early in the morning, it is not too bad).

If you think the kids would be interested, there are some beach hikes that can only be done at negative tides -- great one in the Pt Reyes area. These are not long in distance but you can't go quickly in part for safety and also because the tide pools are really fascinating.

If you are driving to the SF Bay Area from Monterey/Carmel, you could do a short side trip to Pinnacles National Park, the kids might enjoy the caves. The High Peaks trail is nice but probably too hot to be enjoyable in mid-summer.

I love Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Lassen, Tahoe, Eastern Sierra, etc. but think those probably deserve a separate trip :-)

Since you do biking, have you considered a week of Backroads (or similar) and then a week of "cities"? I think 2-3 days in SF area and 3-4 in LA/SD would be plenty. I've had my eye on a Backroads family multisport tour in Redwoods NP but have to wait a few years before my kids are old enough to really participate.

Good luck!

I love the Central Coast and Highway 1. Teen-friendly places that come to mind in order heading south from SF:

The boardwalk at Santa Cruz was always a favorite of my kids.

The Monterey Aquarium is a must see.

Carmel is charming and pretty and probably not a big attraction for the kids but the beach is lovely with its fine white sand. It will be terribly crowded on summer weekends, though, so try to drop by midweek.

Check out Treebones (Big Sur area) for an overnight glamping experience. I've never stayed there but my daughter loves it. You will have to book way ahead.

There is a place to hike down to a private black sand beach at Ragged Point. It's a moderately difficult hike but won't take all that long. http://www.raggedpoint.us/Big-Sur-California/4-Hiking_Beach.htm

Hearst Castle is amazing (to some).

Cambria is a cute little town with cafes and galleries.

Montana de Oro State Park is great for hiking, has lots of tidepools, dunes, and incredible scenery.

Santa Barbara has a lovely Mission and Museum of Natural History and they are close together. The beaches are nice and there is a Sea Center on Stearns Wharf.

Disneyland will celebrate its 60th anniversary this year so that might be extra fun. FYI: a friend just went to Disneyland last week and the cheapest tickets were found at the Disney store at the mall.

Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach. Surf culture and art. Lovely beaches.

There are lots of places along the way to rent kayaks and the like to enjoy the various bays. But the water IS cold. Have beach towels and dry clothes for after the plunge.

What fun!

Eileen

Here is a link that might be useful: Treebones.

This post was edited by barnmom on Thu, Jan 29, 15 at 21:54

I found Hearst castle to be just a pile of concrete blocks.
Though there library is amazing you get to see it from about 10 feet away

Josephine, my jaw drops! I found the castle quite something. I can see where it's not for everyone, but concrete blocks? Nuh-uh.

There are also a number of festivals that may coincide with your travels along the coast.

These two come to mind:

http://gilroygarlicfestival.com/

http://centralcoastoysterfestival.com/

The Exploratorium in SF is in a new location now and I haven't been there but the old place was great. I imagine the new space is even better.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/

There is always something to do/see at Golden Gate Park.

http://www.golden-gate-park.com/

On the Peninsula below SF is Filoli Mansion in Woodside. Beautiful gardens and mansion.

http://www.filoli.org/

Here is a link that might be useful: List of food related festivals in CA.

This post was edited by barnmom on Fri, Jan 30, 15 at 12:36

This article was in the SF Chronicle online edition, How to Avoid the Cliche Tour of San Francisco. Some really great advice here.

Here is a link that might be useful: Avoid the SF cliches

thanks again everyone.

Question to those who know. IS it easier to fly in or out of California (from Iad Dulless Washington DC) from a northern or southern airport? I would fly in one way and fly out the other.

There are three excellent airports in the SF area, don't forget to check prices from Oakland and San Jose as well as SFO. Can't help with southern CA.

I have a flight attendant friend who flies in and out of all of those airports. I've asked her and will post back when she replies.

In SoCal, the shortest flights to IAD will be from LAX or SAN (San Diego). I don't think you can fly non-stop from SNA (Orange County) to Dulles.

My friend says one is not easier than the other. She flies for Virgin America.

Check Jet Blue...they fly into Long Beach which is a lot easier than LAX...

Actually, Jet Blue will drop their non-stop to IAD in September, so it will still be available this summer. Good call, AnnieDeighnaugh, I tend to forget about Long Beach even though I always fly to SeaTac from there.

Another vote for a Segway tour of SF. DH and I have done this and it is like a walking tour on steroids---- you see much more of the city detail than you would from a car, like a walking tour, but you can cover much more ground. We've done Segway tours all over the world and really enjoy them.