Thanks to Delta frequent flier miles, we did a 6-day whirlwind trip to San Francisco, Yosemite National Park & Monterey, California during winter break 2018.
Here’s this mom’s list of things to do when visiting this inspiring area of The Golden State with kids.
Free national park pass. If you’re traveling with a fourth grader, be sure to obtain your free national park pass before your trip through The Every Kid in a Park program. The program gives every U.S. 4th grader and his or her family free access to 2000+ federally managed parks, lands and waters. This program begins Sept. 1 of your fourth grade year and runs until Aug. 31 of that year. Learn more here.
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Yosemite National Park: As a cost-saving measure, we stayed at Half Dome Village (formerly called Curry Village, pictured below). While not fully camping, most Half Dome Village spots are canvas platform tents. Full disclosure: this is not for everyone – especially in winter. Although these canvas tents are heated, they were cold during our 2-night stay in December 2018. However, this is an affordable way for families to stay in the south central part of Yosemite Valley rather than have to stay outside of the park and spend lots of time commuting back and forth. Half Dome Village sells out quickly, so be sure to make your reservations well in advance to ensure availability. Reservation info here.
In addition to amazing hikes, we got a lot out of the Night Prowl guided walk with an Interpretive naturalist in Yosemite Valley. Find more family activities that require advance registration here.
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San Francisco: We kicked off our 2-day visit to San Francisco with a super kid-friendly walking tour & scavenger hunt in Chinatown / Northbeach with City Clues Adventures & Tours.
This two-hour hunt – which included a fortune cookie factory & a hidden temple – was the perfect introduction to SF for my two kids, ages 12 & 10. They learned about the city & its history without realizing they were learning. Tour guide Beth even escorted us to SF’s most crooked Lombard Street after the tour while pointing out landmarks along the way.
Bike the Golden Gate Bridge: Taking full advantage of ideal weather, we rented bikes (after the scavenger hunt & lunch) from Blazing Saddles near of Ghirardelli Square then pedaled through Crissy Field, Presidio, with a stop at the pier next to Fort Point National Historic Site (where we spied a sea lion) before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito, where we caught a ferry back to SF. This was a top highlight of our trip & a must-do if you have the weather to do so.
Muir Woods: Spent most of day 2 exploring the Redwood forest & earning their junior ranger badges @ Muir Woods National Monument outside of SF. Parking or shuttle reservations are now required when visiting Muir Woods. Make reservations here.
Cable Car Ride: We avoided the long lines for cable car tickets in Ghirardelli Square by catching a cable car at California & Market Streets then riding it to the top of Nob Hill. We bought tickets on the car.
Alcatraz Blues: Mom Mistake No. 211,530: Not making Alcatraz reservations well in advance, as in before we even booked our flight. I will never forgive myself for being too late to the game on this. Say it with me: Reservations for The Rock must be made far in advance. Learn more here & don’t be me like me.
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Elephant Seal Guided Walk @ Año Nuevo Coast Natural Preserve
Monterey: So glad we started our first Monterey morning by making the drive south on Pacific Coast Highway to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve in Carmel & savoring the trails there. We saw sea lions & otters galore.
After lunch outdoors at the funky Baja Cantina in Carmel, we headed back to Monterey via Point Pinos Lighthouse, the oldest working lighthouse on the West Coast. Then left the car at Lover’s Point Park so we could walk the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail to Cannery Row & Monterey Bay Aquarium, where we immersed ourselves until early evening finally leaving at closing time. The aquarium is a must-do.
Ano Nuevo: Our last day in California (New Year’s Eve Day) was spent falling in love with Ano Nuevo State Park elephant seals, off Pacific Coast Highway between Santa Cruz & SF. Every year up to 10,000 elephant seals return to breed & give birth @ the park’s dunes and beaches. Because we were there during breeding season, we were able to take advantage of the 3-mile guided seal hike, available via advanced reservation, so we saw oodles of elephant seals & pups. This was a top highlight of the trip. To make reservations for the 2.5 hour Elephant Seal Guided Walks visit ReserveCalifornia at anonuevo.reservecalifornia.com or call 1-800-444-4445.
Highway 1 Highlights: Thanks to the Web site Through My Lens, we visited Shark Fin Cove near Ano Nuevo State Park & Santa Cruz’s Natural Bridges State Park on our way back to SF.
Last stop before catching our New Year’s Eve red-eye flight back to Georgia was an evening stop @ SF’s Moraga Street tiled steps. This sea-to-stars themed mosaic staircase flowing up 163 steps in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Heights Neighborhood was the ideal spot to stay goodbye & thank you to this amazing state.
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