California help please! (San Diego, LA, San Francisco,etc)

[adelbert]

We've finally decided that we'll be heading to California with the boys in October, and I want to start finalizing some things so that we are able to find hotel rooms and all that good stuff. So I've read all the old threads I could find and I have a few questions left. Our boys will be 14, 12, and 8 when we travel and we really like nature and hikes, "American highlights" we don't have in Germany (things like diners, big museums, etc), great restaurants and bars, and we don't love crowds.

My plan is to start in San Diego. thatgolfb and mrsnorris have offered amazing advice in the past. Here my questions are:

* Is Mission Bay still a good place for families to stay?

* We want to go hiking in Torrey Pines and do the zoo, and I'm wondering are there any cute unique shopping areas or neighborhoods with a fun vibe? I don't necessarily want to do a ton of shopping but I love strolling around cute areas. Extra points if there are also gorgeous houses nearby to drool over.

* Anything missing from San Diego that you think everyone should see when they're there?

Next we want to do LA. Here I'm definitely lost.tater miawallace

I was thinking starting base Laguna Beach but I have no clue. I just want nice low key California vibes with a bit of walkability if that exists.

* Where is a nice relatively central area where it makes sense to stay?

* I would love to go on a walk through a nice neighborhood and look at pretty houses. Is there a neighborhood where this is possible? It's one of my favorite things to do so I'm hoping it's doable.

* I think the boys would be impressed by Venice Beach- I remember loving the vibe but that was 20 years ago- is it still a place that is fun to check out?

* I'm guessing my boys will be really overwhelmed by how large LA is and not want to stay long but I would still love to visit a few highlights. What have been the spots that you or your kids have actually liked visiting in LA?

* We want to do both Universal and Six Flags -not on the same day LOL- (my youngest is obsessed with roller coasters). Universal seems to be pretty central but with traffic I was thinking maybe it makes sense to stay in Burbank or Hollywood for a night beforehand- or are there better spots to stay nearby? And are there any cute towns near the Six Flags? Or does it make sense to just drive to the park from somewhere else and then continue on farther north after a day there?

Then I wanted to do Sequoia National Park and maybe Yosemite as it looks like if we go on weekdays we don't need a reservation.  

* Are there any nice towns or places to stay nearby? It's all so big.

After that I was thinking Big Sur although I'm not sure if there are any nice places for families to stay near there? But it looks pretty and like there are some nice hikes around? 

* I read an article that made me think that Santa Cruz is a town worth visiting, is this true? Or is it actually not cute at all?

Finally I wanted to end in San Francisco. shamycooler and jaygee @minerva

Jaygee- Do you still recommend the Hyatt Regency?

On my list for San Francisco I have Alcatraz, Exploritorium, Spark Social SF, and Lands End Trail.

*Any neighborhoods should we make sure to visit?

Any spots I haven't considered that you love in California? Any hotels or restaurants that have been great for families? sterling As a non-native California resident what are your favorite spots? The places that remind you why California is special.

After spending the past few weeks with gray skies, I'm very much looking forward to a trip to sunny California!

[potatocakes]

October is likely our best (and some of the hottest!) weather of the year in all of those places!

[thatgolfb]

Exciting! Yes I would say Mission Bay is still a good area to stay. I have heard the Bahia is great, and in a great location, walking distance to Mission Beach/Belmont Park. And across the street is a cool playground with some fun features (Maruta Gardner playground). Mission Beach in the summer has some pop up shopping stalls, similar to a farmers market but more wares based than food.

Other fun neighborhoods are North Park (lots of restaurants), Carlsbad Village (might be worth going a little further north when you hike Torrey Pines), and Ocean Beach. I would say all of these are better for food and cool vibes than shopping.

[thatgolfb]

Feb 29, 2024 10:35:43 GMT -6 potatocakes said:

October is likely our best (and some of the hottest!) weather of the year in all of those places!

I agree with this!

[thatgolfb]

San Diego- Cute neighborhood with drool worthy houses that is very “California” would be Kensington or Bird Rock, IMO. Bird Rock coffee roasters at the bird rock original location (La Jolla Blvd) is a couple minute walk from the beach, and also a very cute neighborhood that I just thought of. Wayfarer bakery is great too!

[jr]

October is the best time to visit, at least in SF. In Yosemite, my favorite place to stay is Rush Creek Lodge. It’s 2 minutes from the Big Oak Flat entrance (though that’s 30-45 minutes from the valley floor). It’s just this super relaxed yet very nice, very family friendly hotel/resort. It’s expensive, but I think October is after their high season ends so not outrageous. There’s a zip line, playground, game room, lounge with crafts and nature talks, s’mores, family hours at the spa, etc. It’s gorgeous and just the best.

In SF, my favorite hidden gem to recommend is Musee Mechanique. It’s an antique arcade, with games from, like, old school carnivals 100 years ago and such. It’s free to enter, you pay by the game. It’s on the Embarcadero not too far from the Exploratorium. Pier 39 is right there, which kids tend to love, and it’s fun to see the sea lions that usually hang out there. I also love the Ferry Building, great place to stop for lunch and do wander. (Last time I went I got the empanadas, so good.) On the Lands End hike, you’ll be very close to the ruins of Sutro Baths, which are very cool. If you like looking at great houses, make sure to start your hike at the top/the Seacliff end (rather than from the beach). If the topiary dinosaur is still there (I haven’t been out that way in years, maybe decades), that was Robin Williams’ house. Chinatown is worth wandering, and the (tiny!) fortune cookie factory is fun. When I was in high school, we used to love going to Mel’s Drive-In, which was a classic diner with a few locations (but I don’t think was actually a drive-in??) - though I can’t vouch for the quality 2.5 decades later!

I like Santa Cruz a lot, through I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as cute. But the Dream Inn is lovely and fun and a short walk along the beach to the Boardwalk, which is a classic boardwalk amusement park. (The Dream In expensive in high season, more reasonable in low season, and I’m not sure which October falls in. Also, check to make sure the Boardwalk ride are open in October - they close down part of the park in winter, though I assume it’s still open in October as the weather should be gorgeous.) Cliff Drive just north of the Dream Inn and the Boardwalk has gorgeous houses. If you’re looking for cute and quaint, Capitola is nearby and might be a good option (though I haven’t visited in forever).

If you do Big Sur, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is well worth a stop as you drive north to SF. If you like wine, there are plenty of Napa/Sonoma wineries that are family friendly. Stirling isn’t my favorite wine tasting experience, but it has a tram/gondola thing and is mostly outside and is fun for kids. There’s a castle winery in Calistoga that I’ve been meaning to check out - if you go there, Dr. Wilkinson’s would be a great place to stay with kids.

Near Laguna Beach, I like the Beachcomber restaurant, which is directly on the beach at Crystal Cove.

[CurlieWhirlie]

If you like nature, you should consider a stop at Muir Woods or hiking on Mt Tam while you are in SF. Those things are just to the north of the Golden Gate Bridge but very close to the city. And there are a lot of lovely and relatively easy hikes in the Marin Headlands immediately on the north side of the GG that will give you views of San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean.

I second Capitola as an alternative to Santa Cruz on your drive north. The Venetian Inn is very quirky/cute and right on the beach there.

[jaygee]

Hey I’m slammed at work right now, but I will come back and give you some thoughts/ideas on SF and also the Big Sur/capitola/santa Cruz portion. Look at Carmel as an option but I have more details.

I’m so excited for you!!!

[jr]

Feb 29, 2024 11:04:32 GMT -6 CurlieWhirlie said:

If you like nature, you should consider a stop at Muir Woods or hiking on Mt Tam while you are in SF. Those things are just to the north of the Golden Gate Bridge but very close to the city. And there are a lot of lovely and relatively easy hikes in the Marin Headlands immediately on the north side of the GG that will give you views of San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean.

I second Capitola as an alternative to Santa Cruz on your drive north. The Venetian Inn is very quirky/cute and right on the beach there.

Strongly agree with Muir Woods! Read up in advance about the parking reservation system. I think there’s also a bus from Sausalito - you could do ferry from SF, explore Sausalito, and bus to Muir Woods.

If you drive Yosemite to SF (versus to Big Sur), consider the foothills towns, some have pretty cool gold rush-era history preserved. Sutter Creek, Sonora, etc. (And I like Murphys, which isn’t necessarily historical but is so pretty!). If you drive up the coast from LA to Big Sur, San Luis Obispo is a nice stop. Oh, and Solvang, near Santa Barbara, is quirky and fun, but maybe unnecessary because I think you’re coming from Europe? It’s like a Danish town in the middle of California.

[loony]

Selfishly throwing out Lake Tahoe if you want a mountainous experience easier than Yosemite.

[miawallace]

For the LA portion.

Your six flags and universal pit stops are cool bc it’s north of most of the downtown chaos. City walk is a
Cool little area to hang about before heading into universal.

studio city has a lot houses to look at. It’s not Beverly Hills, but many minor celebs live in that area.
Six Flags is in Valencia, that area is really calm and has a lot of nice houses too. It’s super away from the La craziness. They also have food festivals at parks often.

Other nearby cities in La with cool houses would be Burbank, encino, Sherman oaks.

since you are going in October there are a lot of Halloween streets that go all out and people drive and look at it. I can’t think of the streets, but I’ll come back with that info.

[adelbert]

Guys this is already so amazing and so helpful! I've been googling but so many of the top 10 lists and things like that are clearly paid advertising and half the stuff doesn't fit to my family.

Someone asked and we're coming from Germany. I'm from Minnesota but moved to Germany right after highschool so these trips to America are also always not only fun trips to see beautiful things but also a way for me to explore more of the U.S. that I didn't get to know growing up and also share with the boys some of their American heritage.

I'm not tied to any destinations at all so I'm happy to check out Muir Woods and everything else. Tell me all the cool pieces. I visited California twice once when I was 9 with a friend who took me along since her brother got chicken pox and once when I was 17 to look at colleges. All I remember is that my mom thought the roads were stressful so I always drove which looking back seems like a not great idea but it was fine. And I remember that I thought it was amazing and beautiful.

[miawallace]

Candy Cane Lane in Woodland Hills. They are mostly known for their Christmas light stuff, but they also go all out for Halloween. Houses are really swanky in that area.

[soiree]

Feb 29, 2024 10:50:10 GMT -6 thatgolfb said:

Exciting! Yes I would say Mission Bay is still a good area to stay. I have heard the Bahia is great, and in a great location, walking distance to Mission Beach/Belmont Park. And across the street is a cool playground with some fun features (Maruta Gardner playground). Mission Beach in the summer has some pop up shopping stalls, similar to a farmers market but more wares based than food.

Other fun neighborhoods are North Park (lots of restaurants), Carlsbad Village (might be worth going a little further north when you hike Torrey Pines), and Ocean Beach. I would say all of these are better for food and cool vibes than shopping.

I never want to hijack but dh and I are going to Carlsbad next month, staying at Aviara. Do you have any restaurant rescs? Not looking for stuffy steakhouses; would love a great spot for watching the sunset and eating oysters! Love a neat atmosphere.


adelbert This sounds like an amazing vacation! I love California!! 

[brux]

We loved San Diego!

We flew into San Diego airport, rented a car, then immediately drove north to stay in Carlsbad.
- We stopped to see the seals at La Jolla Cove and Children's Pool Beach.
- At the time, we didn't know about the cave you could tour, but wish I had: www.cavestore.com/
- Annie's Canyon Trail is another thing we didn't do, but I wanted to. www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/annies-canyon-trail-via-solana-hills-trail

We stayed here: www.beachterraceinn.com/ - Big rooms, easy parking, right on the beach, also has an outdoor pool.

I thought Carlsbad was super cute village of shops, restaurants, and beaches. It's north of San Diego proper.
From the hotel, we walked to dinner / drinks / dessert each night.
We found good beers at this brewery: www.purebrewing.org/
Which was down the street from a great ice cream shop that we tried multiple times: handelsicecream.com/store/carlsbad/

We also spent a few nights in downtown San Diego, which was nice and convenient for the Zoo visit, but I liked Carlsbad better.

[brux]

Feb 29, 2024 12:09:41 GMT -6 soiree said:

Feb 29, 2024 10:50:10 GMT -6 thatgolfb said:

Exciting! Yes I would say Mission Bay is still a good area to stay. I have heard the Bahia is great, and in a great location, walking distance to Mission Beach/Belmont Park. And across the street is a cool playground with some fun features (Maruta Gardner playground). Mission Beach in the summer has some pop up shopping stalls, similar to a farmers market but more wares based than food.

Other fun neighborhoods are North Park (lots of restaurants), Carlsbad Village (might be worth going a little further north when you hike Torrey Pines), and Ocean Beach. I would say all of these are better for food and cool vibes than shopping.

I never want to hijack but dh and I are going to Carlsbad next month, staying at Aviara. Do you have any restaurant rescs? Not looking for stuffy steakhouses; would love a great spot for watching the sunset and eating oysters! Love a neat atmosphere.


adelbert This sounds like an amazing vacation! I love California!! 

No views to speak of as it's in the middle of the village downtown area, which is a few blocks off the beach, but we loved the food here www.thisiscampfire.com/

[mapleme]

How long are you going to be in each location?

+1 to Muir Woods. Also to the Marin Headlands. MH was a WWII military installation and now is a hiking and camping park. So there are lots of random military moments (doors, holes, etc) while you're hiking through the woods. The iconic view of the GG Bridge from above that everyone has seen a million times is from the MH.

And if you're already aiming for all of that driving, I would also strongly recommend visiting the gold rush areas of northern California. Growing up the Bay Area I was very "whatevs" about the gold rush as they taught it in school. But now, living on the other side of the country, I've realized what a interesting and unique history it is. So much of California's landscape is that way because of the gold rush.

And there are a lot of opportunities to visit and learn about California's Indigenous tribes all over the state. I don't remember exactly which ones I visited as a kid, so I can't recommend a specific place to go, but there would definitely be multiple places along your route.

ETA this is the photo location from the Marin Headlands:

[thatgolfb]

Feb 29, 2024 12:09:41 GMT -6 soiree said:

Feb 29, 2024 10:50:10 GMT -6 thatgolfb said:

Exciting! Yes I would say Mission Bay is still a good area to stay. I have heard the Bahia is great, and in a great location, walking distance to Mission Beach/Belmont Park. And across the street is a cool playground with some fun features (Maruta Gardner playground). Mission Beach in the summer has some pop up shopping stalls, similar to a farmers market but more wares based than food.

Other fun neighborhoods are North Park (lots of restaurants), Carlsbad Village (might be worth going a little further north when you hike Torrey Pines), and Ocean Beach. I would say all of these are better for food and cool vibes than shopping.

I never want to hijack but dh and I are going to Carlsbad next month, staying at Aviara. Do you have any restaurant rescs? Not looking for stuffy steakhouses; would love a great spot for watching the sunset and eating oysters! Love a neat atmosphere.


adelbert This sounds like an amazing vacation! I love California!! 

Shoot I was going to say the Brigantine in Del Mar, which isn’t that close, but an awesome restaurant, but it looks like that location is closed? I will come back in a bit if I find more recs!

[spicysalmonroll]

do not miss- Torrey Pines (which I know you mentioned but need to emphasize how amazing it is) & Griffith Observatory

[potatocakes]

Feb 29, 2024 12:35:47 GMT -6 mapleme said:

How long are you going to be in each location?

+1 to Muir Woods. Also to the Marin Headlands. MH was a WWII military installation and now is a hiking and camping park. So there are lots of random military moments (doors, holes, etc) while you're hiking through the woods. The iconic view of the GG Bridge from above that everyone has seen a million times is from the MH.

And if you're already aiming for all of that driving, I would also strongly recommend visiting the gold rush areas of northern California. Growing up the Bay Area I was very "whatevs" about the gold rush as they taught it in school. But now, living on the other side of the country, I've realized what a interesting and unique history it is. So much of California's landscape is that way because of the gold rush.

And there are a lot of opportunities to visit and learn about California's Indigenous tribes all over the state. I don't remember exactly which ones I visited as a kid, so I can't recommend a specific place to go, but there would definitely be multiple places along your route.

ETA this is the photo location from the Marin Headlands:

Agree with this - if you're already at Yosemite it's not much further to the gold discovery site (recreation of the mill where gold was discovered), and Sacramento has a lot of cool historical stuff, including the Train Museum since it was one end of the transcontinental railroad. If you're staying coastal, highly recommend Santa Barbara as a stop. It's beautiful and really family friendly.

[Lady Mary]

Feb 29, 2024 10:50:10 GMT -6 thatgolfb said:

Exciting! Yes I would say Mission Bay is still a good area to stay. I have heard the Bahia is great, and in a great location, walking distance to Mission Beach/Belmont Park. And across the street is a cool playground with some fun features (Maruta Gardner playground). Mission Beach in the summer has some pop up shopping stalls, similar to a farmers market but more wares based than food.

Other fun neighborhoods are North Park (lots of restaurants), Carlsbad Village (might be worth going a little further north when you hike Torrey Pines), and Ocean Beach. I would say all of these are better for food and cool vibes than shopping.

I am a very infrequent poster, but wanted to add that we stayed at Bahia for several days last August and it was so great! The room had a kitchenette and we could see the nightly fireworks from SeaWorld from our balcony. They have a really nice big pool, and a private beach on the bay. So great for kids. Ours were newly 7 and 9. It’s a short walk to Belmont Park (shopping, arcade, rides, restaurants) and the boardwalk and beach is right next to it. The park across the street is cool, too. All super family friendly and we felt safe.

[mrsnorris]

Lots of great San Diego suggestions so far! I agree with everyone that Mission Beach is a perfect area to stay in, very fun vacation vibes and close to all big tourist areas.

La Jolla/Torrey Pines hits all your nature loving points and is a cute area to walk around and poke into fancy boutiques too. If you’re wanting more touristy stuff, Seaport Village has you covered along with some decent restaurants. The USS Midway museum is near there and very cool and interesting for all ages. Museums in the Balboa Park area that would be fun for kids: Fleet Science Center, Natural History, or the Air and Space are all great depending on your interests. Also just walking around that area is beautiful and there’s so much to see, not to mention it’s right next to our amazing zoo.

Last thing, the Corvette Diner is a fun over the top American diner experience, not too far from Mission Bay in Point Loma area.

[sterling]

Sequoia, Joshua tree, and Crystal Cove state park are three of my favorite places in the world. We stayed at the lodge at Sequoia, there’s probably other options but it was a lovely national park experience. I haven’t stayed in Joshua Tree, but would probably find a good Airbnb or drive back to Palm Springs and stay there, with a bonus of more gray hikes and restaurants. And crystal Cove, swoon. I could do a beach day every day there. I would love to stay in Corona Del Mar for a night and try all the little bakeries and coffee shops one day.

How long will you be in california? I’m sure you know but there’s definitely a lot of travel time between all these sites!

[tater]

I will second Mia’s advice on city walk outside of universal as a great place to eat/walk around. If your son loves rollercoasters, six flags will be perfect. It’s about an hour outside of LA, but that’s the only thing out there (fun fact: that is Wally World from the original Vacation movie)

If you want to hit the OC beaches, Laguna and Corona Del Mar are the most walkable and have a ton of cute shops/restaurants on Pacific Coast Highway. MH and I regularly do the PCH drive from Seal Beach (north OC-has a very cute Main Street) down to Dana Point (south OC).
Corona Del Mar has tidepools at Little Corona Beach that DS still likes going to at 13.

If you’re going to be here during October-would you be interested in Halloween ideas? If so, how scared would you like to be?

[Yogurt]

I live on the central coast and I would recommend popping over to Pismo Beach maybe just for a morning. Walk around, eat a big ass cinnamon roll. Pismo Bowl is cute, it's a tiny bowling alley with like 6 lanes. Maybe hit Carmel too once you pass us and head north

[ldubhawksfan]

I’m in OC so I’m partial to SD and OC. Laguna is great. Crystal Cove is some of the best state beach in the area. Beach comber is good, but also there are some good restaurants just north. We often go beach/hiking at crystal cove and then to Bear Flag Fish Co for lunch with the kids.Laguna has lots of steep cove beaches, but Main beach is very accessible. The former are better for snorkeling, etc. Doheney, closer to my area is a nice easy state beach for lounging and flat entry. The ocean institute is cute and small for kids. San Clemente usually has their trolley that runs year round which is fun to get the pier experience while also hitting up the downtown area.
Oct is great weather in CA, warm weather with less crowds (when we got married).

I love Yosemite. We usually stay in curry village so I can’t speak to out of the park hotels, but it’s one of my favorite places.

[ldubhawksfan]

Feb 29, 2024 12:09:41 GMT -6 soiree said:

Feb 29, 2024 10:50:10 GMT -6 thatgolfb said:

Exciting! Yes I would say Mission Bay is still a good area to stay. I have heard the Bahia is great, and in a great location, walking distance to Mission Beach/Belmont Park. And across the street is a cool playground with some fun features (Maruta Gardner playground). Mission Beach in the summer has some pop up shopping stalls, similar to a farmers market but more wares based than food.

Other fun neighborhoods are North Park (lots of restaurants), Carlsbad Village (might be worth going a little further north when you hike Torrey Pines), and Ocean Beach. I would say all of these are better for food and cool vibes than shopping.

I never want to hijack but dh and I are going to Carlsbad next month, staying at Aviara. Do you have any restaurant rescs? Not looking for stuffy steakhouses; would love a great spot for watching the sunset and eating oysters! Love a neat atmosphere.


adelbert This sounds like an amazing vacation! I love California!! 

I like Miguel’s Cocina when I’m in Carlsbad area. My friend lives there and I could ask her. I met her for breakfast in Oceanside last weekend at the Harbor.

[adelbert]

So my plan has now changed to look like this. I don't have the exact timing decided, we'll have a little less than 3 weeks.

Start in San Francisco. Visit Muir Woods, Sausalito, Musee Mechanique, Exploratorium, Lands End hike,etc.
Next part is still very up in the air. I want to check out Yosemite and Sequoia but I also want to do the coast. I think I might just have to resign myself to traveling in land and then back out again. I'm still figuring it out.

So one idea is travel in land to Yosemite stopping at Columbia State Park and forcing the boys to learn a bit about the Gold Rush. Then travel back to the coast- although Google Maps is showing that I can't just take highway 1 all the way down but it looks like it is set to reopen in spring of 2024.  So after Yosemite I would do Monterey/Caramel Big Sur, then Morro Bay/Cambria then Santa Barbara.

Or I was thinking travel down to Santa Cruz/Capitola, then head to Yosemite and Sequoia and then to Morro Bay/Cambria then Santa Barbara. I have no clue. It's hard because I'm not sure what we'll love but we don't have the ocean anywhere near us and so I'm guessing we're going to be pretty into the coastal towns.

But maybe the ocean near Laguna is enough and we can skip Caramel/Big Sur? Or are the vibes totally different?

Then will come Six Flags/ Valencia, Universal Studios Encino/Burbank/Sherman Oaks, with a stop to check out the Halloween decorations at Candy Cane Lane in Woodland Hills, and visit Griffith Observatory and Venice Beach.
Then stay at Corona Del Mar or Laguna and visit Crystal Cove.
Then head down to San Diego, picking up my mom from the airport and eating at the Corvette Diner which seems to be very close to the airport and then visit San Diego staying in Mission Beach and visiting the zoo, Torrey Pines/La Jolla, Ocean Beach etc.

Before ending the trip at Palm Springs. Exploring Joshua Tree renting a place that allows us to do some stargazing and then all flying out of the Palm Springs airport.

I know it seems like a lot. But we know this won't be a relaxing trip. It will be intense and probably sometimes a bit much which is why I don't want my mom to come along for all of it. I think we'll make a lot of great memories and also feel like we got the chance to see a lot of different sides of an American state and that's so awesome.

tater, I would love Halloween ideas! Medium scared max I would say. I still get scared at pretty tame haunted houses but I think they're fun!

Thanks again for all the advice everyone. I've kind of been dreading planning this but now I'm mainly just excited.

[mapleme]

Mar 1, 2024 7:23:53 GMT -6 adelbert said:

So my plan has now changed to look like this. I don't have the exact timing decided, we'll have a little less than 3 weeks.

Start in San Francisco. Visit Muir Woods, Sausalito, Musee Mechanique, Exploratorium, Lands End hike,etc.
Next part is still very up in the air. I want to check out Yosemite and Sequoia but I also want to do the coast. I think I might just have to resign myself to traveling in land and then back out again. I'm still figuring it out.

So one idea is travel in land to Yosemite stopping at Columbia State Park and forcing the boys to learn a bit about the Gold Rush. Then travel back to the coast- although Google Maps is showing that I can't just take highway 1 all the way down but it looks like it is set to reopen in spring of 2024.  So after Yosemite I would do Monterey/Caramel Big Sur, then Morro Bay/Cambria then Santa Barbara.

Or I was thinking travel down to Santa Cruz/Capitola, then head to Yosemite and Sequoia and then to Morro Bay/Cambria then Santa Barbara. I have no clue. It's hard because I'm not sure what we'll love but we don't have the ocean anywhere near us and so I'm guessing we're going to be pretty into the coastal towns.

But maybe the ocean near Laguna is enough and we can skip Caramel/Big Sur? Or are the vibes totally different?

Then will come Six Flags/ Valencia, Universal Studios Encino/Burbank/Sherman Oaks, with a stop to check out the Halloween decorations at Candy Cane Lane in Woodland Hills, and visit Griffith Observatory and Venice Beach.
Then stay at Corona Del Mar or Laguna and visit Crystal Cove.
Then head down to San Diego, picking up my mom from the airport and eating at the Corvette Diner which seems to be very close to the airport and then visit San Diego staying in Mission Beach and visiting the zoo, Torrey Pines/La Jolla, Ocean Beach etc.

Before ending the trip at Palm Springs. Exploring Joshua Tree renting a place that allows us to do some stargazing and then all flying out of the Palm Springs airport.

I know it seems like a lot. But we know this won't be a relaxing trip. It will be intense and probably sometimes a bit much which is why I don't want my mom to come along for all of it. I think we'll make a lot of great memories and also feel like we got the chance to see a lot of different sides of an American state and that's so awesome.

tater , I would love Halloween ideas! Medium scared max I would say. I still get scared at pretty tame haunted houses but I think they're fun!

Thanks again for all the advice everyone. I've kind of been dreading planning this but now I'm mainly just excited.

I think that if you have to cut parts out, you should stay near the coast. Yosemite is amazing, but going from a mostly inland country to the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean is transformative. There are many fantastic natural/forest areas closer to the rest of your trip.

You'll love it all. I went to London for a week last summer. First I thought that I needed to DO IT ALL and we were planning trips to Paris and Ireland and then we realized that there was more than enough just in London and it was a fantastic trip. 

[jaygee]

Ok, so my foster dog woke me up early so I have time. I’m glad I waited for your update!

Your SF plan sounds great. And yes I still recommend the Hyatt as it’s a very central location for jumping off - especially if you want to be near the bridge. I think your family will love the Ferry Building which is right across. It is a large hotel though so if you want some a smaller more boutique like options, let me know. One of the reasons I always recommend it though is because the rooms are large for what you’ll find in the rest of the city. Considering you will just have flown in, that space will probably be nice. I’m not sure what your budget is and admit this is pricey but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Cavallo Point as an option. It’s across the bridge from SF so it’s already on the side with Muir Woods and Sausalito. Amazing views and property. It looks like it wouldn’t be kid friendly but it is. www.cavallopoint.com/

For the coast question - yes, the vibes are pretty different from northern CA to southern CA. The water is colder in the Santa Cruz and Carmel areas than in the Laguna / OC area. Combine that with the temps being cooler and the beach in Nor Cal is more for looking rather than swimming (with the exception of kids who are crazy. I spent my childhood in the water in Santa Cruz beaches with no wet suit and you’d have to pay me money to do that now. lol). I would ask yourself: do I want to maximize seeing the coast every/most days or do I want to see the variety of landscapes / nature CA has? There is no wrong answer. For me, I would lean to the latter. We did a beach trip in Costa Rica where we went to three different beach towns and it was great. But of course now I need to go back to show my kid the jungle/volcano area. lol.