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View Full Version : Vacation planning tips for San Francisco in June?



Sharenraly
02-23-2011, 06:53 AM
I'm planning a family vacation (kids age 16 & 8) to San Francisco next June. I'd appreciate any suggestions for things to do and see and good hotels, especially those near public transportation in case we don't rent a car. Any advice or things not to miss or definitely to avoid? Probably also going to try to see Yosemite for part of the trip. We're from Texas and this would be first trip to CA. Thanks in advance!

NJGIRL
02-23-2011, 09:15 AM
Welcome to INTERCOT. :magic:

I have never been to SF so I can't help you there, but we have been to several National Parks and we really enjoy them!

MarkC
02-23-2011, 02:49 PM
Honeymooned in SF and later took the kids when they were 8 and 5. A few things they enjoyed. Don't miss walking Lombard street. Its only a block long but the kids really enjoyed it. Make the drive to Muir Woods. There are some great hiking trails among the park and the very tall trees that call it home.

Don't forget trying to take the boat to Alcatrez. That's one of the few items that you probably need to buy tickets in advance.

Another highlight was making the drive to south to Monterey and the aquarium. Just a stones throw from there is the beach at Carmel. The beach abutts up against Pebble Beach golf course, so if your husband is a golfer he would love that. I believe the beach is in view of holes 16 and 17. Its been a few years now but that's what I recall.

The Coit Tower and Fisherman's Wharf are very cool, as is Ghiradeli Square. I'm not sure of the spelling of all these, but its close. The Wharf has an aquarium and an "earthquake experience" show, which is kind of cool. Enjoy.

MarkC
02-23-2011, 02:52 PM
Oh I almost forgot. Spend some time at Golden Gate Park. We had a picnic there, and the Japanese tea gardens there are gorgeous.

If you have time, drive to San Jose and visit the Winchester House. Its very hard to explain but you can google it. The kids loved that as well.

SBETigg
02-23-2011, 02:55 PM
I visited San Francisco very briefly for a conference, but I did get out and around. A few things to know- the driving is insane. I was scared for my life in a few cabs there. Also, walking around after dark can be a little scary. We were in a nice hotel (The Palace) in (I think) a good area, and there were loud screaming fights outside our hotel every night, plus we were nervous walking back from dinners a few times. This would not deter me-- it was a lovely place to visit with lots to see. But I wouldn't want to drive there, and with kids I would stick to mostly daytime activities.

BrerGnat
02-23-2011, 04:36 PM
My sister lives in S.F. and we've been up there twice with our young boys to visit.

1. You need a rental car. The city is just way too big, and the public transportation is not very efficient. It gets clogged up VERY badly, especially on weekends and in the summer. Also, the cable cars are now a huge racket...the charge to ride them is INSANE, so they are not a good means of transport around the city. Maybe ride one for fun (one way), just for the experience. It's about $5 per person, PER SEGMENT on the cable cars now.

2. I'd recommend staying in a hotel in either Union Square or in the Fisherman's Wharf area. Fisherman's Wharf will have you closer to the Presido area of S.F., where you will find Golden Gate Park, the Walt Disney Family Museum (HIGHLY recommend a trip there), and many other unique tourist destinations. A drive over Golden Gate bridge is fun as well. Union Square is at the heart of Downtown. Lots of good shopping/dining there.

Yosemite is quite a drive from SF. You'll need to stay overnight there if you really want to see that too.

All the suggestions above are good ones.

If you decide to stay in Union Square, do a quick google search for "Tenderloin District". This will give you a good idea of which area to AVOID at all costs, especially after dark. Don't want you to be a naive tourist... This area is okay to drive through in the daytime, to get to other parts of the city, but don't go walking that way...

Driving in S.F. is challenging, but not impossible. The biggest issue is that of most cities: lots of one way streets, diagonal intersections, and "bus only" lanes. A good GPS system is crucial here. If you have one, bring it. If not, make sure you add it to your rental car.

NewDVCowner
02-23-2011, 05:43 PM
I grew up in the Bay Area so I have some things to add.

The Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park is amazing. They just finished basically rebuilding it from the ground up. They have a really nice aquarium, rainforest exhibit and planetarium. The DeYoung Museum is right across the way from it if you're interested in that, there is a great tower at the museum that you can go to without admission that will put you up several stories for breath taking views.

If you do Lombard Street try to walk it. I was there with friends recently and the road to get up there is usually very crowded with cars waiting to drive down it, and is VERY steep. We were in an automatic and did roll backwards every time the brake was taken off. I was a nervous wreck!

Fishermans Wharf is one of the tourist spots. It's full of junk tourist shops, however if you go to see Alcatraz you'll be there anyway to catch the ferry. The aquarium by the bay, at the Wharf, is very overpriced in my opinion, especially if you go to the Academy of Sciences or the Monterey Aquarium. It is worth going to the Wharf to see the sea lions, especially for children. Don't worry, you'll hear them.

If you want to go to Alcatraz reserve your tickets online ahead of time. They sell out FAST. I also highly recommend their audio tour.

As already mentioned, the cable cars are very expensive, but they are certainly something to do as a tourist. Don't count on them as your main means of transportation.

As for things outside of San Francisco, Muir Woods is beautiful. I also really recommend going to the Marin Headlands. Drive over the Golden Gate Bridge going north and take the first exit. Turn turns towards the ocean. The first place you see a huge number of cars parked, find a place to park, there is a fabulous look out over the Golden Gate Bridge and the city (a short, easy walk). If you continue down the road in the area you can get to the Point Bonita lighthouse, though it's only opened to the public for short periods. If you have any sort of fear of heights, though, don't do this. There is a very scary bridge across to it and they only allow two people on it at a time. If you continue down the road there is a very nice beach you can play at. Be aware - the ocean is COLD. Do not plan on splashing around there for a long time.

Napa and Sonoma are both very close for spending some time in wine country. Most, if not all, wineries will charge from $5 to $10 for a tasting of four or five wines. Some don't (Cline Cellars is one that I know for sure does not charge and they have a neat exhibit on the California Missions - it's on highway 116 near Sonoma. There's also an olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting place directly across the street from it that is also free to taste at.) (I was just up there two weeks ago so it's fresh in my mind.)

Monterey is about two hours south of San Francisco. It has one of the best aquariums in the world. Cannery Row (where the aquarium is) is again, full of tourist shops, but it is fun to walk around. A stones throw away is Pacific Grove and Carmel. It's a beautiful drive with plenty of places you can pull over and enjoy the beaches. There are also some great tide pools down there, which I haven't played in since I was a kid.

Going towards Yosemite you're talking a good five or six hour drive from San Francisco, so certainly plan on staying overnight at least one night. The Valley is beautiful! If you want to stay in it you may already be out of luck, but you can look into it. There are two hotels right in the Valley, the Ahwanee (SUPER expensive) and Yosemite Lodge at the Falls. There is also the Wahwona Hotel which isn't in the Valley but is in the park, and is about a half hour drive from the Valley. Keep in mind that if you're staying in a place in one of the towns outside of the park it's a good forty-five minute to an hour drive to get to the Valley.

Gold country, in the Sierra's, is beautiful and I love visiting there. It might be a little boring for children but Columbia is a neat living history town that is fun for kids. Not worth a trip by itself, though.

A couple of general things to know. While in June it can get pretty hot away from the coast San Francisco has it's own air conditioning built in with the ocean and can get COLD. Wear layers and be prepared for cold temperatures. Mark Twain said that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. Once you get past the Berkeley Hills, though, don't be surprised if the weather hits between 90 or 100 in June.

If you plan on doing public transportation in the Bay Area a good resource is 511.org where you can plan your trip out using the buses and BART. If you plan on driving have a good GPS system because it can be very confusing.

If you have any specific questions feel free to send me a private message and I'll help you as much as I can.

Janmac
02-25-2011, 12:59 AM
Things we did on two trips to San Francisco:

Alcatraz - first boat in the morning. Very interesing. If you like to take a lot of photos, this is a great time for lighting. We did a speed tour and took the first boat back, because our grandson had seen the movie, The Rock, too many times and was afraid we'd get locked up by wacko military guys.

USS Pampanito - a WW2 submarine open for tours in the Fisherman's Wharf area. DH served on a sister ship of the Pampanito, so our grandkids quickly quit the audio tour and listened to Granddad.

Cable car - mostly for the hanging on to the outside. The cable car museum is very interesting.

Lunch in China Town. If memory serves, this was not far from the cable car museum. We didn't spend a lot of time in China Town, because our grandson kept expecting Bruce Lee to jump him from an alley. We had the most fun, with that grandson.

Lombard Street - is really crowded but we did drive down, rather than walk.

Muir Woods - lots of great big old trees. Very restful place. No need to join the crowds in Yosemite. California really is a very big state.

A note about driving in SF. Our first trip was a hoot. We arrived after dark - not a good plan. We were staying at a place near Union Square (Marines Memorial I think it's called). DH was driving, I was reading the map (which for some reason did not indicate one way streets), one friend kept a look out for red lights, and another for one way street signs. We actually made it to the hotel without wrecking the car. No telling how many fender benders we left in our wake.

We did much better the second trip but then we made sure to arrive and leave by daylight.

Good luck and enjoy!

Jan