Any fun places to stop on the way to Disneyland from N. Cal?

[junmatno]

Anderson's is in Gustine which is actually North of Monterey so that would be the wrong way for us. Any more votes for going 5 or 46? I think its a tie now so I'm not sure which way to go.

Mama, we live in salinas, we always go either 101 for the scenery, or 101 to 46 to 5. I prefer the second route and recommend it.

I know I don't have to tell you to hit 68 to Salinas for 101, lol.

We have a little one also, have made the trip twice since she was born and just stop on the way as needed.

Have fun!! We'll be there 10/5-10/9.

Noel

 

[bcla]

Anderson's is in Gustine which is actually North of Monterey so that would be the wrong way for us.

Any more votes for going 5 or 46? I think its a tie now so I'm not sure which way to go.

There's another location near Santa Barbara. Not sure what the deal is with the ownership, but i specifically remember both locations listed on the placemats. This website only mentions one location. I don't know if it's an old design and there was some sort of ownership split or something.

http://peasoupandersens.net/

 

[gregtheshark]

DW and I took the 101 to 46 on our last trip and it ended up costing us an extra hour. The trucks really killed us that trip. Between the trucks and lack of scenery we vowed "never again"

shark

 

[ExcitedMama]

Oh no you guys are confusing me again! Monkeymers had me convinced to go 46 but then more advice against it until Junmatno had me back to 46 and now gregtheshark has me really scared of 46! Can anyone clarify for me when they last went 46 and what time of day? Monkeymers was saying they were redoing 46 so are the anti-46 votes before it was widened? Thanks so much!

As for the pea soup I think I heard a rumor years ago that there was some sort of split in the family with the restaurants. No idea if its true but that's what I heard years ago when I was at UCSB which is near the Buelton location. At least when I was driving back and forth to school there was a big sign for it on 101.

 

[Gamegrl1]

I'm from Sacramento. Just did the drive from Sacramento down I-5 to San Luis Obispo last week and I agree, I-5 is BORING!!!!! 99 may be slower but it's like a wonderland compared to I-5. Both are two-lane roads but there are few stops on 5 - one big rest stop and not many gas stops at all. 99 has many bathroom stops as well as eating places and just things to look at...cities, towns, signs, etc. More opportunities to play the "ABC Game", haha...not that you could do that all day!

I second the PP who mentioned Bravo Farms off of 99. I've never stopped there myself but it looks interesting and would break up your drive. If you're into a slightly longer stop, Visalia (off 99) is a kind of cool town with a nice little downtown and restaurants too.

I prefer flying to D-land but if I can't, it's all about driving fast with minimal stops. I'd load up on the car entertainment...maybe do little surprise treats for the day of, or pull out something new every couple hours? Talking and interacting actually made our last drive from D-land (last fall) go surprisingly quickly, but then again, we're adults. I don't have great advice for little kids, sorry!

Edit: I was on Hwy 46 last week (from Sac to SLO) and it was fine. I didn't see where in N. Cal you're from, but it really seems like going that far west of I-5 would add a ton of drive time. Maybe that's ok with you if you're in search of scenery but really, to get scenery you have to be way out by the coast down in that area. If you want to avoid 5, I'd say take 99 more of the way, but otherwise just stick to 5...tough it out...that's my advice. ***Do avoid Hwys 269 and 33 near Avenal, if you decide to cut west of 5 and think that's a "shortcut". They're doing construction and we were delayed about 15 minutes, just sitting still in nowheresville.

 

[Minuet888]

a lot of people that say not to go the 46 because of trucks may not realize that the 46 recently went through a big overhaul and is now four lanes instead of two. Going the 46 is fine just realize that for an hour no bathrooms breaks, no food no nothing, with kids that might be hard. I don't like going the 156 route because it is just too much time on the 5. Lost Hills on the 46/5 has TONS of fast food restaurants and gas stations etc.
It's really up to you as the time difference is virtually the same.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

You guys are bringing back memories. My sister used to live in the Sacramento area, and I once drove down to DL with her in a mini-van with a carful of kids. It wasn't the kids, but us, who needed to stop for restroom breaks about every 10 minutes. (Might have been the coffee.)

What kept the drive fun was candy --- lots of it. My sister bought a gigantic bag of it at Costco, the bag broke open on the floor, and from then on it was like driving in a piñata. You'd just reach down and grab what you wanted as the candy rolled from the back, to the front, to the back of the car. It was a really fun trip. I take no responsibility, however, if you try to implement this suggestion with your own kids!

 

[southlake]

We live in the East Bay, we are of the "Take 5 and get there as quick as possible" group. We always stop at Harris Ranch for bathroom break & gas, and one other random stop for when DH & DD have to go potty (mommy can make it with 1 stop at Harris Ranch though lol).

 

[krispin41]

Not sure how well this would be for toddlers but Pea Soup Andersen's can be fun if you're going for a retro vibe.

Totally remember stopping at 8am and having pea soup with my breakfast. Lol