California in late March? What should we do?

[Soupermom]

Please help me plan a trip for my family for our Spring Break next year--3rd week in March. We were originally thinking of going to Hawaii or Costa Rica, but have now decided to decrease our budget, still heading to some warmth and sunshine. Cast will consist of me, DH, DD17 (almost 18), DS 14--from Illinois. My sister and her DH (from Tampa) will also join us. I think we will have 7-8 full days, but two will be used for traveling.

I know California is HUGE, so where should we head on our first trip? We like to do a combination of activities and scenery, or both! The group as a whole travels well together, but BIL is a bit older than the rest of us and appreciates a good siesta most afternoons. He has been to CA before, but not the rest of us.

DD has mentioned San Fransisco, Hollywood and Alcatraz as places of interest. (I know HW is far from the other two). I wouldn't mind those, Disneyland, some Redwoods, some sea lions...whatever. The rest of the group doesn't care to much either; they usually go where I tell them!

So, what should we do that won't take too much driving? We have been to DW several times, so skipping DL would be okay. Is there more to do in the north, or the south for my group? How realistic would it be to fly into one, spend a few days, drive, spend a few days and fly out of the other?

Thanks for any suggestions you can give! (budget ideas are especially appreciated)

 

[mamacatnv]

1 week?
I'd chose either North (San Franciso, go N. to the Redwoods etc)
or
South (LA and surrounding areas)

There is also the road trip option with a few days in San Francisco (3 days at least), then to Santa Cruz/Monterey(1-2 days) then to San Simeon for Hearst Castle (1day) and then into LA

Spring in San Francisco is often warmer than summer - we were there last March and wore tanks and shorts, we were there again in July and wore hooded sweatshirts and jeans.
The coast is hit or miss and should generally get warmer the further south you go.
I'm not positive but I think that time frame is when the whales migrate so you might want to consider a whale watching trip out of Monterey

 

[splash5]

If you do go to San Francisco and decide to do Alcatraz, make sure and book the tour online about a month before you are going. We didn't do this and the tours were all booked up.

 

[Soupermom]

Thanks Splash5...I'll remember to do that if we head North.

 

[mamacatnv]

If you do decide on a week in the North (San Francisco), I highly suggest you get CityPasses. They allow entrance to a lot of the big attractions/museums and they come with unlimited cable car and muni rides.

Cable cars are $6 each way I believe and Muni (bus) is close to $2 each way.
There is an Alcatraz option available with CityPass (or at least there was when we went last spring)

San Francisco is my favorite city, I just love it and we go 3-4 times a year for several days at a time.

 

[Soupermom]

Any more suggestions for the S.F. area???

 

[splash5]

Ghiradelli Square used to be pretty cool. We enjoyed walking around fishermans wharf - it was pretty crowded but lots of nice shops, etc. Check out Lombard street - you can see this from the cable cars.

 

[mamacatnv]

Any more suggestions for the S.F. area???

Here are some of our favorite places to visit:

The Exploratorium
http://www.exploratorium.edu/

City Guides walking tours (free)
http://www.sfcityguides.org/

Fort Point
http://www.nps.gov/fopo/historyculture/index.htm

China Town
http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/

Our favorite restaurant in China Town - love love love this place!
http://washingtonbakerysf.com/

DeYoung Museum
http://deyoung.famsf.org/

California Academy of Sciences
http://www.calacademy.org/

The walk from China Town to the Wharf is a really nice one along Columbus Ave.
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/sanfrancisco/0029020034.html

The cable cars are a must do and are lots of fun. There are several lines to choose from. The line out of Fishermans Wharf and out of Union Sq. are the fullest and have the longest wait times. We always just wander down the line a few stops and then hop in, skipping the long "tourist" line.
This is where having a CityPass again comes in handy. The CityPass has unlimited bus/trolley/cable car passes included.

Personally, I am not fond of the wharf, I think it is crowded, expensive and the food is marginal. If we wander down there it is usually to see the street performers and the sea lions. We generally go elsewhere to eat.

 

[usedmedia]

If you're planning to be in Northern CA on the coast I would highly recommend going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/

Also in the Monterey area (just south of Carmel) is my favorite state park, Point Lobos. Sea otters, cypress trees, tidepools, the works. Absolutely gorgeous with postcard-perfect vistas everywhere you turn. If you're more into redwoods Pfeiffer Big Sur state park is also close by with great camping and hiking trails.

http://www.pointlobos.org/
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=25093

In San Francisco my favorite museum is the Legion of Honor. It features mostly classical art from Europe.

http://legionofhonor.famsf.org/