California with kids?

[XAVIER]

After doing Florida for the past two years we're considering California for our next trip to the US. This would probably be in October next year but what is the weather like then?
We have been before many years ago (Without kids) but that was in the summer and the weather was great - apart from a few misty days in San Francisco!!

We will probably do a two centre holiday choosing between LA, San Fran, San Diego and Las Vegas .

Having two young kids (6 & 8), LA is a must so they can do Disneyland - but would it be warm enough for them to spend some time in the hotel pool at this time of year?

Would the kids like Las Vegas? (It's changed a lot since we were there 12 years ago!) Is Vegas kid friendly now?

We loved San Fran but are concerned about the temperature at this time of year and whether there is enough to keep the kids amused. San Diego has Legoland and Seaworld and the Zoo so that may be a better option.

If anyone has any opinions or suggestions please fire away - we'd love to return to the west coast but can't decide where the kids would enjoy the most!

 

[madaboutmouse]

We have been to So. Cal. in the fall many times and the weather is usually pretty good. We have experienced anything from 75 to 85 degrees during the day and the 60s mostly at night. Almost all the hotels in the DL area have heated pools and I know the DLH pool si heated. Our kids went swimming last year in November and the ambient air temps were about 80.

As far as Las Vegas, I have not been there in about 12 years or so, either. However, I have a friend whose kids love LV and they have never taken their kids to DL (go figure!). Her kids' favorite vacation spot is LV so one might assume that it is quite kid friendly.

San Francisco has the trolley cars, Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, Lombard Street and so on. If you don't make SF too long a stay, your kids might really like it. Don't forget the Redwoods, they are awesome.

San Diego is a favorite of our kids also. We always enjoy the ocean, Sea World, Scripps Institute, the Wild Animal Park, which I favor over the Zoo.


BTW, our kids are now 11, 9, 7 and we have been going to So. Cal. for vacations all their lives and we always love going. If you go to San Diego, be sure to ride the wooden Roller Coaster at Belmont Park. Very cool coaster, w/lots of history. If memory serves me correctly, it is called the Big Dipper and has been featured on the Travel Channels Top 10 Coasters program last year.

HTH.

Mary and DD's going to DL in Nov. '01

 

[teri]

Be sure to read through the posts on Mary Jo's thread at the top of the page, Other Things to Do In Southern CA. Lots of great info there!

 

[LuvTigger]

I go to LV just about every year (sometimes more than once a year). We don't have kids, but we're not big gamblers either, and we find lots of things to do. If you'd like me to go into more detail, please ask, but these are just a few things I think you could enjoy with your kids in Las Vegas:
* Shopping, I love the malls there. I usually end up finding some good deals at Belz or other outlets too.
* Practically every hotel on the strip has a free "show" that you can see from the sidewalk. A few of the hotels have great themed shopping areas (must see the Disney Store in Caesar's Palace Forum!). Some of the stores are the pricey ones, Gucci, etc., but there are also reasonable ones like DS, Bath & Body Works, Virgin Records, etc.
* There are other attractions (fee required) to see. I really enjoyed the dolphins and tigers at Mirage. A few years ago, it was about $10 a person (not sure about children's pricing), and the money went to some kind of research. There's also a Hoover Dam tour, or you could just drive to Hoover Dam to check it out. Swimming at Lake Mead is nice too, or you could rent a boat if that's something you'd be interested in.
* If you can afford it, there are some really great shows there. I guess I should say "family friendly" shows, as well as the more adult ones!
* We love to just walk around and check out the hotels. Many of them have rides, and some even have kind of mini-amusement parks within them. Some of the roller coasters may be too much for your kids, but some places have tamer rides. A bunch of them are the flight-simulator type (like Star Tours or Back to the Future). Some of the hotels even have little shows going on in their shopping areas.

Again, I could go on and on. If you'd like more specifics, like which hotel has what, etc., just leave another message here.

Happy planning!

 

[XAVIER]

Thanks everyone, I'm now convinced that wherever I choose the kids will have fun!!

12 years ago the DW and I did a coach tour taking in LA, San Fran, Phoenix, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Bryce Canyon and San Diego (Plus a week in Hawaii). It was one of our best vacations ever!!

Maybe it's time to do it again and let the kids experience it ALL. (Hey , it saves me having to choose where to go! )

Prepare yourselves for more questions from me over the coming months.

Thanks again.

 

[jlima]

Don't hesitate to take your kids to Las Vegas. Here's what my 7-yr old likes to do:

-Adventuredome at Circus Circus (good for at least half a day or the evening)

-Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay

-GameWorks arcade on the Strip near the MGM

-ESPN restaurant at NYNY

-Forum Shops at Caesars (FAO Schwartz toy store, Cheesecake Factory Restaurant)

-Lion Habitat & Rainforest Cafe at MGM Grand

-Car Collection at Imperial Palace

-Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum at The Venetian

-pirate show at Treasure Island

-NASCAR Cafe at Sahara

-Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton

-Eiffel Tower elevator ride at Paris Las Vegas

-Tournament of Kings show at Excalibur

-carnival games at Excalibur, NYNY and Circus Circus

I could go on; these are just off the top of my head; the activities we've done with our son over the past year!! Come to Las Vegas; you'll have a great time. Hope this helps!!

 

[XAVIER]

Thanks, jlima, it sounds like Vegas is one big theme park these days!

What is the Star Trek experience like? Sounds like something which would amuse me for a while. (I'm a big SF fan.) PS The Hilton is where we stayed last time we were there when most of these other hotels weren't even on the drawing board.

Any ideas on which hotel would be best for the kids? They all seem to cater for families in some way.

 

[ErinC]

Xavier,
Just wanted to mention, because I was making reservations for a las vegas hotel the other day( Monte Carlo), that the published rate on the web site was $69 for the week nights. I needed a couple of rooms so I called to book over the phone. We have two children(2&5). They wanted to add $25 per child, per night charge to the room cost. I told her that there was no way I was going to pay that charge. She said many of the hotels are now charging this fee. I told her I'd find one that didn't. So just be careful when making reservations. Just thought you might want to know so that you could be aware when shopping for a place to stay.

 

[jlima]

If you're going in October the pool at whatever hotel you choose should still be open . . . and the weather should be hot through mid-month. If you're staying on the strip & money is no object I would stay at Mandalay Bay because their pool is awsome; it's a wave pool + they have a lazy river (I haven't been there myself but I know people that work there & have only heard good things about their pool). However, from what I understand they charge $30 for each person beyond 2 in the room; and they require a wristband to enter their pool area and the amount of wristbands you get depends on how many people are registered in the room. The MGM Grand also has a nice pool with a lazy river.

The Star Trek Experience is a walk-through area with costumes, props and a time line of Star Trek in the que for the ride, which is a motion simulator ride similar to Star Tours but WWAAYY better (I believe the height requirement is 42 inches). There's also retail shops with Star Trek stuff (nothing you can't get at a Star Trek convention, but way cool if you don't have access to a convention) and Quark's Bar & Restaurant. You can get into the shops & Quark's Bar without paying (I would check their website for pricing; we got a locals discount & paid $12 pp the last time we went), so if you just wanted to eat & shop you could. Their burgers are great.

Hope this helps.