Road Trip Trip from Sac to DL with kids - tips?

[egritz]

We are preparing to head out on our first DRIVE to DL in a few weeks. We will have our 4 year old (who I'm not worried about) and our 16 month old (who I fear will be sick of the car before we hit Stockton/Modesto). The plan, currently, is to take I5.

Any tips on what to bring for the 16 month old to occupy him in the car? The most he's been in the car in a single day was a round-trip to SF back in May when he was 10 months. It was about 4 1/2 hours (TOTAL) with a good 4 hours out of the car in the middle while we were in SF.

Also we are heading out around 5am on a Saturday morning and would like to stop at a restaurant (not fast food) for breakfast, so I'm looking for suggestions about where may be a good place to stop about 2 hours in to the drive.

Other questions:
Are there any Costcos right off the freeway (thinking clean bathrooms and gas station)

What stops/towns have good places right off the freeway to allow the kids to run & play? Either Fast Food with inside play areas, or perhaps a park not too far off the freeway.

Are there plenty of stops in case the 4 year old has to use the bathroom RIGHT NOW? Or should we plan to just bring a potty with us for the side of the road?

Any other tips are welcome. We don't have a DVD player in the car and the 16 month old still rear-faces so he can't watch anything that the 4 year old might watch on her kindle, and i Do NOT trust him with a kindle the way he kicks & throws when he gets mad. Yes I have a firecracker on my hands!

I feel like a semi-pro at DL, but I'm a complete amateur when it comes to the road trip!

(and please, no horror stories trying to convince us to fly, just keep them to yourself ).

 

[calilou]

We drive from Paso Robles to DL pretty regularly, taking the I-5. Our go-to spot to stop for a meal or snack is Tejon/Lebec right before the grapevine. It can get crowded, but I don't mind because there are a lot of options -- Starbucks, Chipotle, Yogurtland, In-N-Out. So perhaps not the sit down restaurants you mentioned, but not exclusively fast food either. Another option for a longer stop is Harris Ranch (along the I-5 at Hwy 198). Their restaurant is delicious (excellent steaks), plus it has shops and pretty grounds/landscapes and grassy areas to run around in. I imagine it would be a good stop for toddler and preschooler.

Once you get into the LA area I recommend taking an alternate route from the I-5. There is tons of road construction because of the metro and the freeway is a serious mess. The simplest detour is to take the 210 after Santa Clarita to the 605 south. There are many other options, but this helps quite a bit.

 

[egritz]

Thx, we'll need to stop long before the grapevine for breakfast, but will likely need to stop around there later in the drive, so still good info. Good to know about the construction. We'll be using Google maps and will write your alternate route down in case we have connectivity issues.

 

[tlovesdis]

If you are leaving at 5am and want breakfast 2 hours in you're only options will be fast food or Denny's. I was going to suggest Pea Soup Andersons in Santa Nella but not sure how early they open.

There really aren't any towns right off the 5. What you'll see almost all the way down is lots of gas stations and fast food places.

The base of the grapevine, as mentioned above, is a good place to stop and stretch. The McDonalds there may have a play place, but I don't know for sure.

Basically the drive down 5 is boring. We drive it all the time and it's the fastest way, but not exciting! I'll be driving it next Friday!

Good luck and have a blast!!

 

[jason417]

We used to live in Modesto and have made the drive to DL numerous times. We've never taken I-5 so I can't speak to that because we always used 99. In case you change route plans, there's a Costco right off the 99 freeway in Modesto, Merced, Fresno, and Bakersfield. We usually stop at McDonalds for restrooms since it's always easy to find a McDonalds and their restrooms are at least nicer than a gas station usually. Plus, they often have a side door near their restrooms so it's an easy in-and-out. Costco restrooms are nicer, but a little more of a hassle to get to if you're only stopping in for the restroom.

As for non-fastfood breakfast, there's a Black Bear Diner by 99 in Merced. That's probably about 2 hours from Sacramento and they have a lot of options on their breakfast menu.

We bring a potty with us on the road for our youngest. She doesn't usually need it, but it's been a life saver a couple of times. She's almost 4 now so I don't remember exactly what occupied her at 16 months. We have one of those "My Own Leaptop" toys by Leapfrog and that kept her busy for a while when she was younger. She might have been a little older than 16 months, but she was still young enough that she didn't know what she was doing on it (she just enjoyed all the sounds). She tended to do ok most of the time with some small toys from home. Sometimes we pick up a few toys from the dollar store and use those if she seems to get bored. Making frequent stops helps and then powering through for a long stretch without stops if she falls asleep (because any stop would wake her up) worked well for us.

By the way, with kids I prefer driving over flying. Everyone's kids are different and for us flying is a huge mess. Our kids get ear pain on planes and there's no stopping the racket that creates once it begins. Security is a bit of a debacle with the stroller and carry-ons. Maybe we just aren't good at preparing for travel by plane, but I'll take a road trip with the kids any day over flying, especially when it's just a one-day trip to the destination like yours.

We've had a lot of fun experiencing DL through the eyes of our kids at that age because they are intrigued by things we completely ignore as adults. My son absolutely loved the big ball outside Space Mountain and played with that forever. He also ran through the hollow tree tunnel in DCA in/near Redwood Creek Trail for over an hour. That was his favorite part of the whole park.

Have a great trip!

 

[Speechphi]

We live near you, since I know we shop at the same Safeway

Our M.O. When the kids were littler was to leave closer to 3:30. Less traffic on I5! We stop in Valencia/Magic Mountain area. I can't remember the exact name of the exit but I think one of the signs is Stevenson Ranch.

Anyhow, we put the kids in the car while they were sleeping & stop for breakfast around 8. Driving down McBean (maybe that's the exit? Or is that the name of the road in Lincoln?) is better than Galleria Blvd here! Except no Costco, but there's everything else, and it parallels the fwy so you get off the fwy at one exit & hop back on at the next one.

As for occupying the little one...movies! And sleep, which is why we leave so darn early! And then we get out of the car & let them run down the sidewalk when we do stop...heck there's a Chuck E Cheese in Stevenson Ranch

Good luck! I do NOT miss driving with a 16 month old! We have family in Palm Springs so we've made the I5 drive too often!

 

[Angrose]

Don't forget about the rest stops! Those always have grassy areas for running around. There usually seems to be one every 40-60 miles or so.
When my son was a toddler one of us would sit in the back seat with him to keep him occupied. Good luck with the drive!

 

[TrySomethingNew]

Many great suggestions so far! We live in OH and 2x per year or more, we drive the 500+ miles one way to the DC area with 2 kids. Leaving early morning always worked well because it would be dark and they would fall asleep shortly after getting packed in the car. When in potty training or small bladder stage, we just made sure to have extra clothes handy in case of accident, and placed a towel or cloth diaper on their seat in case of accidenT (car seat liners are not absorbant and you don't likely have an extra one lying around). Don't forget the plastic bag tucked nearby to put possible wet clothes into.
Keep them busy: DH was against having kids watch endless movies, so when young, toys work well - new one or two or ones they haven't seen for awhile (so you can put away a a few favorites about a month ahead so they are excited to see them again). Surprisingly, around the 16-18 month age, the standard shape sorter toy available everywhere was a runaway favorite - best $8 spent.
We have our favorite stops on our route, but the best idea is to find a park that you can just stop at for 45 -60 min and let them run and giggle, chase them etc so they will settle down happily once back in the car. We find one well placed physical stop is worth a lot.
Don't stress, you're going to Disney -have a great trip.

 

[Jaylens Papa]

They opened a new Bravo Farms at Kettelman City. It's farther than your first stop but it is a nice break. Cool things to look at and good food.

 

[RedRosie]

We have done the same drive 3 times, sometimes using 99 and sometimes I5. I had originally thought 99 would be better since there are more places to stop, but I actually like I5 with the rest stops much better. The rest stops have so much more room to run on the grass. And they were surprisingly clean and plenty of picnic areas.
I used google maps on satellite view to help with road trip planning. Figure out how often you want to stop (say every 150 miles) and then zoom in on that area. You can see restaurants, gas stations, etc. There are stops along the way with many options, so we worked those exits in along with the rest stops. I think its the Caltrans website that lists the rest stops where you can enter I5 southbound (or northbound) and it will display where they are.
For road trips, we have little Disney presents to open along the way. Nothing fancy, dollar store or Target bins toys, new crayons, etc. But exciting to open a new present after you get back in the car.
Have a great time!

 

[Malcon10t]

I'm thinking Patterson is about 2 hours from you. Not sure how much there is there for food, or if something will be open that early. Los Banos will also have a few things as it is a truck stop town. I personally prefer 99. There are no Costcos along the I-5 in the valley. The stretch is fairly barren, you are mainly going to find rest stops and truck stops.

 

[Metalliman98]

we just did a trip from elk grove to DL with a 4 yo. we left about 7 am on Sunday morning, and stopped at Pea Soup Anderson's in Santa Bella about an hour and a half later. we then got back the road and didn't stop until just before the grapevine for gas. then we did the rest of the drive. door to door about 7 hours but I drive fast and our son travels very well; we made monthly weekend trips to Fresno to visit grandparents ever since he was little. we use I-5, not much to see but shorter than 99.

 

[MommyJKM]

If we drive we like to stop at Harris Ranch in Coalinga. You'll know you're there because your car will start smelling like cow manure

It's about 3 hours into your drive off the I-5 and they have great food and service. There is a waitress that has been there since I was a kid (oh so MANY years ago) and we always stopped there or Anderson Pea Soup into the drive so those 2 places always remind me of Disneyland. We also like to stop there on the way back because you can order their ribs and take them home to cook/bbq yourself. My DH gets a few racks and freezes some to give to friends for holidays/bbq etc. Their beef is all from their ranch on site and they use a farm to table concept which I appreciate.

http://www.harrisranch.com/dine_menus.php

 

[figment_jii]

As others have suggested, the rest stops along I5 are actually pretty decent. They're clean and usually large enough the kids can do a little running around (although, no play structures). We stopped at two of them on my last trip (the one south of Tracy called Westley and one near Coalinga called Avenal). I don't think there are any Costcos along I5 between Stockton/Tracy and LA...

In terms of gas stations, I second the recommendation for the ones at Harris Ranch or Laval Road (about one exit before the Grapevine). I've generally found that any of the Travel America complexes tend to be okay. Gas stations are pretty plentiful along I5, but not all are going to be okay/decent/clean. I would either plan to stop at the rest stops/TA complexes or bring a road side option because that might happen.

The only other bit of advice I really have is that no matter when I've been driving through downtown LA, there always seems to be traffic. Hopefully, you'll get there and there won't be any, but I would be prepared for an extra 45 minutes to an hour to get through downtown LA (we went down on a Saturday last time and there was still traffic in LA in the mid-afternoon!).

 

[calilou]

Glad someone else mentioned Harris Ranch! It really is a cool place with excellent beef. And yes you'll know you're there by the smell.

I second the Stevenson Ranch exit for a safe, good stop farther south. I also second the Bravo Farms stop in Kettleman City. They have lots of shops, food choices and a super cute themed playground. It is another busy/congested stop but I find these preferable to obscure, empty stops!

 

[calilou]

Again avoid the I-5 through LA and surrounding metro area at all costs. It's easy to do, there are so many other freeway choices that will bypass and get you close to DL. It's so worth it, will save you 30-60 minutes.

 

[agamble]

Our M.O. When the kids were littler was to leave closer to 3:30. Less traffic on I5!
Anyhow, we put the kids in the car while they were sleeping & stop for breakfast around 8.

This is what I was thinking. The best way to handle a baby in the car is to drive when they're sleeping. Last Thanksgiving I drove with my then 4 y/o and 1 and a half y/o from Modesto to Las Vegas. I left just after midnight and drove all night. Less traffic means shorter trip, and they slept most of the way. Unfortunately that isn't going to work for us this year and we'll be driving with our newborn. Not looking forward to that drive.

My other suggestion is snacks. Giving the kiddos lofts of snacks to eat will make them less grumpy. I like the idea someone else suggested of giving them little Disney presents along the way.

 

[tiffjoy]

When our kids were small, we broke up the trip driving from the Bay Area with an overnight stay in Kettleman City. It just made it all so much easier. No matter how we looked at it any other way, either we would be stopping a lot or the baby would sleep so much that when we arrived, she would be wide awake and we would be exhausted. And in a hotel room with nothing to do. So we would leave Friday mid afternoon and then stop in Kettleman City for the night. Then head out right after breakfast the next morning. It worked for us. In the car, we do have a DVD player, but before that and for the younger when she was a baby, one of us would sit back there for a while to help with entertainment. Then of course napping. And I always have a bag of snacks. I use Easy Lunchboxes as snack trays in the car, and it works so great! I ask what they want, and dump a little of it into the different compartments. No spilling all over or trying to hold bags anymore.

We stopped at Bravo Farms in Kettleman City for the first time on our trip back a few weeks ago. It was great! Nice play area for the kids that they loved and helped get out some energy, and decent non-fast food meals.

 

[dotfurio]

You might consider the 99 route for more choices to stop. It meets up again with the 5 further south. In bakersfield the Costco exit is Panama lane off the 99. Turn right onto Panama and it's about 3 stoplight down.

Right before the grapevine is the outlets at tejon with lots of food options and you could stretch your legs, though not really anywhere to play.

About 40 min further south of the outlets you'll be near magic mt. There's a lot of restaurants in that area as well, including a McDonald's with a big indoor play structure.

Whe we get down to the la area we like to take the 210 off the 5 then take the 57.

 

[egritz]

Wow, thank you all for the replies & suggestions!

I Can't sit in the back with the kids, there isn't room as we don't have a minivan and their car seats are too wide for a normal sized adult to sit between them. And I definitely can't trust the "baby" with any sort of electronic, he is likely to chuck it and probably hit someone in the head. And I know too many people who have tried the whole "drive while the kids sleep" thing and it has backfired with the kids being wired and awake. Plus that will make us super tired/grumpy. And my 16 month old is historically NOT a great sleeper.

I'm going to write down a bunch of these suggestions. I like the idea of big areas for the kids to play at the rest stops (which are reportedly clean, yahoo!) I also like the idea of Andersens Pea Soup, looks like they are just over a 2 hour drive from our house, so leaving at 5am would make us one of their first customers of the day. And then it looks like Kettlemen City (where my mother in law grew up, actually) is about another 90 minutes and it looks like that Bravo Farms has a play area, and then the outlets another 80 minutes so we may plan on stopping both places to let the kids burn energy.

Are there any other suggested detours around the LA I5 traffic besides the 210 to the 605?