San Fran 6 Flags or Great Americas?

[endy]

So it reaaly looks like we're going to San Fran in July.
Which week would be better? July 3-10 or 10-17? Or will it all be the same?
I've driven thru a few times but never stopped to smell the theme parks.
We'll have a rented car & don't mind driving.

It'll be me, ds13 and his friend also 13. And no, I am not paying for the friends trip. I will let his mom know the cost of the flght & approx how much $$ he'll need. We took him to SD last summer & he had $$ for everything he needed. I still paid extra and I knew I would.

Is Six Flags as good as the website says? What about Great America?

We'll likely stay just to the south and hit the boardwalk at Santa Cruz, Monterey Aquarium, a baseball game, Dave & Busters looks like something we'll like (I'll sign up for the free $10 closer to July). Don't want to be overloaded, kind of want a slower paced week.

Oh the important question - are there any good hockey stores in the area? Both boys are hockey nuts & stuff is so much cheaper than here.

Looking forward to hearing some replies and any suggestions on things we shouldn't miss.
Wendy

 

[Maleficent59]

The first week of July includes our national holiday, July 4th, so there will be some fun and interesting events that weekend. However, it may be a little more crowded that week. If you're visiting the 2nd week of July, the San Francisco Giants have a few home games that week. AT&T Park, home to the Giants, is a great place to visit and catch a ballgame.

If you are looking for a theme park with thrill rides, I recommend Great America for rides over Discovery Kingdom (6 Flags - in Vallejo). Discovery Kingdom (used to be called Marine World) is a cross between a ride and animal theme park.

I asked my friend about hockey stores in the area and the ones recommended are Hockey X Sports Warehouse www.hockeyxsport.com in Oakland, East-West Hockey http://eastwesthockey.net in San Carlos and Power Play Hockey http://www.powerplayhockey.com in San Jose.

Have a great trip!

 

[endy]

Maleficent59 - Thanks for the tips.

Ok second week of July it will be. I wasn't sure if the 4th would affect the whole week but I guess it's a long weekend.

My son is a huge fish/animal freak (well after hockey) that's why he wanted to do Six Flags. We've had passes for SeaWorld for 8 years now & we live in Canada.
If we had to chose between the boardwalk or Great America which would be better? Is there enough rides worth getting the all day wristband at the boardwalk? They'll want to do the big, scary rides.

Is it easier to get to to Giants or Oakland for a ball game?
Last year we did a tour of the Padres ballpark & my son found it pretty interesting. Do all baseball parks do this?
Hmm wonder if they have tours of the san Jose Sharks. The boys would love that.
The hockey sites are they actual stores? Forget that - I'll get my son to check out their sites & decide if he wants to visit the stores (like that would happen - they could spend a whole day doing this)

I leaning towards staying somewhere to the south & near the ocean.

 

[Maleficent59]

Marine World (sorry, can't get used to the new name) is like SeaWorld. So, if your son enjoys SeaWorld, it's worth a visit. The Boardwalk has a completely different feel than Great America. For thrill rides, my child prefers Great America. But the Santa Cruz boardwalk is a great place to walk around, hop on a few rides, and play games.

It's quite easy to take public transportation to the ball parks. The Coliseum is easily accessible by BART. It is literally across the street and you enter the Coliseum Complex from the BART Station/Coliseum ramp. Of course, if you're over that way visiting the Hockey X warehouse (my friend's son recommends visiting this store) - you're right there! One store has a set-up where you can test hockey sticks (I think it was East-West).

AT&T park is a few blocks from a Muni (bus) station or the Caltrains station. If you're staying in the South Bay, you can take Caltrains all the way into SF and walk to the park. Don't know about the tours, but I'm sure if there is anything, you could find it on their websites.

Have a great visit!