San Francisco area activities and dining

[sadiebug]

We are leaving for San Francisco in a few weeks and I am looking for ideas of fun things to do in that area and in surrounding areas as well since we will have a car. Also looking for suggestions of places to eat.

There are 4 of us going, my mom, DS10, DD14 and myself. We've got our tix already for Alcatraz (the night tour!) and a baseball game. Also have plans to go to the Winchester Mystery House and I think the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. Obviously we will also be doing the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf and the trolley cars.

What other fun things can you suggest? Don't miss places to eat? (kid appropriate and budget friendly, of course!) Awesome beaches nearby? My son has never seen the ocean, so that's a biggie!

I'm waaaayyyy behind on my planning for this one, so any suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks!!

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

The only thing I can add that I would want to do while in SF would be to go to Chinatown. Just to shop, not to eat. I am not into authentic Chinese food but the shopping I hear is amazing.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

The only thing I can add that I would want to do while in SF would be to go to Chinatown. Just to shop, not to eat. I am not into authentic Chinese food but the shopping I hear is amazing.

I have been to SF many, many times and I would say the shopping in Chinatown is not really amazing; it's mainly a bunch of shops selling the same junky tourist stuff. There are some very good restaurants though. This is a fun place to stop with kids:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/golden-gate-fortune-cookies-san-francisco

OP, not sure why you are going to the Winchester House, which is actually in San Jose or Santa Cruz, when there is so much to do in SF. I would recommend visiting the California Academy of Sciences:

http://www.calacademy.org/visit/

I like Baker Beach; more info here:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/baker-beach-san-francisco

This is a great place for breakfast on your way to the beach:

http://louissf.com/

Lots of fun stuff to do at the Presidio:

http://www.nps.gov/prsf/index.htm

Your daughter would probably enjoy shopping in Union Square:

http://www.unionsquareshop.com/


Also browse tripadvisor.com for advice and get a good guide book.

 

[tvguy]

Walt Disney Family museum, of course. It's in the Presidio right next to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Gotta go to Ghirardelli.

 

[MaleficentRN]

We're going to San Francisco this summer as well. I found many threads in the California forum when I did a search. Here's one really good thread in particular:
San Francisco thread - to discuss all things San Francisco
And yes, don't forget The Walt Disney Family Museum
Have fun!

 

[disneygoof]

Think it might have been the kids so going with not kid-friendly. Dd ordered a hamburger. They brought a cheeseburger. When we told the waiter she asked for a cheeseburger he asked "well is she allergic to cheese?" Ummm....does it matter? They couldn't get us out of there fast enough and my kids were behaving.

 

[FINFAN]

Walt Disney Family museum, of course. It's in the Presidio right next to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Gotta go to Ghirardelli.

exactly what I was going to post

 

[ceecee]

Muir Woods is very enjoyable. You could go to Sonoma and see wine country, the Sunflower Cafe is a great place to eat if you do. We enjoyed the sourdough bread bowls on the Wharf.

 

[califlorican]

Japantown
In n Out for burgers
the Exploratorium
MOMA San Francisco
Lombard Street (very touristy for some reason haha)

If you're going to Santa Cruz, maybe drive the extra 40 minutes to Monterey and visit the Aquarium or just the area- it's beautiful and I love Carmel's downtown, so cute.

 

[Glenn]

San Francisco is a fun town. As mentioned Muir woods i great. Along with the cable cars dont miss the F line. Its a light rail line that travels along the bay & down market st. Its different in that they use old trolleys from around the US, Canada & I think a couple from Europe.
Street music & art. Weekends especially you run into local artists & musicians along the bay. Its always fun to look & listen.
Maritime museum along the bay run by the National Park Service, fun to look at can get on old ships. Golden gate park is expansive. If you search sf coupons and the sf tourism bureau you might run into coupons. Last suggestion is to eat local & away from chains. McD is the same everywhere. Have lots of fun.

 

[tar heel]

Do eat in Chinatown and the Italian section. We did not do Japantown, but I wish we had. We did a double decker bus tour to get oriented, and the driver gave us suggestions for both of these sections.

We did Napa Valley for wineries and also spent a few hours driving along the Pacific Coast on California 1. The latter might be good for you -- my kids wouldn't have enjoyed a winery and I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it with them.

Public transportation is really good and includes the trolleys and even the cablecars, so use it and you'll save a lot of money on cabs.

Did I miss something at Ghirardelli? I was totally underwhelmed. Not sure what I was expecting . . .

 

[shortbun]

www.wokwiz.com

I think your kids would like the dim sum lunch as they take some time to explain dim sum. The walk through the fortune cookie factory is good.

Trolley museum is pretty cool; I recommended it to everyone I sent to SFO when I was a travel agent.

There is SO much to do. You don't need to leave much. Coit tower at Sunset is fun.

Check out the cultural calendar and see if there's anything going on. Parks(Golden Gate especially), coffee shops(Washington Square),ride the trolley. Waterfront has much to offer during the day. Very kitchy and the seals and artists on the street, Mdme Taussauds. Alcatraz tour is interesting-reserve ahead.

 

[laurab84]

do the open bus tour! it's so fun! and the main park has a fantastic museum and aquarium. I'm sorry I can't remember what it was called, it's been several years since I went but here's a big aquarium and tropical harden with butterflies. we had the best day out there I just can't remember the name! I'm sure someone can help me out... also look for the bush man. he's worth watching!


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[MomToOne]

The stores in Chinatown on the main tourist streets all sell the same cheapo souveniers but they are still fun to spend time in! We live in N. California and go into SF for a weekend once or twice a year or so, and wandering Chinatown is at least half a day for us everytime. The part of Chinatown most people see is just a few main streets - take some time to wander past those, and you'll see the real neighborhood. Next time we go, I want to do a walking tour of Chinatown - I've been eyeballing this one: http://www.chinatownwalk.com/index.html. It's expensive, but it gets good reviews on Yelp.

Don't forget to pack some light jackets and sweatshirts! It's amazing the number of people who don't, despite Mark Twain's supposed saying: "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco". (While a great saying, there's no proof Twain actually said it - but the sentiment holds.) While not "cold", San Francisco can be quite cool and windy in the summer due to it's unique micro-climate. I NEVER head into SF without a few extra layers to add on...

 

[krcit]

Muir Woods was so cool!!

 

[disneylove69]

Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield See how the famous beans are made and samples.

 

[nunzia]

Walt Disney Family museum, of course. It's in the Presidio right next to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Gotta go to Ghirardelli.

I agree with this.
I'm from San Jose and can see you all wanting to do the Winchester house and Santa Cruz, but as another said, these aren't really close..but if you have a car and lots of time could be a fun day. Don't miss Alcatraz and Marin..

 

[Zim]

Another vote for Muir Woods and The Walt Disney Museum. I think the museum let us use our AAA discount. If not, we might of skipped it, it's not cheap as far as museums go - but one of the best I've even been in. It looks deceptively small from the outside.

The Muir Woods was amazing (see below) - but unless you're willing to do a fairly intense hike, be prepared for the throngs of people. When I go hiking, I want peace and serenity, not people. So we took a long hike path, and I think it stressed out the beau as to whether we'd get lost or be late for our evening plans!!! Well worth it for me to leave the people behind!

 

[heretolearn]

If you like italian there is a restaurant called Franchino on Columbus Ave. It's authentic italian little restaurant and so good.
Muir Woods tour was good, but I found Chinatown to be boring. Lots of crap being sold in every store and the restaurant we went to tasted just like the chinese food I get from a chain here in Wisconsin.
Have a great time! San Francisco is a fun time.

 

[PlutoPony]

Love San Francisco
Check out the City Pass and see if you can get your money's worth out of it. We found it worthwhile but YMMV
Golden Gate Park is very nice and the Academy of Science would be good for your ages. Took the bus there from the Fisherman's Wharf area, enjoyed the ride through Haight-Ashbury , Also enjoyed the Exploritorium, your 14 yo is on the upper age for it but will be ok if she has some interest in science stuff (my son was 14 and was fine with it).
Take one of the boat trips on the Bay that go under the Golden Gate (that was part of the City Pass). Just remember that anytime you're out on the water it's going to be windy and chilly... layer up for sure.
If you're there on a Saturday morning, check out the farmer's market in the Ferry Building. The building itself is worth seeing and the market is AMAZING! Really envy people who can shop there every week.

We stayed in the Fisherman's wharf area without a car - it's more hassle and $$ than it's worth - and did everything we wanted to in the area using public transportation (again part of the City Pass). Then grabbed a car, hit the Exploritorium on the way out of town (not as easy to get to on the bus) and stopped at Muir Woods. After that spent several days in Point Reyes/Half Moon Bay/Sonoma before driving back to the airport. Worked well for us and kept our costs down.

The highlight of the trip was a Segway tour. My son still talks about it 4 years later! Minimum age for it in SF is 14, may not work for your family. But if you're looking for something to do just with your older child I can't recommend this enough!

Have fun!