Tentative California Itineary driving coast..sort of!!

[bcla]

I went to the Winchester Mystery House when I was young. I think it was sort of cool. It's basically this mansion that was built by an eccentric woman. There's all kinds of weird architectural stuff like these doors that go nowhere and stairs that just run into the ceiling for no reason. I'd like to go back there one day to see what I think of it as an adult.

Carmel is a city on the coast of California just South of Monterey. Similar feel to Monterey but smaller. Not as many tourist attractions as Monterey, but very pretty if you like that type of scenery.

Winchester Mystery House is in San Jose. I wouldn't consider Carmel and San Jose near each other. I didnt look at the map, but I'm guessing it's about 1.5-2 hrs away?

Assuming light traffic, Carmel takes longer to get to than San Francisco - from San Jose. It's about 1-1/4 hours San Jose to Carmel.

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

Correct but if I fly from Anaheim I could just go straight to San Fran instead I fly to San Jose to rent a car to spend time in Carmel to then drive the 2 hours or so to San Fran from Carmel. In theory I could land in San Fran and round trip in one day Sarah Winchester if Carmel not worth the stop but kind of looks like it is...

I see. Well, it's hard to say if Carmel is "worth it" since everyone is so different. It's not the first place I think of when people ask me where to go in Northern California, but it's a very nice place. If you've never been to the area before, most tourists would go to Monterey over Carmel since it's got the Aquarium and a bit more action in addition to the scenery, but they are right next to each other so it's not that big a deal I suppose. The last time we went to Monterey pre-kiddos, we went horseback riding on the beach. I thought at that was pretty enjoyable. I also saw you mentioned hiking in your post. If you are really interested in hiking, if you can find time to go down Big Sur (an extra 45 minutes south of Carmel), you might look into that. It's amazing down there, though it might be tough since your schedule looks pretty full.

Also, while you are in San Diego, if you're daughter loves animals, there's also the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (in Escondido) which I really like and prefer over the zoo, though the actual Zoo is more famous, so it's really hard to recommend to someone to skip the Zoo for the Safari Park. If you're not sold on Old Town San Diego, however, you could consider spending a day at the Safari Park instead. There is a bunch of stuff that comes with admission, but there also lots of add-ons there too in terms of animal experiences.

http://www.sdzsafaripark.org/

There's also this place called Safari West in Sonoma that I've never been to but really would like to go to once the kids are older. I don't think it would fit in your trip this time since it's 1.5 hours north of San Francisco, but maybe something to consider for your next trip out here

http://www.safariwest.com/

 

[bcla]

I see. Well, it's hard to say if Carmel is "worth it" since everyone is so different. It's not the first place I think of when people ask me where to go in Northern California, but it's a very nice place. If you've never been to the area before, most tourists would go to Monterey over Carmel since it's got the Aquarium and a bit more action in addition to the scenery, but they are right next to each other so it's not that big a deal I suppose. The last time we went to Monterey pre-kiddos, we went horseback riding on the beach. I thought at that was pretty enjoyable. I also saw you mentioned hiking in your post. If you are really interested in hiking, if you can find time to go down Big Sur (an extra 45 minutes south of Carmel), you might look into that. It's amazing down there, though it might be tough since your schedule looks pretty full.

Also, while you are in San Diego, if you're daughter loves animals, there's also the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (in Escondido) which I really like and prefer over the zoo, though the actual Zoo is more famous, so it's really hard to recommend to someone to skip the Zoo for the Safari Park. If you're not sold on Old Town San Diego, however, you could consider spending a day at the Safari Park instead. There is a bunch of stuff that comes with admission, but there also lots of add-ons there too in terms of animal experiences.

http://www.sdzsafaripark.org/

There's also this place called Safari West in Sonoma that I've never been to but really would like to go to once the kids are older. I don't think it would fit in your trip this time since it's 1.5 hours north of San Francisco, but maybe something to consider for your next trip out here

http://www.safariwest.com/

All I remember about Safari West is that someone died in one of their tents when a tree fell. Still, that could have happened where I went camping.

I suppose Carmel is charming, but it's really just a town. It's where the upscale retailers are. The scenic area would be the 17 Mile Drive, and I'm not sure how much the entrance fee is these days.

 

[hilarys]

Correct but if I fly from Anaheim I could just go straight to San Fran instead I fly to San Jose to rent a car to spend time in Carmel to then drive the 2 hours or so to San Fran from Carmel. In theory I could land in San Fran and round trip in one day Sarah Winchester if Carmel not worth the stop but kind of looks like it is...

Hi there friend from the ABD board. In my opinion (as someone who has family down in the Carmel/Monterey area) Carmel is way more worth it than the Winchester Mystery House. Carmel is a beautiful charming town with lots of shops and restaurants and a beautiful beach and scenery. It would also be very possible to do a short walk around Point Lobos to see lots of sea life (otters) or Asilomar beach near Monterey. If you have longer, I would highly recommend a visit to the Monterey aquarium if your daughter loves animals. I would definitely choose a couple hours at the aquarium over the Winchester Mystery House. I went to the Mystery House in Grade School and it was interesting, but in my opinion (and I know others have different opinions) not one that I would spend time on when there are so many other great sites to see in Monterey/Carmel or even at the sake of more time in SF. Not something that we ever take out of town visitors too. Just my two cents.

Happy to pass along more thoughts especially on Carmel/Monterey.

I second the idea to do a hop-on/hop off in San Diego. A couple of years ago we also did a "Duck Tour" type tour that was great and the USS Midway as mentioned above is great.

I know highway 17 was mentioned above as a route from Carmel to San Jose. That is not the way we usually go. We head north on highway 1 and then cut over to 101 just past Monterey and take 101 North. Much easier drive than 17. However, if you wanted to skip the Mystery House you could take the 17 route and detour into one of the redwood parks off of 17 although you will be visiting Muir Woods on the ABD so that isn't necessarily a must do.

In San Francisco save time to go the Ferry Building food markets.

 

[KingLlama]

We're planning a two-week drive down the PCH next summer, starting in SF and ending in San Diego. Following this thread so that I can get some good tips for our adventure as well. We'll have two kids in tow, ages 8 and 12.

The "in-between" part of the trip, the stretch between SF and L.A., is the part we're having the hardest time trying to figure out.....where to eat, what to do, where to stay, etc.

 

[bcla]

We're planning a two-week drive down the PCH next summer, starting in SF and ending in San Diego. Following this thread so that I can get some good tips for our adventure as well. We'll have two kids in tow, ages 8 and 12.

The "in-between" part of the trip, the stretch between SF and L.A., is the part we're having the hardest time trying to figure out.....where to eat, what to do, where to stay, etc.

Just as a heads up, the PCH is in Southern California from Ventura County to Orange County. Nobody would call it that in the Bay Area. It's just "Highway 1" around here, even with official names like Shoreline Highway and Cabrillo Highway. Listen to a local traffic reports, and they often refer to "Bayshore Freeway" or "Macarthur Freeway", but it's always just "Highway 1".

If you have two weeks, you might start in Sonoma County, maybe even in Wine Country. From there the major stops before the Golden Gate Bridge are Bodega Bay, Marshall, Point Reyes Station, Point Reyes National Seashore, and Stinson Beach. It's inland, but maybe also Muir Woods National Monument and Mill Valley.

From San Francisco, the major stops are Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz/Capitola, the Monterey Peninsula (Pebble Beach/Carmel/Monterey), and Big Sur. One place that your kids might like is Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad in Felton. It's a narrow gauge tourist railroad built in an old growth redwood forest. It's also next to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. I mentioned Muir Woods, which is certainly interesting. However, if you can visit a place like this or Big Basin Redwoods State Park, I'd say skip Muir Woods. These trees are taller and it's less crowded.

I don't know that much about the coast further down, although I have been to San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. Look up Solvang and Pismo Beach. Maybe San Simeon and Hearst Castle?

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

Just as a heads up, the PCH is in Southern California from Ventura County to Orange County. Nobody would call it that in the Bay Area. It's just "Highway 1" around here, even with official names like Shoreline Highway and Cabrillo Highway. Listen to a local traffic reports, and they often refer to "Bayshore Freeway" or "Macarthur Freeway", but it's always just "Highway 1".

I still call it "PCH", sounds so much cooler than the alternatives . And, people usually know what you are talking about, rather than "Cabrillo Highway" takes a bit more explanation.

We're planning a two-week drive down the PCH next summer, starting in SF and ending in San Diego. Following this thread so that I can get some good tips for our adventure as well. We'll have two kids in tow, ages 8 and 12.

The "in-between" part of the trip, the stretch between SF and L.A., is the part we're having the hardest time trying to figure out.....where to eat, what to do, where to stay, etc.

I don't want to hijack OP's thread too much, but I'll list a few of the places I've been. If you want to start a new thread, I'd be happy to share more opinions. I don't remember many of the places we ate unfortunately, I think we just kind of ate whatever.

(From North to South, some places we just stopped by for a short time, some places we spent longer)
San Francisco
Half Moon Bay
Felton (with the railroad that BCLA mentioned)
Santa Cruz
Monterey/Carmel
Big Sur (There's a popular restaurant called Nepenthe that has nice views)
San Simeon/Hearst Castle
Cambria
Morro Bay
San Luis Obispo
Guadalupe Dunes
Lompoc
Solvang (I have never visited, but it is a common tourist stop)
Santa Barbara
Malibu
Santa Monica

 

[bcla]

I still call it "PCH", sounds so much cooler than the alternatives . And, people usually know what you are talking about, rather than "Cabrillo Highway" takes a bit more explanation.

I dunno. I've never heard anyone from around here call it that. Of course Cabrillo Highway has never been accepted by the public. "Highway 1" is universally understood in Northern California.

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

I dunno. I've never heard anyone from around here call it that. Of course Cabrillo Highway has never been accepted by the public. "Highway 1" is universally understood in Northern California.

Yeah, I guess it just depends on the situation. If I'm talking to someone at work about directions to Monterey, I'll say Highway 1. If I take 2 weeks to drive from Southern California to SF, I'll say that we "took a trip up PCH". If I'm on a message board, I'll usually just say PCH. For DIS members from Florida and even from Europe, I think Pacific Coast Highway is instantly recognizable and know what you are talking about, even though not technically accurate. Even newspapers and magazines like National Geographic will refer to the entire length of Highway 1 from the Bay Area to Southern California as "Pacific Coast Highway".

From NatGeo:
"The Pacific Coast Highway—that storied ribbon of road that stretches 147 miles along the California coast from Carmel to Morro Bay—is one of the top motorcycle rides in the U.S. It's also, deservedly, been designated an All-American Road."

As you said, I don't think I've ever said nor heard anyone say "Cabrillo Highway" in my whole life, LOL. But, yes you are correct that "Pacific Coast Highway" is not the actual name of Highway 1 in Northern California, and "Highway 1" is universally accepted in California.

 

[bcla]

Yeah, I guess it just depends on the situation. If I'm talking to someone at work about directions to Monterey, I'll say Highway 1. If I take 2 weeks to drive from Southern California to SF, I'll say that we "took a trip up PCH". If I'm on a message board, I'll usually just say PCH. For DIS members from Florida and even from Europe, I think Pacific Coast Highway is instantly recognizable and know what you are talking about, even though not technically accurate. Even newspapers and magazines like National Geographic will refer to the entire length of Highway 1 from the Bay Area to Southern California as "Pacific Coast Highway".

I was just thinking of what one might call "situational awareness". If you're lost and asking for directions, it helps to know the lay of the land. Certainly avoid using phrases like "Frisco" or "San Fran". While I suppose the names of the major freeways are well known, nearly everyone will register using the highway number. 280 is better understood than Junipero Serra Freeway.