Vacationing in and around SFO

[Linda428]

My husband and I are planning to travel to SFO in July. I know there are lot of things to see and do in and around SFO. I have taken a look at some of the Muir Woods websites -- would this be a good place to see the redwoods and do some hiking? We would also like to travel south towards Carmel. What is the weather usually like in early July? We will most likely arrive on July 4th. Any recommendations as far as what to see, where to stay, etc. would be most welcome. Although I went to SFO as a child, my husband has never been. Oh, and we will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary!

[TwinMom]

I was just going to post about our trip coming up in August there as well! I'm looking forward to reading responses...

I'm traveling with my 2 DD's, who will be almost 6 year olds. Any recommendations for hotels in the Fremont area that are kid friendly. I would love to be in a place that I can take them for walks or are near parks if possible. I know that's highly unlikely but if it's out there I'd love to know about it!

Thanks!

Happy 30th Anniversary!

[badunnin]

There have been several threads about this in the past few months (one just a week ago!). If you do a search for "San Francisco" in the title, you'll find some great ones!

Good luck!

[Canice]

The weather tends to be very foggy and cold and breezy in San Francisco in the summertime and is similar along the coast of Northern California, though just a few miles inland it can be quite hot.
I guess Muir Woods would be the place to go for redwoods, but be prepared for crowds, and go early. I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge before 11AM on Saturday (that's about 15 miles or so from Muir Woods) and there was a digital sign up that said the parking lot was full. I don't know if that's typical, but it was surprising to me.
There's tons of great hiking in the area. I'd check out the following links (my favorite area is around Tennessee Valley, which you'll find on those sites.)

http://www.nps.gov/goga/index.htm
http://goldengate.areaparks.com/

[KristaMB]

I was at Muir Woods on Friday at noon and the lots were full. However, there was plenty of parking on the street and I did see some signs for shuttle stops. If you check out the Muir Woods website they will give you detailed information on parking and shuttles.

I'll echo the suggestion of doing a search, I just posted some SF hotel information on a thread last week.

TwinMom, when I was a kid I loved visiting the Exploratorium. It may be worth a visit with your girls if you're planning on going into the City.

[MusicMom]

I second the recommendation for the Exploratorium. The science center is really child-oriented and lots of fun for all ages. We went there two years ago, intending just to stay for an hour or two and ended up being there a lot longer. My kids were 10 and 15 at the time, but there are plenty of things for everyone to do, from bubbles to optical illusions and sound. Every city should have one of these places.

Your girls might also enjoy the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield. It's touristy, but fun to see how the candies are made. They also display art made out of jelly bellies.

Linda 428- We went to Muir Woods in late June. The main pathways were fairly crowded, but we went on a 4 mile hike and didn't see many other people. Be careful about the elevations, though- some of the trails are fairly steep.