We love to travel around our little city and the surrounding area as often as we can. Instead of sitting around the house on a free day, we make a point to hit the road and explore what our city has to offer. Please take a moment to check out my guest post at Ciao Bambino titled Five Activities in Florida North of Mickey’s House. In this article, I wrote about 5 of our favorite Panhandle activities! While you are there, check out Amie’s great blog and all the reviews of family friendly properties.
What makes the San Francisco Bay Area so unique is the number of different places you can visit within a relatively short drive. I also love our micro-climates—if you don’t like the weather where you are, just drive 15 minutes and it will change! This is particularly key over the summer months when it can be foggy and cold, especially in San Francisco and along the coastline.
We all know that the easiest travel plan with kids, particularly young kids, is to establish a home-base where you can unpack and minimize the hassles of continually moving. The beauty here is that the driving distances are relatively small so families can decide if they want to experience a new environment and change hotels, or simply stay put and check out sights via day trips.
San Francisco
Of course, this is the key urban attraction in Northern California. For good reason—San Francisco is a spectacular city with incredible cultural diversity. Any good guidebook will outline the main tourist attractions—Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz, North Beach, Golden Gate Park—all places that should be included a first-time visit. My 6-year-old likes to remind me that “just walking around” all the time is not fun. Break-up traditional sightseeing with more active stops. I love Chrissy Field, the oceanfront park leading up to the Golden Gate Bridge. There is a sandy beach that is always full of kids and dogs, plus there is a fantastic flat walking path leading right to the base of the bridge. Visit the Chrissy Field web page for special kid-focused programs and activities. Energetic families will love the thrill of walking across the Golden Gate Bridge although it is 1.7 miles across, so a partial walk will be in order for young kids.
Another active stop that is unique is heading to Golden Gate Park on a Sunday to enjoy traffic-free bike riding on the park’s main street, JFK Drive. There are so many people out and about from all walks of life—parents and kids alike will get a kick out of the fantastic people watching opportunity. This SF Gate article has a good general breakdown of the park and includes information about bike rental options near the park.
Another highlight in the park is the de Young Museum with an extensive permanent collection and there is always some kind of amazing special exhibit happening (Warhol Live is there now through May 17th and King Tut is coming in June). Yes, kids have a limited attention span for art, but one fun thing at the de Young is Friday Nights at the museum when the museum stays open until 8:45p with hands-on kids activities and a no-host bar for dinner and drinks. A fun way to expose kids to art!
I also must mention that our recently re-opened California Academy of Sciences is supposed to be extraordinary. I say “supposed” intentionally—it is so great that the lines are long and I haven’t gone yet, although everyone else I know has been there—highlights are the aquarium and 4-story rainforest. Buying tickets ahead of time is a must.
These are just a few ideas that are top of mind for me—there are so many things to see and do in San Francisco (we have a wonderfulzoo too). A fun hotel base in the city is Hotel Del Sol in the Marina. This is a great location for accessing main sights with many kid-friendly inexpensive restaurants within walking distance. The entertaining part about this property is that they really cater to families in the summer months and host a free Friday night BBQ around the pool.
North Bay
Marin County is an outdoor paradise. Locals from around the Bay Area head to Marin on weekends to enjoy the spectacular scenery. Muir Woods is a must-see stop on any North Bay itinerary. These awe-inspiring redwood trees never cease to amaze me and even really young kids fall under the spell of this place. The paths through the immediate forest are easy to navigate with little legs and strollers. Nearby, the Pelican Inn, modeled after a real English pub, is a terrific spot for lunch. On a nice weekend, many families will park themselves on the grass outside the inn. Just down the road is Muir Beach, ideal for a picnic in nice weather (note, planning is required as there are no stores in the immediate area).
Downtown Sausalito is touristy, but it’s still a fun place to stroll and enjoy the unique views of San Francisco from across the bay. If you’re not planning on other stops, it’s also fun to take the ferry over from San Francisco instead of driving. Tiburon is another maritime-focused North Bay tourist attraction and the highlight there for me is Guaymas, a Mexican restaurant that has been around forever with outrageous guacamole and views—a great combination.
I did a post a few weeks ago on my Favorite Spring Excursions in the San Francisco Bay Area, on that list is Rodeo Beach, a popular local beach with some nice, short hikes to fantastic vantage points. Tennessee Valley is another place to take an easy hike with kids—the 3.1 mile loop is a good one for kids that are 4 and up (unless you have a backpack).
It’s not necessary to stay in the North Bay to enjoy the various sights—everything mentioned above is within an hour’s drive from San Francisco. That said, there is something fun about staying outside of San Francisco too in a less urban environment. We have a few good options on Ciao Bambino including Cavallo Point, a stunning eco-friendly retreat in the original Fort Baker army post. There are many room configurations that work with kids, but my favorite are the apartment-like suites with multiple rooms. Adjacent to Cavallo Point is the Bay Area Discovery Museum with terrific hands-on exhibits optimized for young kids. Yes, many cities have kids museums, but this one is special with the integration of local themes (like a mini Golden Gate Bridge) and truly fantastic views of the city and bay. One of our community members recommended The Lodge at Tiburon—it’s certainly a great location just 3-minutes from the ferry with a swimming pool and value-oriented room rates for the quality.
East Bay
The East Bay has a culture and feel of its own. There are many great spots locals go with kids, but for a visitor I’d point out one in particular that is special. Tilden Park is an enormous 2,000+ acre park with lakes, golf, a botanical garden, even a carousel. The steam train is a stand-out activity for young kids—the mini-train goes on its own little track on a ride through tunnels and trees. The giggles begin when the conductor blows the whistle and everyone gets excited. This is a must-see stop for Thomas the Tank Engine lovers!
There are so many more fun activities to enjoy in the Bay Area with kids but it’s impossible to fit all the information into a single post. Bay Area Kid Fun has some good additional ideas and resources.
Amie O’Shaughnessy lives in Oakland, CA with her husband, and 6-year-old son. She publishes Ciao Bambino, a family travel blog and worldwide guide to the best family-friendly hotels and resorts.
For the third installment of “Digging into the Archives-Europe 2005,” I would like to share photos that are very special to my family. We visited the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial and the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial on our way to Brussels from Frankfurt.The Luxembourg American Cemetery is located in Hamm, Luxembourg and General S. Patton is buried here. Then we headed to Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial where my husband’s great uncle, Winder Lane, is buried. He went to fight for our country during World War II and was killed in action in his early twenties. Our visit to the grave site was the first family visit in over forty years. It was such an honor to see that cross and to be able to see my husband experience it. It was a true honor to bring pictures to my husband’s grandfather, Winder’s brother, of my husband and son with the cross. It is a moment that I will treasure forever.
The Mourning Woman Overlooking the Reflecting Pool
Thanks so much for stopping by and allowing me to share this important family moment with you.
The Talking Trekaroo is a blog maintained by several of the founders of Trekaroo. Trekaroo is this awesome family travel website. It is kind of like a Trip Adviser for families. Recently they opened up the site for reviews in all 50 states. Once each state has enough reviews, they will be unlocked. Right now, California, Texas, Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts are currently unlocked. I love the fact that the founders of this website maintain a blog of their own. On the blog, they have had posts with travel deals, updates on their website, and posts that help you get to know the members behind the Trekaroo website. They are real people. Make sure you check out the blog and then go check out the website, Trekaroo. I can’t wait to see where this site is going!
Today, April 6, marks my 100th post! When I started this blog, it was to journal about all of the trips that we take as a family. If someone saw it and could benefit, great! If not, I would have a great way to backup photos and memories. Once I started blogging, I realized that I enjoyed sharing this info and meeting all of the great travel bloggers and readers out there. Allow me to brag for a second while I showcase a few of those who have helped me get where I am today!
Since I started this website, the second most exciting accomplishment was being mentioned in the Top 20 Family Travel Blogs and Websites on Have Kids Will Travel. The funniest thing about this was that I was reading the list thinking “Wow…what a great group of people. I love reading all these blogs” and holy cow…there I was….#18!
I am following some awesome travelers on Twitter and have 276 followers myself.
Travel Blogger Tuesday is my new favorite thing to post. I love to hunt the web for great travel bloggers to showcase every Tuesday. I have featured 10 great travel bloggers so far and can’t wait to continue!
One of my favorite pictures from our Europe vacation was featured on Bootsnall’sPhoto of the Day.
Here are the articles that you and I have liked the best:
In which direction is this blog headed? I have purchased the domain name and have set up hosting for my website. In the next few months, I hope to have my new website up, running and ready to launch. I look forward to exchanging articles with other travel bloggers out there. I am also looking forward to my first giveaway!
This is the second post in my series where I will be reminiscing about our 2005 Europe trip. I was so thrilled to come across pictures from the trip on a CD. I thought the pictures had disappeared with our crashed hard drive so I want to share them with you!
There are not too many things that we must have when we travel, but this is definitely one of them. We were a little concerned about taking the big stroller to Europe, but we didn’t want to just rely on a backpack carrier. After scouring the Internet for days, I finally decided on the Kelty Convertible Baby Backpack.
This backpack is very pricey but it was worth it. We used it as a stroller as we walked from gate to gate in the airports. Once we were in Europe, the stroller was fantastic as a backpack as well. We converted it to a backpack if we needed to walk up the stairs or stroll through the cobblestone streets. It converts quickly and is easy to put on as a backpack. We used it for several other trips after we got home from Europe. After trips to Europe, Washington DC, and San Francisco our little guy was not so little anymore! We had to retire the backpack stroller. Fast forward a few years and we were making another trip to Europe…this time with two kids! Little S was almost 2 and we were concerned that it wouldn’t work. We had to oil the wheels but it was just fine for her. The stroller made it through another three week trip to Europe. We probably won’t be able to use the stroller again…it was pushing it on this trip because she is so tall. Both kids loved to use the stroller in backpack form the best. They were high up and could see everything. Another benefit to the backpack stroller was that it sits a little higher than other strollers. It made for a great high chair at feeding time when there were no high chairs to be found.
Using the stroller as a backpack
Walking down the rainy streets of Berlin
Waiting for the Changing of the Guard in London
Riding the tram to Zermatt, Switzerland
Smart cars were not popular yet and many people hadn’t even seen one yet. We thought it looked very similar to our stroller!
Disclaimer: I did not receive this stroller free or to review (although it would have been nice because it cost over 200 dollars! . This is a piece of baby gear that we chose to purchase on our own (long before this blog) after reading many reviews on this and other products.
The first major trip we took as parents was a three week whirlwind vacation in Europe. We landed in Frankfurt and then traveled to the following cities (with other stops along the way) by car or train: Brussels, Belgium; Hamm, Luxembourg; London, England; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Berlin, Germany; and Zermatt, Switzerland. Big S was about 10m old and Little S wasn’t even a twinkle in our eye yet! As a matter of fact, we couldn’t even imagine having two kids at that point!
For this Photo Friday post, hosted by Debbie at Delicious Baby, I am digging into the archives. Actually, I thought that these pictures had disappeared with our crashed hard drive. I was thrilled when I came across this CD recently as I was archiving pictures. It hadn’t been labeled and I was so excited when I realized what it was. I had a blast looking at these Europe photos from our trip in 2005. In the next few weeks, I will continue to reminisce about our experience and post photos from that first major adventure.
These photos were taken in Trier, Germany. Part of the Roman Empire, Trier is the oldest city in Germany. There is a cathedral, Roman ruins to view and some great little cafes.
The view of Trier from the PortaNigra, the Roman city gate
Big S playing in the ruins
The Basilica
A view of the baths
More bath ruins
Daddy J, Big S and me in front of the PortaNigra
And to give you a laugh, the car ride to the next stop!
. This is a piece of baby gear that we chose to purchase on our own (long before this blog) after reading many reviews on this and other products. 
