Day 6: San Francisco
The second leg of our California adventure is San Francisco. It may not have theme parks, but it’s essential that you include San Francisco in your California vacation with your kids.
You could drive or fly (we chose to fly from Long Beach Airport, but next time, we will definitely take a road trip). San Francisco was what I was most excited to visit, and it did not disappoint. It’s certainly one of the most charming, picturesque, and enchanting cities in the world.
Highlights
- Visit the Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District for the stunning 1915 European dome structure and imposing columns. Beautiful at night.
- Eat at Super Duper Burgers for their, well, super duper burgers, fries, and free homemade pickles. Probably the best burger we tried in the US (versus In-N-Out, Five Guys, Gott’s).
- Stay at Marina Motel, such a charming, cozy, historic, family-owned, and European-inspired motel.
Day 7: San Francisco
Today is all about about the historic and famous waterfront district of Fisherman’s Wharf. Your kids will love this family-friendly although touristy destination.
Highlights
- Ride the Golden Gate Bay Cruise, booked through Red and White Fleet, the original bay cruise. It’s a 1-hour tour that offers unique views of the San Francisco waterfront, Alcatraz Island, and the Golden Gate Bridge (see it from afar, up close, and right below).
- Visit Musée Mécanique for the quirky, hilarious, and weird old coin-operated mechanical musical instruments and antique arcade machines.
- Visit the USS Pampanito, a World War II submarine that sank six Imperial Japanese ships.
- Visit Pier 39, San Francisco’s most famous (but overrated) attraction. Touristy, but what the heck, it’s fun to see the noisy and laidback sea lions, the street performers and buskers, the quirky shops, and the handcrafted carousel.
- Visit Lombard Street, the world’s “crookedest” street. Sure, it seems pointless as it’s just a street, but it’s a nice but steep stroll down, checking out the pretty houses along the street and marveling at cars and go-karts zig-zagging down.
- Visit Washington Square and Saints Peter and Paul Church in North Beach for a little downtime.
- Eat at the historic Sabella & La Torre along Fish Alley for their delicious fish and chips, calamari, and clam chowder. It’s cramped inside, so it’s better to just eat at the one picnic tables or benches just across the street (if you don’t mind the seagulls).
- Eat at Boudin Bakery for their famous sourdough bread. It’s San Francisco’s oldest operating business. And they use the same mother dough cultivated from a gold miner’s sourdough starter back in 1849!
- Eat at The Italian Homemade Company, an Italian family-owned restaurant in North Beach known for their fresh pasta.
