Help with California vacation

We are traveling to California this summer - 2 adults, 2 kids 14yr old girl %26amp; 11yr old boy.

We are starting out at Disneyland for 3nts and ending in SF. We have been to LA and don%26#39;t plan on making any stops there

We are looking at somewhere to stay for 2 nights after we leave Anaheim. We are making the drive up to the coast to Napa, staying for 4nts in Napa and ending with two nights in SF

Our first thought was Santa Barbara but if there is somewhere else we should consider I would love to hear it. We thought of Santa Barbara simply because we have never been but in researching hotels and things to do there doesn%26#39;t seem to be much there. Maybe I am wrong

If you were doing this trip where would you stop on your drive from Anaheim to Napa for a 2nt stay with two kids in tow?

Thanks

Help with California vacation

If you are going to drive the coast and experience Big Sur, I would suggest a motel on Moonstone Beach in Cambria for your first night, and then a lodging in either Carmel, Pacific Grove, or Monterey for the second, with a for sure visit to the fabulous Monterey Bay Aquarium and, hopefully, some hikes at Point Lobos State Reserve.

Check out the threads here on the areas and you will see what I mean.

Help with California vacation

The kids are a good age for the Monterey Aquarium, and Monterey is a nice place to spend the night, near the ocean etc. Santa Barbara would be a nice stop for breakfast or seafood lunch out on the pier. I%26#39;d say plan to spend part of the day in Santa Barbara, then up to Monterey just in time for dinner %26amp;amp; a sleep, then the whole 2nd day exploring Monterey and Carmel.

Also you might consider taking 3 nights going up the coast, and cutting Napa to 3 nights. As far as places where ';there doesn%26#39;t seem to be much there'; for young teens...I%26#39;d say Napa is one of those places.

I would also suggest Cambria it is such a beautiful location, Hearst Castle is great to see, even with the Children. Great beach area for walking, and wonderful shops.

You could look at a night there and then a night in Monterey, the Aquarium there is great and well worth a visit. It also breaks the journey nicely if you are driving from Anaheim via the coastal highway.

We really enjoyed both places.

What ever you do have a wonderful time.

Santa Barbara in August is the best.

We just got back from a stay at the Fess Parker Doubletree Inn, across from the ocean, where they have events in Aug. We usually go to Old Spanish Days Fiesta then. It%26#39;s about a week long and there are many activities.

This year it will be held Aug. 5 - 9. There will be a parade, and arts and crafts along the ocean on Cabrillo Ave. to Sterns Wharf. A visit to the Mission will be interesting, as well as great beach weather in Aug.

www.oldspanishdays-fiesta.org/aboutus.htm

I agree with joesorce: ditch a night in Napa and make the trip between Disneyland and Napa a 3 night trip.

While I really, really love Cambria, I think Pismo Beach is a better destination for families. Cambria is more suited for couples looking for a romantic getaway.

Pismo has a wide, sandy beach, a pier and a quirky downtown area. There%26#39;s also an outlet mall, swimming at the hot springs pool on the road to Avila Beach and Avila Beach itself, which is the warmest and sunniest beach in the area.

Pismo Lighthouse Suites would be perfect for your family. The rooms are HUGE and have 2 bathrooms! The property sits on a bluff overlooking the ocean and has a swimming pool.

Spend 2 nights in the Monterey area. This is one of California%26#39;s most beautiful natural areas and there is so much here for you to do as a family. As previous posters have suggested: The Monterey Bay Aquarium %26amp; Point Lobos State Reserve for hikes in some amazing scenery. But there%26#39;s also Carmel%26#39;s beautiful white sand beach, Carmel Mission for a taste of history, a tour of Monterey%26#39;s historical buildings and a walk (or bike ride: there are rentals) along the recreational trail through Pacific Grove.

On the drive up the coast from the Pismo (or Cambria area, if you chose to overnight here) be sure to visit the elephant seal rookery a few miles north of Hearst Castle (if you can, try to tour Hearst Castle in the morning so you have time for the drive through Big Sur). The Big Sur coast is wild and wonderful. The highway sits hundreds of feet above the ocean, is generally narrow and has several sharp hairpin turns. Mornings along the coast tend to be foggy/overcast, so a morning diversion and an afternoon drive fits this drive best. That%26#39;s why I suggest a morning tour of Hearst.

Napa will be hot in the summer. This area, too, is geared towards adults and your kids will most likely be bored here. 4 nights is too much. Unless you have family in the area, I would give Napa 2 nights and add another night to San Francisco.

Rather than Napa, which is adult-oriented, you might look into the Russian River area. The river is slow moving (especially in summer) and kayaking and/or tubing can be fun for the kids. Guerneville is a funky little town but there are a lot of wineries about if you want to visit one or two.

Thank you for the suggestions. I do realize there isn%26#39;t much in Napa for the children but since we will be in Disneyland for a few days and also finding a place for another 2nts near a beach they will deal with the last few days being in Napa. We are looking at hotels that have a pool so that we can have some down time there. We will only have 3 full days in Napa. One of the days we are doing a hot air balloon ride. The first day we don%26#39;t plan on arriving until the evening and the day of check out we are leaving early.

For another questions if we stop in Santa Barbara for lunch, I assume the ride from Anaheim will be about 3 hours. How much of a ride will it be from Santa Barbara to Monterey or Carmel if we take 101. How long of a ride if we take 1?

Thanks again

happytraveler2006, use something like http://maps.google.com to figure out time for travel. It would be better if you take highways 91-%26gt;405-%26gt;101 for travel withing LA border. These highways have HOV line almost the whole way in LA comparing with highway 5-%26gt;101

Santa Barbara to Monterey/Carmel via the 101: about 3 1/2 - 4 hours.

Santa Barbara to Monterey/Carmel via Highway 1: 5+ hours.

Keep in mind that that you will little ocean views on the 101 between Gaviota (just north of Santa Barbara) until you take the 68 over to Monterey. You will have brief ocean views in Pismo Beach, but then the 101 turns inland.

If you by-pass Highway 1, you will miss out on some of California%26#39;s most dramatic coastline. The highway between Morro Bay and Carmel/Monterey is spectacular.

The drive inland will consist of some vineyards (through Astascadero/Templeton/Paso Robles), farm and ranch land, open fields of not much of anything, Soledad (a prison town) and a few other farming and ranching communities.

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