Subscribe Feed (RSS)With three kids and the price of airfare, we tend to stick close to home for many of our vacations. That doesn’t mean we spend all our time at Disneyland, however. There are lots of fun ways for families to enjoy their California vacations. Here are some of our favorites from North to South.
- View from the Train, Train Town Sonoma
Sonoma Adventures
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Picnic in the Sonoma Plaza: This was one of my family’s favorite day trips as a child. Last summer I returned with my kids and am happy to say it continues to be very fun. Grab a picnic from a local gourmet deli and play at the Children’s Playground.
Ride a train at Train Town: Admission is affordable and the ride on the miniature train is perfect for all ages. You stop to take on water at a kid sized town that the little ones enjoy exploring.
US Pampanito, Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco California
San Francisco Adventures
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Visit Fisherman’s Wharf Play vintage games at the Musee Mechanique and take an audio tour of the USS Pampanito Submarine.
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Explore the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park This National Historic Park has a cheap entrance fee and plenty of big vessels to explore. They also have a wide assortment of tours and kids programs.
Roaring Camp Railroads, Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz Adventures
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Ride a Train Through the Redwoods Roaring Camp provides old fashioned family fun. You can ride a steam train through the redwoods or catch a diesel down to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
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Ride the Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk This is my favorite roller coaster in the world. It’s more than 100 years old and you can catch a glimpse off the ocean and the town of Santa Cruz as you zoom along.
Carlsbad Adventures
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Build and Test at LEGOLAND California Carlsbad, California is a charming family oriented beach town with a great family attraction. Legoland California is an interactive theme park for young children. The Sea Life Aquarium and the new LEGO themed Water Park give families more reasons to visit.
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Play at the Flower Fields. Unfortunately the Flower Fields have finished their season, but if you return next spring, you will be awed by the fields of flowers. Kid’s enjoy a quaint Santa’s Village themed playground.
Soar Over the San Diego Zoo
San Diego Adventures
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Go on Safari at the San Diego Zoo. It may be clique, but a visit to the world famous San Diego Zoo is a must see for family travelers. Keep an eye out for The Unauthorized Guide to the San Diego Zoo releasing later this year.
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Stop by Cousin’s Candy in Old Town. Old Town San Diego is a great location for family adventure. Kids enjoy visiting the old buildings and learning about life in old San Diego. The highlight of your trip will be the trip to this old fashioned candy store- trust me
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Happy Trails,
Bridget
PS “I wrote this blog post while participating in the Williamsburg Tourism and TwitterMoms blogging program for a chance to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, .
Tags: Monterey Family Travel, San Diego Family Travel, Santa Cruz Family Travel, Sonoma Family Travel, Sonoma Train Town
These are awesome ideas. I love your insight. Like how you have taken something from different regions of CA. Its such a big state with plenty to do.
.-= Lora (Tripping with Kids)´s last blog .. =-.
This is an excellent list. I love the Giant Dipper, can’t wait for kiddo to be tall enough to ride with me.
Great ideas! I love that we live in a state with so much to do. You could never leave CA and never get bored.
Next time can you be sure to link back to Trekaroo’s Spotlight Thursday page so yur readers can see who else is particpating. Thanks! Hope to see you again next week!
.-= Sharlene´s last blog .. =-.
my kids will really like them especially
Picnic in the Sonoma Plaz
Ride a Train Through the Redwoods
Play at the Flower Fields
and Go on Safari at the San Diego Zoo
My recommendations
Disneyland
Grand Canyon.
Waterpark
Beach
Camping