Top Ten San Francisco Activities My Kids Loved Most
by Wendy Perrin
It took only 24 hours for one of you to guess--based on a single cryptic photo and clue--where my family and I vacationed in early July: San Francisco. We based ourselves in Sonoma County, actually, but popped into the city a couple of times to explore it with the kids. In case you're bound for San Francisco with four- and six-year-old boys, here were their top ten favorite activities:
(1) Riding the cable car from Powell St. to Hyde St. Tip: When you reach the front of the line to board the cable car, don't get on the one that everybody else has just boarded. All the people already up front will block your kids' view. Wait and be the first people to board the next car, so your kids can sit up front and get front-facing rather than side-facing views.
(2) Climbing around inside the giant Civil War-era playground (a.k.a. Fort Point, pictured here) that sits beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Warning to parents of toddlers: Lots of sharp edges and things to trip on!
(3) Pouncing on the hands-on exhibits at the Exploratorium. (The boys probably broke no more than three or four of them.) Tip: Make your kids wait with their father outside the gift shop.
(4) Exploring the "pirate ship"--in actuality, the 120-year-old square-rigged ship known as Balclutha--in the Maritime National Historic Park.
(5) Doing airborne somersaults on the bungy bounce at Pier 39 next to Fisherman's Wharf. Tip: Don't miss the sea lions camped out in the marina off the west side of the pier. Alas, we had no time for the Aquarium.
(6) Digging into the "world famous hot fudge sundae" on offer at the Ghirardelli ice cream parlor on Ghirardelli Square. The old-fashioned chocolate-making machinery was a hit too.
(7) Looking down onto the Golden Gate Bridge, and San Francisco beyond it, from Fort Barry in the Marin Headlands. The kids loved the fact that they were "higher than the bridge"--and also loved another army fort to climb around on.
(8) Riding the Larkspur Ferry from Larkspur (in Marin County) across San Francisco Harbor to the Ferry Building. Tip: There's a bar onboard! (Be prepared to explain to the kids what prisons are: You pass both San Quentin and Alcatraz.)
(9) Driving down what my kids call "Zig Zag Street" (Lombard Street, of course). Both boys threw their arms above their heads as if they were riding a roller coaster. Tip: Go at night when there's no line of cars in front of you, so you can avoid the stop-and-go.
(10) Riding one of the historic trolleys along the Embarcadero.
RSS Feeds
Great list. I've got the home field advantage in San Francisco, so I have to add:
--Lunch at New Asia (an enormous, frenetic Dim Sum restaurant at Stockton and Pacific). Look for the sign that says, "Maximum Occupancy 600".
--Parrot hunting on the Telegraph Hill Steps. In the unlikely event this has escaped your notice, a flock of wild parrots lives in San Francisco. Hide your stroller in the bushes at the top and proceed on foot.
--Jamie
http://www.travelsavvymom.com
Posted by: jamiepea | July 17, 2008 at 11:04 AM
Love it!
Posted by: WendyPerrin | July 17, 2008 at 11:39 AM
Having grown up and raised my kids in the Bay Area, one of our most favorite things was to go to the Bay Area Discovery Museum, located at Fort Baker on McReynolds Road. It is a wonderful hands on museum that encourages kids to get touch and play. Their newest permanent addition is - Lookout Cove - is a 2.5-acre outdoor adventure zone with a 1595 shipwreck replica, a rocky sea cave, a crow's nest, a two-ton redwood log, and a climbable Golden Gate bridge!
My kids loved it!!
Also the tactile gallery at the Exploitorium. Though you must buy tickets ahead of time for this hands on exhibit.
-Kelly www.whatshotinsanmiguel.com
Posted by: whatshotinsanmiguel | July 18, 2008 at 12:36 AM
You're right. My kids and I LOVE the Bay Area Discovery Museum! We did that last year (alas, didn't have time to go back this year).
Posted by: WendyPerrin | July 18, 2008 at 06:07 AM
Wendy,
So glad you all enjoyed yourselves! As an SF Bay Area native (and SF homeowner with kids), we LOVE knowing that other people have as much fun here as we do.
For the playground set, check out the regularly updated Golden Gate Mother's Group Playground by-neighborhood index to find outdoor, often gated (read: keep the dashing kids intact) playgrounds:
http://www.ggmg.org/Playgrounds/playground_summary.html
Posted by: JDaniel | July 22, 2008 at 01:50 PM