Me and my family like to do road trips…we’re planning one now from Atlanta to Denver…but we’ve never gone to California that way…too far.
So if we wanted to fly somewhere in California and have a 10-day or so road trip with a few days stop at the end, where should we start and what should we see?
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Hi…I’m in Atlanta, home of some great food (including barbecue, soul and MaryMac’s Tea Room which you’ve all got to get to someday). Anyway, right after New Years, I’m packing my family (2 of us and 2 kids) and driving to Denver for my parents’…
Hi Mrs. Briggs!
What sorta stuff do you like to see? Nature? Mountains? Desert? Wine areas? Big cities? California has it all.
Would help to know this to give you better advice. Whatever you decide, its a great place to go. One of the best in the world.
Look forward to hearing from you.
That helps me figure out what to tell you, Mrs. Briggs
OK, so I’d suggest you fly into LAX. You’ll need a car rental to get around LA. Spend three or four days here, may go see Disneyland, maybe go see Universal Studios, maybe go to Knott’s Berry Farm. Maybe see the making of a TV show. You could easily spend 10 days in LA, but you’ve got 10 days for the whole trip, I guess, so that’s all you’ll have time for. Then head out of the city. You’ll want to head out on Hwy 101, which takes you through Ventura and Santa Barbara and the up to San Luis Obispo. Spend a few hours in Santa Barbara. Go see the old mission and the pier and beach and stuff. It’s beautiful! Stay in San Luis Obispo. Here you get off Highway 101 and take the Pacific Coast Highway, route 1. This hugs the ocean on the way north. A great beautiful drive, one of the best I think. A good stop here is the Hearst Castle if that stuff interests you. Head north towards MOnterey. There are some small stands of Redwood here before you get there, Pfeiffer state Park I think is the name. At least overnight in MOnoterey with morning visit to their great Aquarium. Finish up in San Francisco.
Get rid of the car in San Francisco. Spend as much or little time here as you want. Take cabs or cablecars or buses but don’t drive around. The road pattern will drive you nuts.
Fly out of SFO. Great trip. Busy, but great
I wish I could remember where, but somewhere not too long before SF, there’s a state park on a beach that the elephant seals are on. They are huge and they are incredibly funny when they move, but also fast, It’s worth a stop for a while. And just a little further north was a state or county park with redwoods. Maybe someone here will know where I’m talking about!
Mrs. Briggs –
There are roads aplenty in California. Where you go depends on your family’s interests. Pick a theme and the route will take care of itself.
Would you say that your family more enjoys scenic routes or taking advantage of what cities have to offer ? Mountains or ocean ? Would you like to see gardens or maybe historical homes ? Maybe your crowd would go for a trip that strings together movie filming locations or old west towns ? What are your hobbies ? – shopping for antiques ? photography ? classic cars ? outdoor sports ? wine making ?
There are lots of good airfares from Atlanta to the West Coast. Not sure if you will be using your own car or a one-way or a roundtrip car/van rental. You can find bargain fares from Atlanta into Portland, OR, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Diego.
Give us an idea of your interests and the likely month of travel. We can come up with suggestions for your Must See List.
My kids want to do Hollywood and all that stuff, so I guess we have to start or end up there. Me and my husband aren’t too interested in that stuff, but nature is appealing, like redwoods and the ocean and stuff. Is Hwy 101 the one that goes along the coast?
I think we could plan on getting to San Fran, too, because I think if you go to California and you don’t everyone will tell you you should have…and I hear it’s got lots of interesting food, too.
And kind of quirky museums if there are some.
Here are your elephant seals, Dreamer: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=523 And the nearby redwoods: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=536 And the lighthouse in between, also a hostel: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=533
Elephant seals are always good. If you also want to see their smaller cousins, the sea lions, you can find them at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. It is about 40 minutes south of San Francisco at Moss Beach. Nearby Half Moon Bay has several reasonably priced restaurants with views of the ocean. Check this nifty video of the Reserve http://www.fitzgeraldreserve.o…rald-marine-reserve/