San Francisco

San Francisco with your family

A Great Kid-friendly family vacation destination. We enjoyed our trip in May 2007.

We enjoyed all of the sites and sounds of SanFrancisco including the world famous cable cars. San Fran is such a beautiful city.... I was amazed at the sheer size of the city.... it went on for blocks and blocks... in all directions, and the beauty of the city is amazing. It is by far the largest "Big City" that we have visited, but it was by far the easiest "Big City" to get around in. We routinely drove into the city, and found easily accessible parking places.

Here, we will offer reviews of our favorite kid-friendly San Fran attractions, and offer you the chance to tell us and our readers about your favorite S F vacations.

WHERE WE STAYED
While there, our family stayed at the Embassy Suites Burlingame. It was very close to the S F airport, and central to the city, and points south of the city. You will notice as you peruse this site that we choose Embassy Suites quite often because of the really large suites, and the "cook to order breakfast" that is complementary.

Embassy Suites Burlingame

The Embassy Suites where we stayed was a little south of the city, but there are many San Francisco Family Hotels in and around the city...

WHAT WE DID
San Francisco is such a diverse "Big City". We found an amazing number of things to do:

Downtown San Francisco - While in San Francisco, we enjoyed riding the Cable Cars, shopping in Union Square, shopping and eating in Chinatown, viewing the Golden Gate Bridge from many different vantage points as well as driving on it, Ghirardelli Square, Pier 39, and Fisherman's Wharf.

San Fran Cable Car | Golden Gate Bridge | Pier 39 | The Coit Tower
Alcatraz - We took the ferry to Alcatraz Island, and took the tour of the prison and the island. An audio tour was a part of the tour package, and was a great way to tour the facility.

Alcatraz Island
The Pacific Coast Highway - We drove along the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Cruz to San Fran. This is a very short stretch pf the Pacific Coast Highway, but it gives a taste of the stretch. The views of the ocean were magnificent.
Major League Baseball - During our week long stay, we enjoyed two major league baseball games - The Giants vs. The Colorado Rockies on May 25, 2007, and The Oakland Athletics vs. The Texas Rangers on May 29, 2007. Major League baseball is a very kid friendly family vacation idea. It is reasonably priced and the stadiums offer a great family experience.

SF Giants| Oakland Athletics
National Parks - We visited several great National Park locations within the city and within easy driving distance. We visited Fort Point - located at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, Crissy Field, Muir Woods, and The Presidio. But the ultimate National Park visit of the trip was to The Yosemite National Park.

Yosemite National Park | Fort Point National Historic Site | Muir Woods National Monument | The Presidio
Side Trips - We visited several towns and attractions including Santa Cruz, The Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, Wine Country - Napa, The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, and Great America Theme Park in Santa Clara.

Great America Theme Park | The Winchester Mystery House | Jelly Belly Factory Tour

san francisco, family vacations

San Francisco Resources

Great deals in San Francisco

Sonoma County backroads and byways - Enjoy a backroads adventure through the Sonoma Wine Country with plenty of kid-friendly attractions.

Hidden San Francisco treasures is an awesome guide to the best things to do in San Francisco and surrounding SF Bay cities. It includes maps, coffee houses and hidden gems that even local insiders often miss.

Use these quick links to join in all of our S F Family Vacation adventures...