San Francisco for 1 Day with young Grandkids.. Suggestions?

[John_S2]

Hi,

My DW and I are going to visit San Francisco soon for only 1 day with our two young Grandchildren.. Ages 9 and 5.

Figure we have to ride the cable cars and try to get a boat ride around Alcatraz Island to see the Golden Gate Bridge, etc. Any suggestions?

Is the 90 minute Red Boats Bridge to Bridge tour a good one? All the tours of the island itself are sold out so all we can do is the boat tour.

Any other suggestions, tips, beware of's, for our one day visit, etc...

Is there a reasonable place to eat lunch anywhere near Fisherman's wharf that is good for young kids (girls). Same question for Chinatown for dinner. we figure we will be walking thru Chinatown if the grandkids legs, and ours hold up!! :):)



TIA, for your feedback John S.

[lfloom]

Grab a roll of quarters and go here: Musee Mecanique

[J-mans_Dad]

1 day's not a lot of time to spend in San Francisco.

Here's a link for things to do Things-To-Do-In-San-Francisco-With-Kids
The 25 Best Family Friendly Activities & Attractions in SF
San Francisco Maritime Museum
Exploratorium
SF Fun cheap
SF Chronicle - Things to do

Keep in mind the summer in San Francisco can be quite cold, windy and foggy. Dress in layers. The kids will be happier if they're not turning blue.

Now over the Golden Gate is Bay Area Discovery Museum the kids could spend the whole day there.

Just a few things off the top of my head. If you want more ping me.

[aerbus32]

My first question is where are you going to stay? Since your question is posted here, I'm presuming an RV park. Which one is going to make a difference. For example, we recently stayed at Marin Park RV. Not kid friendly, except for the pool. It is an easy walk probable short drive with young kids, to a ferry landing. Take that over to the other side of the bay. Catch one of the tour bus type things over to Golden Gate Park. My kids loved it a few decades back. However, for my grandkids, 12 & 15, that would involve too much sitting between the 2 modes of transportation. More so probably for your grandkids. Food at the wharf should be Bubba Gumps with grandkids in tow. And you might as well forget the cable cars. The lines waiting for them during the summer are going to be very long. Without sounding like a jerk, I'd suggest your ideas of things to do with the kids are better suited for you and your wife during a longer visit during the off-season. Consider this. There are a couple of RV parks near Vacaville/Fairfax that are probably more kid friendly than most Bay Area parks. The kids would absolutely love the Jelly Belly factory tour. Or, if you are at a park on the north side of the Golden Gate, Muir Woods is a very kid friendly way to see the redwoods. South of SF, Big Basin Redwoods, if I remember correctly, has a train that takes you thru some redwoods, with an adjacent grove at a state park (park at the state park and walk to the train) with easy trails you and the kids can hike. With my grandkids, I pick one event per day that is aimed at kids and just spend the rest of the day playing card games or board games with them. Case in point, 2 years ago, we had the grandkids with us in SD. Took them on one of those amphibious duck boat rides. (The one on Frisco would bore your kids, but you'd love it!). Very cool! My grandson really looked forward to it. Back at the RV park, they had a horseshoe pit. Taught the kids how to play. Horseshoes was all my grandson wanted to do the next day when we were going to take them to the zoo. What would your grandkids want to do with you? As opposed to what do you want to do with your grandkids?

[SwanInWA]

I grew up outside of San Francisco and one of my favorite childhood memories was going to Fort Point. My mom took us every summer.

[monkey44]

roadnerd wrote:

monkey44 wrote:
If you happen to be First Wednesday (not sure it still is, check first) the Golden Gate park aquarium is free and is great for the kids. Any other day it's kinda expensive. It's good for a few hours keeping kids entertained. Haven't been there in a few years -

How could I forget that? ;)The name is "California Academy of Sciences". A GREAT museum/aquarium, etc.

When I lived in SF, on Fifth two blocks from the aquarium, I went several times a week. It cost $.50, that's fifty cents !!! Last time, couple years ago we happened to hit on the free Wednesday purely by accident ... and I think the price at the door for regular adult admission was $20 each!! SO it pays to look for the free days ...

[roadnerd]

monkey44 wrote:
If you happen to be First Wednesday (not sure it still is, check first) the Golden Gate park aquarium is free and is great for the kids. Any other day it's kinda expensive. It's good for a few hours keeping kids entertained. Haven't been there in a few years -

How could I forget that? ;)The name is "California Academy of Sciences". A GREAT museum/aquarium, etc.

[monkey44]

If you happen to be First Wednesday (not sure it still is, check first) the Golden Gate park aquarium is free and is great for the kids. Any other day it's kinda expensive. It's good for a few hours keeping kids entertained. Haven't been there in a few years -

[roadnerd]

bukzin wrote:
Take the boat ride over to Tiburon (in Marin)

Walk around for an hour or so (have lunch?) then back to SF


North Beach is also a great (small) neighborhood to walk around in.
Its near Coit Tower (I'd ride up, then walk down to North Beach)


Speaking of riding, Uber drivers are everywhere. Faster and cheaper
than cabs. Not to mention, there is NO WHERE to park!


Palace of Fine Arts has great stuff for young ones.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/palace-of-fine-arts-san-francisco

+1 for Uber or anything other than driving if you can swing it. I live 40 miles away and avoid SF like the plague unless I can do it via public transit, on foot or by motorcycle. It can spontaneously turn into a mess at any time.

For Alcatraz, book ASAP , it's very popular. Also, Exploratorium is great (will probably take 1/2 a day though). If you're on the Embarcadero (where you'll pickup the ride to Alcatraz), take a ride on the F train. Marina Green is great for walking and views of the GG bridge. Have a great time!

[bukzin]

Take the boat ride over to Tiburon (in Marin)

Walk around for an hour or so (have lunch?) then back to SF


North Beach is also a great (small) neighborhood to walk around in.
Its near Coit Tower (I'd ride up, then walk down to North Beach)


Speaking of riding, Uber drivers are everywhere. Faster and cheaper
than cabs. Not to mention, there is NO WHERE to park!


Palace of Fine Arts has great stuff for young ones.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/palace-of-fine-arts-san-francisco

[Mr__Camper]

I don't know how long since you've seen them but with only one day I'd let them be your guide and have them show you their school, favorite park, favorite place to go out to eat and anything else they want you to know about their lives. It shouldn't be about you having to entertain them. Just have them show what's important in their lives. Have fun.

[YC_1]

Rain Forest Cafe will thrill the kids .

[Army11Bravo]

A harbor trip on a boat tour is fun. We love Coit Tower, too. Great artwork in the lower floors, and a great view of the city. Fisherman's Wharf is fun, but touristy. Near the wharf is the San Fransisco Sourdough Company that sells sourdough bowls filled with delicious clam chowder and chili. Little ones may like a drive down Lombard Street, but it is often very busy.