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Home » Family Travel

San Francisco Travel with Kids: How NOT To Do It All In One Day

San Francisco travel with kids is almost a no-brainer. There's the San Francisco Zoo, Fisherman's Wharf, the Exploratorium, Golden Gate Park with the Steinhart Aquarium and so many other adventures to tackle. We drove up to the Bay Area on a Friday (all day), spent Saturday with family, and then drove back on Sunday (all day).  What does that leave time for?

No Planning
The best part for me was NO planning. We completely turned over our plans to our hosts, not knowing what was in store for us until we arrived. If you're a parent, you know that's heaven! I didn't have to think about a thing.

Off We Go!
We got to sleep in a bit on Saturday and left for a fun day outdoors after being scrunched in the car on Friday. Scrunched in a good way - I love road trips! And the kids saw so much of California's beauty on our drive to San Francisco. 

Here are the stops we made:

  • Marine Mammal Center on the Marin Headlands
  • Rodeo Beach at Fort Cronkhite - right below the Marine Mammal Center. It's part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. There were trails all over the place.
  • Picnic at the beach (or in the park - or anywhere in between)
  • Bay Area Discovery Museum - I love children's museums and this one was no exception. It's right under the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge at the old Fort Baker. Great views for us on our visit. NO fog! And talk about an AWESOME playground - Lookout Cove was adventures galore!!  I could write a whole separate  post on it.
  • Battery Yates - A short walk up the hill from the museum is Battery Yates Trail and great views of the bay.
  • Explore Sausalito and eat dinner out

It seems like a lot - but there was really a lot of downtime between 10am and 5pm when we headed to dinner. Definitely a do-able day near San Francisco with kids. Lots of outdoor play and educational opportunities.

More Family Travel

  • Southern California Aquarium Trips & Touch Tanks
  • Southern California Parks
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  • 7 Family-Friendly Mostly-Outdoor San Diego Day Trips Under $150

About Michele Whiteaker

Writer mom and nature guide promoting play and empowering families to prioritize outside time since 2008. Park information gathered through my personal experiences and provided as a FREE community resource to millions of Orange County families over the past 17 years via blog and social media. Subscribe to my FREE weekly email inspiring you with park tips and play ideas.

"The Park Lady"

My name is Michele Whiteaker and I'd love for you to think of me as your personal Play Concierge. Humbly sharing playful OC outdoor places to fit your tight budget through this unofficial and free community resource filled with time-tested recommendations from parents/caregivers like you.

More about me

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