And by family I mean wife and 7 & 8 year old girls, one who likes hot dogs and mac and cheese, the other oysters, steaks and lobsters. Staying in SFO-Fisherman’s Wharf for 5 days, Monterey for 3 days, San Luis Obispo for 5 days and LA for one night.
Looking for recommendations on places to eat that are kid-friendly, especially as we head towards SLO/Paso Robles, which I haven’t been to before. Would like to try a place like Passionfish in MRY, don’t know if it’s OK for kids. Also, not doing tons of winerey visits but would probably like wineries in MRY and SLO area with nice picninc areas, might also do one day trip to Napa or Sonoma. Renting car at end of SFO leg of trip, looking forward to doing the road trip, been all around CA but have never done this full stretch. Before kids wife and I hopped all around SFO/MRY area so we know the obvious attractions to take kids to, including Dennis the Menace Playground in Monterey.
Will hit Hearst Castle for sure. Thought California was shutting down the state parks with the budget crisis, although I could be ill-informed? Appreciate the SLO/Paso/Santa Maria area tips especially, no one from the East Coast seems to spend any time there - all SFO-Napa/LAX/SNA/San Diego visitors.
All of my suggestions would be booze/illegal activity related. So uhhhh.
But Hearst Castle is a good nod. Boring for the adults - good for kids. You can also stop in San Simon and watch the elephant whales. Just hope it’s not mating season. Altho… some enjoy that. I spend a lot of time out at Montana de Oro. Everyday it amazes me. Gorgeous blackberry trails that open up to big ole cliffs fighting for the edge of the world with the Pacific. Stormy days are the best - but we’re just now getting into the non-foggy season so you should have a lovely time down here. Paso has a new water park that opened up that all of my breeder friends have taken their rugrats to. I can’t think of many other “kid” activities in Paso tho. Avila Beach is a cool place for the kids. Stop at the Avila Barn on your way. They make their own ice cream and the kids can pet the animals. Just don’t try to take one home. (from my experience). Pismo, if you can fight your way through the valley trash it’s a nice little spot. There’s an italian restaurant in Pismo called Guiseppe’s (they have another location in SLO too, but it’s the more “fancier” spot). It’s a pretty decent italian restaurant for families. There isn’t much to do in Santa Maria. Unless you’d like to do a drive-by in your lowrider. But if you head out east in the SM Valley, you’ll hit up some beautiful wineries. If you’re looking for a picnic-y area at a tasting room… Rancho Sisquoc, Fess Parker and Roblar. The wines aren’t great, but they’ve dumped a ton of money into the facilities to make it nice. Hope this helps.
I would use a lot of adjectives to describe Hearst Castle, but “boring” would not be one of them. There’s not much for young children to see there, but for older kids and adults, the excesses, the architectural story, and the history there are really fascinating. Julia Morgan was ahead of her time in many ways…
My personal favorite spots are the diningroom, for its “everyman” design, and the indoor pool for its incredible beauty. It’s an interesting contrast with the outdoor pool, which looks like something you’d find at Caesar’s Palace in Vegas.
Try to make one of your SLO nights a Thursday. They have one of the best Farmers Markets in the state. Ten blocks long on Higueria Street, with farmers, flowers, food (lots of BBQ), music and assorted street entertainment.
The Boardwalk in Santa Cruz is kid friendly, with rides and a roller coaster.
Monterey Aquarium is cool for the kids.
South of Carmel is Point Lobos State Park, with some spectacular coastal settings.
Take the coast from Monterey and drive Big Sur. Awesome coastline for a slow ride.
Morro Bay
San Simion / Hearst Castle
Avila Beach
Pismo Beach / Wharf / Pier / Dunes
Montana de Oro (jump off huge sand dunes!)
Farmers Market (Thursday night)
Cal Poly (great campus to walk around!)
Edna Valley (wine tasting just east of SLO on Corbett Canyon Rd)
Plenty to do, just remember to relax and enjoy yourself on the beautiful Central Coast!
Awesome itin. You wanna hang with my kids while the wife and I hit the wineries? They like ice cream, and the younger one will eat anything that looks exotic but in a NOT NSFW way - like escargot. Thanks in advance!
Frank’s Famous Hot Dogs -InsiderPages - Recommendations that matter most.
950 California Blvd, San Luis Obispo - (805) 541-3488
Trust me…the best, and any kind of hot dog you can imagine!!! My hangover stopover from any wine event in Paso the day before.
![[bye.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/9/984858d1d14f8b2f351499080ee63857219b69ad.gif "bye"){kind=small}