San Francisco is an awesome city destination for families – it’s super easy to make a great trip out of even with real little kids. We travelled there when our kids were just 6 months and 2 years old, on our way back from visiting family in the UK and stopped in to explore for 4 nights. I love a trip back to visit the folks in England but also love the opportunity to head to somewhere on the way there or back – it’s a long way from New Zealand. It’s a great way to break up long haul flights and have some family time too.
Cities always offer something for everyone. San Francisco has a heap of kid-friendly activities, it’s nice and easy to get around and navigate, and it’s bursting with friendly people and great restaurants – I mean, who doesn’t travel to eat right!
On this particular trip, we stayed in the Richmond District and opted for an AirBnB in order to have a little more space to relax than in a hotel. It was also great to experience a local neighbourhood and be out of the city centre a little way. This meant we were really close to Golden Gate Park and so we visited a couple of times as there’s so much to do and the park offers a bit of a break from the city streets. There were playgrounds for the kids, a carousel, a Japanese Tea Garden, and the California Academy of Sciences, with its planetarium, and an aquarium.
Our trip overall though was really iconic sightseeing focused – the Golden Gate Bridge, a climb up Coit tower for incredible views across the city and a few cable car trips to explore the neighbourhoods. Our kids were a little young to get too much out of some of the famous attractions but the beauty of San Francisco is your trip really can be anything you want it to be – jam packed full of activities and attractions, or a more laid-back experience.
There’s a ton of awesome museums in the city to visit like the interactive Exploratorium science museum with its hands-on exhibits and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor fine arts museum, which would be amazing for families. And Alcatraz surely must be on everyone’s list when visiting and we’d previously had an awesome evening tour there on a trip before having kids. It’d be a great place to visit with children that are at an age where they can get immersed in the amazing history – on this trip with the kids we skipped it but just mentioning it here because we’d recommend it if they were maybe around 8 or older. The boat trip across is all part of the experience too. But you do need to book tickets well in advance. We booked about 6 months ahead on our visit.
Food for the family is always really easy in the States – from amazing pancake breakfasts, to pizza in Little Italy. Lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf was a must for us, with great views across the bay and just lovely to stroll around. Boudin Bakery is a bit of a landmark but just expect a few queues as its deliciousness attracts a big crowd. And dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe is also always on the agenda if there’s one in the town we’re visiting. The kids also loved the Rainforest Cafe with its jungle theme and great food – I think it may have closed now which is a real shame. We certainly got our fill of fries and carbs by the end of four days though.
We rounded our trip out with a visit out to Ocean Beach for some brunch and a walk before heading for the plane. This is another great spot for a bit of chill time and great for something to do without spending a tonne of cash.
San Fran was an awesome layover for us and there’s way more to do than we could fit into our short trip, and we’re looking forward to heading back here another time now the kids are a little older.
For more on the USA, check out our blog on New York here.
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