Top 10 – California Coast – Kids Edition

We’ve driven the entire California coastline with our kids and they have a lot of things they loved. It’s hard to narrow down when you’ve got a state like California that really has everything you could ever want. It’s an incredible vacation state because even though we’ve driven the whole coast line, we feel like we could do the same trip and see an entirely new set of things! Below are my kids favorite things we’ve done along the California coast, in no particular order. For our whole list of activities, check out our California pages: Northern California and Southern California! – or our vlogs, below!

1. Redwood National Park

All throughout California you will find amazing Redwood forests. There is obviously the National Park, but also other Redwood State Parks that are just as amazing. The best thing about these parks is that the hiking is so family friendly. Most of the paths are easy to follow and very flat. Kids can run around and explore! There are so many trees where the kids can climb on them and really experience how enormous these majestic forests are! Some of our favorite hikes are: Founders Grove Trail, Lady Bird Johnson Trail and the Prairie Creek and Foothill Loop Trail.

2. Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gat Bridge is iconic! We’ve seen it twice now, from a handful of different vantage points. We’ve even seen it foggy and unfoggy! You can see from a park on the San Francisco side, from a very popular viewpoint right after you cross the bridge, and many others. We especially liked a viewpoint from across the bridge near Fort Baker, where we had a viewpoint essentially to ourselves and could even see sea lions swimming in the ocean. We couldn’t quite understand how no one was at this location – so… make sure you visit this spot for a great view (shown below).

3. Alcatraz

Alcatraz is a notorious former prison just off the coast of San Francisco. Closed over 60 years ago due to high operating costs, it now serves as a museum. To get there, you take a ferry across the bay before entering the museum. You can get a free audio guide and learn about some of the inmates, how the prison operated and more. The kids enjoyed walking the grounds of the prison and getting to go into some of the cells. Make sure you book your reservations in advance and bring a jacket for the super chilly boat ride over.

4. Big Sur

Big Sur is a stretch of gorgeous coastline running South of Monterey. The entire highway runs along the coast with sweeping views. There are plenty of places to stop and hike, view beaches and waterfalls, or just take in the scenery. We did a few stops along the way, and even enjoyed a picnic lunch overlooking the Pacific Ocean during this trip! A highlight for us was the famous McWay Falls.

5. Confusion Hill

Is this a super tourist trap? Probably. Is it worth it to do at least once? Yes! This is in the area near Redwood National Park and was a highlight for my kids. It has a small house you can go in where everything is a little weird! You stand up but you’re tilting to the side. You roll a ball down a hill, but it goes back up! I’m not really sure how to explain it, but it’s gravity defying! You probably only need an hour or less to make this stop, and its kind of fun. They also have a small train that takes you through the trees which is fun also!

6. Disneyland

Can’t talk about a trip to California without mentioning Disneyland. Being from the Midwest, most of our friends (and us!) go to Disneyworld in Florida. Disneyland is smaller, so it’s hard to compare. Obviously – it’s Disney, so the kids loved it. Worth a stop, even if it means driving through LA traffic to get there. Favorite stop was Star Wars land for the kids.

7. La Jolla

The kids and I love a good animal encounter, and it doesn’t get much cuter than the sea lions in La Jolla. There are so many and you can get super close. In hindsight, even though hundreds of people were within feet of them, we likely shouldn’t have gotten so close. It could harm them, or they could harm us. Either way, just seeing them from afar is such a fun experience for people who don’t get to see these amazing creatures in the wild very often. There are lots of places to view the sea lions from, but La Jolla had the most. We enjoyed the park overlooking the ocean where there were hundreds of sea lions playing in the waves.

8. USS Midway

The USS Midway is a huge aircraft carrier, turned museum, in San Diego. It’s an enormous museum where you could spend all day if you wanted. It has a ton of interactive things for kids to do, including getting in planes, seeing where the occupants lived, and playing with some controls. The kids especially liked that they got to complete a few activities and then be certified as a ‘captain’. They also got to walk into the area where the Captain would sit and try out the seat!

9. San Diego Zoo

The San Diego zoo is one of the best in the country – and we’ve seen a lot of the top zoos. There are so many great animal experiences! A highlight was seeing the birds released right when the zoo opened! We spent most of the day here and really enjoyed our time.

10. Madonna Inn

Maybe our favorite hotel ever, the Madonna Inn is a highlight for the kids. With uniquely themed rooms, a horse farm, a pool, pink basketball court and more – it’s just an amazing place to visit with kids! I added more pics and info in our ‘favorite hotels in California’ post!

Check out more in our vlogs!