Please Help: Need the Top 5 fun places to visit in Northern CA

[kiwilover70]

My children are approximately that age so i am going to list a few things that they like to do in and around northern Cal. We lived in Sac until last October (and their grandma lives in Santa Rosa).Old Sacramento is always a hit as well as Effie Yeaw nature area in Carmichael.We have seen deer,rabbits,birds there. It always feels like you are no longer within any city limits.Lake Tahoe is great . We have done horse back riding and rented bikes as well as hung at the lake and the game room at the bottom of Harrahs(I think that is the one). San Fransisco can take days to see but the kids always love China town and Golden gate park(The aquarium is now reopened. It was always a great place to visit. Muir woods to the north of the Golden gate is a good park with lots of really cool big redwood trees but it can be tough to get to in the summer. There are plenty of nice trails to walk but if you have any whiners when it comes to long walks you may really have to debate if the beauty outweighs the hassle. (as you might have guessed I have one of these and it depends on the day and mood as to what I can deal with)

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by kiwilover70

My children are approximately that age so i am going to list a few things that they like to do in and around northern Cal. We lived in Sac until last October (and their grandma lives in Santa Rosa).Old Sacramento is always a hit as well as Effie Yeaw nature area in Carmichael.We have seen deer,rabbits,birds there. It always feels like you are no longer within any city limits.Lake Tahoe is great . We have done horse back riding and rented bikes as well as hung at the lake and the game room at the bottom of Harrahs(I think that is the one). San Fransisco can take days to see but the kids always love China town and Golden gate park(The aquarium is now reopened. It was always a great place to visit. Muir woods to the north of the Golden gate is a good park with lots of really cool big redwood trees but it can be tough to get to in the summer. There are plenty of nice trails to walk but if you have any whiners when it comes to long walks you may really have to debate if the beauty outweighs the hassle. (as you might have guessed I have one of these and it depends on the day and mood as to what I can deal with)

yes, Harrahs is the one with the kids program. In fact clear back in the 60s Harrahs offered Child care, I am sure the first casino to do so.

Nita

[Ludachris]

I'd probably say:

- Pier 39, Golden Gate Park, and Alcatraz tour in San Francisco (a must see)
- Monterey Bay Aquarium (the wharf is great) and a quick visit to Carmel while you're there
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (not dazzling, but it's historic and the kids will probably enjoy it - I loved it when I was a kid)
- The Redwoods (Muir Woods would suffice if you can't drive all the way up to Eureka)
- Lake Tahoe (absolutely beautiful)

And if you still have time to spare:
- Old Sacramento and Railroad Museum
- Napa/Sonoma (more for the adults obviously)
- a drive up (or down) the coast between Monterey and Half Moon Bay

Those are my favorite attractions.

[jman650]

My top votes:

1) Yosemite
2) Lake Tahoe
3) Santa Cruz Area: The Boardwalk, Santa Cruz Mystery Spot, Capitola, Monterey Bay Aquarium
4) SF: Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf (Wax Museum especially), Giants game (AT&T Park is awesome), Golden Gate Park, Steinhart Aquarium, Japanese Tea Gardens, Twin Peaks, Ferry to Angel Island, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Lombard St, Exploratorium, Pier 39, Mission Dolores, etc.
5) Sonoma & Marin Counties: Russian River, Wine Country, John Muir Woods, Hot Air Balooning, Kayaking, Mission San Rafael De Arcangel, etc.

Runners up (in no particular order):

1) Half Moon Bay (great beaches and great food)
2) Lake Berryessa
3) Old Sacramento
4) Gold Country (Pinecrest/Twain Harte/Sutter's Mill (?) area)
5) Big Sur
6) Hearst Castle

I enjoyed all these things very much when I saw them as a kid.