Suggestions for San Francisco port day

[fisherhum]

we are travelling on a Pacific Coastal cruise in early Oct. and have a day in SF. We have 2 kids ages 8 and 10 and I'm looking for suggestions on what to do. I have never been there so I'm not sure whether the things that I want to do would really be that interesting for the kids.

I was thinking Alcatraz in the morning and then maybe just go to the piers or check out the sealions?

I would love some suggestions or comments on things that the kids would like.

 

Thanks

Kathy

[Keith1010]

Kathy, a visit to Alcatrez is nice and if you go that route purchase the tickets ahead of time. The kids might like the cruise out to the island but they might be a bit bored walking around. You may want to take them on a tour bus and one to consider is the one that looks like a cable car that you can find right adjacent to Pier 35. That will give everyone a good sense of San Francisco and you will see many of the highlights of the city.

 

Afterward, you can walk around Pier 35 which is Fisherman's Wharf as there are a lot of tourist shops and restaurants there , and you can see the seals and and then from there you could walk up to Ghirardelli Square as that entire area is a tourist spot. Towards the other direction only about a five or ten minute walk is the old Ferry Building which had been converted to a beautiful indoor area of shops and restaurants.

 

I would also try to ride a real cable car as well.

 

Keith

[utseabee]

Right next to the Pier 35 is pier 39, which is a big tourist area. There is aquarium, mirror maze, and all kinds of shopping and dining. It is not even a five minute walk.

http://www.pier39.com/index.cfm

[imsulin]

There's also a Ripley's Believe it Or Not Museum across the street, with the usual grisly/gruesome/weird/unusual exhibits that for some reason appeal to kids the ages of yours! Had to drag mine out of there! (I know....I know.) I love the Alcatraz excursion, but: long ferry lines, be careful of the time, get the headphone self-tour, and my kids were completely bored after 30 minutes, and were looking for concession food. The walk-through aquarium was amazing!!! (moving track) But very short. Maybe an hour if you prolonged it. You can get great clam chowder in a sourdough bowl just about anywhere along Fisherman's Wharf. Kids just wanted cheeseburgers and fries. The cable car thing...you have to wait in line for a VERY long time (it's a beginning/end route) and after a couple of up/and/down hills, the kids are cramped and want to get off! (To get some Rice-a-Roni?) There's also a Madame Taussaud's that none of us were interested in. Been there, done that! I'm just saying...the cheesy Ripley's Museum was the highlight for my kids! Believe it or not!

[sas80]

we are travelling on a Pacific Coastal cruise in early Oct. and have a day in SF. We have 2 kids ages 8 and 10 and I'm looking for suggestions on what to do. I have never been there so I'm not sure whether the things that I want to do would really be that interesting for the kids.

I was thinking Alcatraz in the morning and then maybe just go to the piers or check out the sealions?

I would love some suggestions or comments on things that the kids would like.

 

Thanks

Kathy

 

Your plan is solid. There is an audio tour included with the price of admission to Alcatraz so you all will have something to listen to while they walk. There are amazing views from Alcatraz too, some really great pics to be had. Be sure to get a pic of your group with the GG bridge in the background.

 

Then walk around the pier area, have clam chowder at Boudin for lunch (6 pack boxes of sourdough for $20, I recommend it!) Ripley's believe it or not, and take in the ambiance of the area. Have fun and bring a jacket, it gets cold!

[beachchick]

There is so much to do in San Francisco that you'll barely scratch the surface. Keep in mind that this is only my personal opinion and what we would do (or that is, not do). We would not take up a good part of a single port day with a visit to Alcatraz, especially not with young children. We just think there are other things that would be more fun. Some possibilities: The newly redone California Acadamy of Sciences with the Steinhart Aquarium (and about 100 other things to do in Golden Gate Park); Crissy Field and the Presidio; Ghirardelli Square and/or Fisherman's Wharf; a ride on the cable cars (really fun); if you want to ferry, you could go over to Sausalito or Jack London Square or Angel Island.

 

Pier 39 is an excellent choice for part of the day, so I suggest you keep that.

 

beachchick

[reallyitsmema]

Another fun thing to do is the Exploratorium, especially if the weather isn't too good. Lots of hands on things for kids to do. Also, the admissions price is bad at all so even if you were trying to kill a little time, it is pretty reasonable.

 

http://www.exploratorium.edu/

[Marie51]

My own opinion is that Alcatraz will be boring for your age children. Also I read somewhere that the sea lions had disappeared. Does anyone know if this is true?

[Keith1010]

We read on the West Coast Board that the Sea Lions are back again.

 

Keith

[chipmaster]

Pier39 and Fishermans warf

China town

Cable car ride ( My kids never tire of riding this )

san francisco exploratorium

Alcatrez as others have said or a cruise out past golden gate.

 

we are travelling on a Pacific Coastal cruise in early Oct. and have a day in SF. We have 2 kids ages 8 and 10 and I'm looking for suggestions on what to do. I have never been there so I'm not sure whether the things that I want to do would really be that interesting for the kids.

I was thinking Alcatraz in the morning and then maybe just go to the piers or check out the sealions?

I would love some suggestions or comments on things that the kids would like.

 

Thanks

Kathy

[chipmaster]

We have seen them every time we visit.

 

My own opinion is that Alcatraz will be boring for your age children. Also I read somewhere that the sea lions had disappeared. Does anyone know if this is true?

[crzgrl66]

We are from the bay area and I have to agree with the previous poster that a trip to Alcatraz for kids is a little dull. There are so many other things to do that will really give you more of an opportunity to enjoy the culture of the city. Here are a few suggestions:

 

Cable Cars (no matter how many times we have gone to SF, my 7 & 10 year old beg to go on the cable cars)

Go Cars - http://www.gocartours.com/sanfrancisco.html

Ride the Ducks - http://sanfrancisco.ridetheducks.com/home.aspx

Here's a coupon for Ride the Ducks - http://www.sfbayfun.com/coupons.html

Pier 39 is fun to walk around and it has Aquarium by the Bay, arcade, merry-go round,pier entertainers and yes, the sealions are back etc. - http://www.pier39.com/index.cfm

Academy of Science - interesting with rainforest, planetarium, but if you only have one day in San Francisco I would choose something with more sight seeing.

Fisherman's Wharf - Musee Mecanique - http://www.museemecaniquesf.com Ripleys & Wax Museum & the yummiest clam chowder ever!

 

Whatever you do, bring a jacket and enjoy the people watching! San Francisco is a fun city.

[sacway]

I work in the city and last month had our three kids (4 & 8), along with a niece and another friend (tweeners) and their moms in town for the day. We took the BART subway a few stops and went shopping at H&M, then dropped our bags back at the hotel before going over to the Exploratorium for a few hours. Had lunch at the Exploratorium cafe, the other moms raved about the fresh quality dishes that seem pretty typical SFO food, I think free range chicken quesadilla was on the menu for example. Back to the hotel for some Shirley Temples before we said goodbye.

 

Cable cars are great too.

Love the Japanese Garden in Golden Gate Park.

 

You could even make a game out of your day, trying to visit as many places seen in movies as possible. Too much to choose from! You'll have to visit again before long.

[kidsfun]

The Exploratorium is great for kids! Riding the cable car is such a classic SF experience, I wouldn't want to miss that. Get on at Ghiradelli square and ride it to Union Square, walk around. We always get chili in a breadbowl at Boudin in the basement of Macy's and eat outside in Union square. I agree with several others who said they wouldn't waste the time on Alcatraz; it's such an amazing city, and that would waste about half your day. Plus there is a good chance your kids would be bored. Have a great time!

[karatemom2]

We were recently in San Francisco for a couple of days and had a very nice time at Fisherman's Wharf. We started at Ghiradelli square and walked down to Pier 39. There is a lot to see and do in between. One of our favorite spots was the Musee Mecanique - http://www.museemecanique.org/news100103.html

 

It is a huge building at Pier 45 just full of antique arcade games and memoribilia. If you have seen the movie "Princess Diaries" it is where the granddaughter takes her grandmother (Julie Andrews) and she goes up against the mechanical arm wrestler arcade game. My daughter loves that movie so she got quite kick out of posing for a photo at that machine. Right outside is a WWII submarine you can tour which we enjoyed and then we ended the day at the Aquarium which we all loved.

 

It was so cool to walk through the tunnels with the sea life around you on all sides. A very nice aquarium that you can enjoy in a short amount of time. There is a booth out front where you can pick up discount coupons by spinning a wheel and answering some very easy environmental and marine conservation questions.

 

Oh and in Ghiradelli Square there a place called Kara's Cupcakes. They are yummy beyond belief!!