San Francisco is a beautiful city to visit throughout the year. Whether you are traveling as a family or as a single parent with your children, you can find family oriented activities that will be sure to make your vacation one that will never be forgotten. Here is a list of great family fun activities to do while visiting the city. There are plenty of family friendly hotels in San Francisco; make sure you stay somewhere central to take advantage of all these great sites.
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is an obvious choice to top this list of great things to do in San Francisco. But this is for good reason. One of the most recognizable landmarks in the entire world, no trip to San Francisco is complete without riding across the bridge. It’s a great place for photos ops and also for beautiful views of the city. You can also check out Golden Gate Park, which is within walking distance and perfect for picnics or relaxing in the sun.
Aquarium Of The Bay or Monterey Bay Aquarium
If you have marine lovers in your family, obviously San Francisco is going to be a great place to go for its beaches. However, if you want to get out of the sun, you can head over to Aquarium of the Bay or the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The Aquarium of the Bay offers tons of sea life that is native to the San Francisco Bay and it also includes a 3D movie theatre. The Monterey Bay Aquarium on the other hand is one of the most popular aquariums in the nation, with over 200 galleries and exhibits.
Cable Car and Trolley Rides
If you are visiting San Francisco for the first time, you’ll quickly learn that the cable cars are a fun and convenient means of public transportation. You have a few different options when it comes to utilizing the cable cars and how they can benefit your family. If you want to see many of the historic sites that San Francisco has to offer, consider doing the Trolley Hop-On Hop-Off tour within your first few days. This will afford you the opportunity to see a lot of San Francisco, and you can spend the rest of your vacation going back to places that peak your interest. Another option is to get a 7-day pass for the cable cars, making it a great means of transportation while you’re in the city with your family. These means of transportation are significant in San Francisco, and not something you will find while in many other places in America.
Cartoon Art Museum
What kid doesn’t love cartoons? Visiting San Francisco is the perfect opportunity to also take in the Cartoon Art Museum, which was founded in 1984 with the help of Peanuts creator, Charles Schulz. You can find some of the most celebrated and famous cartoons ever created at this museum. The best part is the variety of cartoons from different decades, making it a perfect trip down memory lane for both you and your children.
AT&T Park
If you and your family are fans of baseball, AT&T Park is one of the best baseball fields in the world. The best feature is the cove that sits behind the stadium, which is full of kayakers hoping to catch home run balls that clear the stadium seating. You can also grab some world-famous food at AT&T Park, like crab sandwiches, Giants hotdogs (which really are gigantic), signature fries and popcorn, and much more.
Itinerary by Carlos, a travel writer for Hostelbookers. Thanks to ironypoisoning for the images off Flickr. Please note, at time of publication all images were suitable for use according to the Creative Commons license.
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