California Vacation in May - Tell me where to go!

[Vire]

Hey all,

I'll be heading to California in May with my wife for the first time and we are pretty excited. So far we have mapped a very vague iternary - but I was hoping for some recommendations on what to do!

If what we have listed so far is no good, please correct me and send me elsewhere.

Day 1 - San Francisco
Golden Gate Bridge / Take a cable car to Fisherman's Warf / Pier 39 go to Twin Peaks at night for view. *looking for restaurant recommendations !*

Day 2 - Napa Valley
V Sattui Winery
Hall St. Wines St. Helene

Day 2 Evening -> Drive to Yosemite Park BNB

Day 3: Yosemite Park
Yosemite Lower Falls / Yosemite Mist Trail (where to eat afterwords?)

Day 3 Evening -> Drive to Santa Cruz Boulder Creek AirBnB

Day 4 Roadtrip
Big Basin Redwood Park / Railroad Train trip through forest
Drive famous highway down coast and stop along the way to see the sights at Big Sur
End roadtrip in Goleta AirBnB

Day 5 LA
Have breakfast in Santa Barbara at Boathouse Hendrys
Drive to LA / spend all day in LA (See Hollywood Sign / Observatory (what else to do in LA?)

Day 6 Drive from LA to San Diego
Surfing Lessons with Wife in San Diego *Need Restaurant Recommendations

Day 7: San Diego
San Diego Zoo (from what I understand this is an all day kind of thing?

What do you all think? What should I swap out/what restaurants to go to/what to do in LA/SD/SF!

 

[DrewFu]

You're in for an experience at Yosemite. It's mind blowing.

Also for SD, if possibly, I strongly suggest Safari Park over the main Zoo. It's better in every way.

 

[Dest]

If you're in San Francisco you gotta check out the Ferry Building for some food stuffs and Amoeba Music if you're into neat pickup spots for some records. Actually tons of record shops along that street last I was there.

 

[Rygar 8Bit]

I live in Goleta it's a nice area. When you go to Santa Barbara you might want to stay clear of State Street it's mostly closed shops and homeless. Boathouse on the beach is nice though, I used to get burgers there for lunch when I went to city college.

 

[Dr. Feel Good]

You're doing all of that in 7 days? Seems like way too much. La, SF, and SD should not be seen in one day.

LA go to The Comedy Store at night.

 

[t26]

If you only have a week stick with either NorCal or SoCal. I mean you could spend a while day in Santa Cruz for example.

 

[Deleted member 4367]

Your plan is absolutely nuts. That just seems like way too much. I'd cut down the locations in half and actually get to enjoy where you're going.

 

[Mcfrank]

Seems like too much for 7 days. If you have that little time in LA I would just add Grand Central Market so you can try a variety of food and then that will be most of your day. You are gonna be missing a ton of what LA has to offer.

 

[RKasa]

I personally find Napa to be overrated. Sonoma's where it's at.

A couple Sonoma county wineries I like that would be good for a visitor:
- Dry Creek Vineyard: a bit of a drive, but a lot of great wineries in the area, and this is one of my personal favorites. Lovely grounds, too.
- Valley of the Moon (aka Madrone): Great selection all around. Close to Glen Ellen, which is a tiny little town with some awesome restaurants.

Speaking of Glen Ellen, Jack London State Historic Park is nearby and a hidden gem.

If you decide to do Napa after all, check out Oxbow Public Market for lunch. Unfortunately, the downtown isn't as lively as Sonoma's, which also features the Bear Flag Monument.

Going back to the SF area for a minute, drive to Mt. Diablo State Park in the East Bay (my old stomping grounds) and take in the view! Mt. Diablo is also the inspiration for the title of Diablo, so it has a special significance for gamers.

Your schedule is... kind of bonkers, as others have noted, but hope this helps.

 

[Deleted member 4367]

I personally find Napa to be overrated. Sonoma's where it's at.

Some Sonoma county wineries I like that would be good for a visitor:
- Dry Creek Vineyard: a bit of a drive, but a lot of great wineries in the area, and this is one of my personal favorites. Lovely grounds, too.
- Valley of the Moon (aka Madrone): Great selection all around. Close to Glen Ellen, which is a tiny little town with some awesome restaurants.

Speaking of Glen Ellen, Jack London State Historic Park is nearby and a hidden gem.

If you decide to do Napa after all, check out Oxbow Public Market for lunch. Unfortunately, the downtown isn't as lively as Sonoma's, which also features the Bear Flag Monument.

Going back to the SF area for a minute, drive to Mt. Diablo State Park in the East Bay (my old stomping grounds) and take in the view! Mt. Diablo is also the inspiration for the title of Diablo, so it has a special significance for gamers.

Your schedule is... kind of insane, as others have noted, but hope this helps.

Click to shrink...

Sonoma is so much more laid back! And the wine is still excellent. Don't have to worry about reservations for wineries usually. Good recommendation.

 

[Babyshaq90]

Yeah while it might be nice to see all that in 7 days you guys will be exhausted. Yosemite to Santa Cruz itself is a almost 4 hour drive.

 

[pikachief]

Almost everything on your list seem like multi-day ventures. The drive from redwoods to LA alone is a whole day. But I see that you have that scheduled for a whole day. I guess on your way down if you have time and weather permits, go see Hearst Castle.

 

[RKasa]

Sonoma is so much more laid back! And the wine is still excellent. Don't have to worry about reservations for wineries usually. Good recommendation.

Click to shrink...

Thanks, and yeah, Sonoma's laid-back style is my personal preference over touristy Napa.

Your note about reservations reminded me of something, which the OP will want to make note of: wineries sometimes host private events, so it may be a good idea to call ahead on the day you want to visit (or check their website's event calendar) to be sure they won't be closed to the public.

 

[Shambala]

Lol good luck. U better chop half of those plans.

 

[Vire]

Hey all, I understand it's a ridiculous amount in 7 days, but I don't know when again I'll be able to go to California... My wife and I packed an insane amount when we went to Russia and I felt like I needed a vacation from my vacation - BUT - it was also one of the best trips of my life.

I think we can manage it, we are pretty experienced travelers.

 

[Pall Mall]

I would stay in the much better California, NorCal, for the week ;)

Sonoma is amazing, beautiful, has a lovely rustic vibe, and ofc the wine is incredible. Highly recommend it over Napa as someone else said.

Random restaurant recommendation - Shizen in SF (vegan sushi which is very SF, that defies the moniker of just being sushi with vegetables, it's incredible)

Any other restaurant just depends on what you want to eat, you can pretty much get any kind of cuisine in SF & it will be delicious

 

[B'z-chan]

That's too much packed into one trip. As a native Californian I'd advise you to rethink the scope of your trip. Focus on what you want to do the most and rework your plans around that. Also note that this time of year for Yosemite is the most popular time for visitors and the park does limit guests. Also note that highway 1 through Big Sur takes much longer than i5, and is prone to long delays due to one lane sections from road work.

 

[DrewFu]

I have to agree with the others that you may want to just do SoCal or NorCal. I'd suggest SoCal, but Yosemite is too good to not see.

 

[Supercrap]

Yeah. You're going to be spending way more time driving than sightseeing.

You've got quite a few forum members recommending you pare down the plans, I myself included, have lived all my life in California - the state is much bigger than you probably think and those roads are not all quick to get around

 

[zzz]

SF & SD restaurants: What's your budget & what kind of food do you like?

 

[Viewt]

As someone who just took a trip to Napa and Sonoma, the latter is much more worth your time. Less costly and much more chill. Tres Sabores was great, though.

Also, you have too many things on your itinerary. Cut it by at least 30% or you'll be too exhausted to really enjoy it.

 

[Vire]

I personally find Napa to be overrated. Sonoma's where it's at.

A couple Sonoma county wineries I like that would be good for a visitor:
- Dry Creek Vineyard: a bit of a drive, but a lot of great wineries in the area, and this is one of my personal favorites. Lovely grounds, too.
- Valley of the Moon (aka Madrone): Great selection all around. Close to Glen Ellen, which is a tiny little town with some awesome restaurants.

Speaking of Glen Ellen, Jack London State Historic Park is nearby and a hidden gem.

If you decide to do Napa after all, check out Oxbow Public Market for lunch. Unfortunately, the downtown isn't as lively as Sonoma's, which also features the Bear Flag Monument.

Going back to the SF area for a minute, drive to Mt. Diablo State Park in the East Bay (my old stomping grounds) and take in the view! Mt. Diablo is also the inspiration for the title of Diablo, so it has a special significance for gamers.

Your schedule is... kind of bonkers, as others have noted, but hope this helps.

Click to shrink...

Thanks man! Will do some research on the places noted.

If I do end up doing the bonkers outline above, I promise to post photos from everywhere. :)

 

[Deleted member 27938]

in SF, if it can fit in your schedule of course, do the Alcatraz tour. It's touristy, sure, but awesome. takes 3-4 hours though.

Also if you're a junk food fan, I took my time in CA sampling the various fast food restaurants that I don't have access to on the east coast. My favorite: Carl's Jr.

 

[Stinkles]

You should drive down coast to Big Sur and visit Hearst Castle if possible. Death Valley in spring too.



co-signed on Alcatraz - best touristy thing in CA and get the award winning audio tour. Muir Woods National Park and do the dipsea trail hike from there.

of any other if those if you have cut something cut Napa.

 

[Vire]

You should drive down coast to Big Sur and visit Hearst Castle if possible. Death Valley in spring too.

Click to shrink...

My wife wanted to Death Valley pretty badly - but it seems so far out of the way that we had to be within reason here... I guess the next time we will go to the Las Vegas surrounding area to do that one.

in SF, if it can fit in your schedule of course, do the Alcatraz tour. It's touristy, sure, but awesome. takes 3-4 hours though.

Also if you're a junk food fan, I took my time in CA sampling the various fast food restaurants that I don't have access to on the east coast. My favorite: Carl's Jr.

Click to shrink...

True! I didn't even think of that. I gotta try all this crap I can't get here. In and out also!

 

[Deleted member 4367]

Alcatraz is one of the only touristy things to do in SF that's actually worth it.


Whenever people were in town, we would take them on a hike through SF that was always fun for us. Starting around the Buena Vista Cafe (very touristy spot for Irish coffees) get an Irish coffee then hike up Hyde. Walk down Lombard. Hike up to Coit tower then down through the boardwalk neighborhood. Then walk back up the Embarcadero to where you started.

 

[Rygar 8Bit]

My wife wanted to Death Valley pretty badly - but it seems so far out of the way that we had to be within reason here... I guess the next time we will go to the Las Vegas surrounding area to do that one.


True! I didn't even think of that. I gotta try all this crap I can't get here. In and out also!

Click to shrink...

That'd be a good call, could most likely throw Grand Canyon in there as well on that trip if you've never been.

 

[Yams]

The piers in SF suck.

go eat some Pho at Turtle Tower in Little Saigon. Find other shit to do but avoid the tourist trap pier. De Young's at Golden Gate Park is dope. SF MoMA.

San Francisco has some of the best variety of Asian food you can have. Mensho Tokyo is delicious. Get there early enough and you won't have to wait in line

 

[Vire]

That'd be a good call, could most likely throw Grand Canyon in there as well on that trip if you've never been.

Click to shrink...

Sounds wonderful. We are both in IT so it is very very difficult for us to plan vacation times and take off. When we get the opportunity, we really try to make the most of our pitiful 10 days in the year.

I even ended up combining weekends and memorial day for this California trip that way we have additional time in Prague/Germany in September.

 

[Rygar 8Bit]

Do you have a preference for food? Need any recommendations?

 

[Vire]

Do you have a preference for food? Need any recommendations?

Click to shrink...

We really aren't picky at all when it comes to food (I eat virtually everything, even the weird Russian foods my wife introduced me to) . All cuisines are welcome.

My wife really likes Sushi, my favorite is Italian. But as long as it's good, we are down.

Also, unrelated but after reading a lot of the suggestions, I was looking at this place in Sonoma instead of Napa, it looks very relaxing:

Scribe Winery.

Scribe Winery - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

www.tripadvisor.com

 

[Rygar 8Bit]

If you get to Goleta late Freebirds is heavily recommended. They are open til 1am and the food is amazing and cheap.

Freebirds - Isla Vista, CA

1256 reviews of Freebirds "Meals here are massive so bring an appetite. Average flavors, simple ingredients. The nachos are great but get soggy fast so be sure to share."

www.yelp.com

Don't know of any good sushi houses here in Goleta, but downtown SB has some. Something Fishy now Hibachi steak house is really good. I normally get the ramen, but my friend who travels a lot, and loves sushi likes that place a lot.

Hibachi Steak House & Sushi Bar - Santa Barbara, CA

Specialties: We bring the kitchen to the table delivering a show to our guests while they dine. Established in 1985. Established in the 1980's we've been in downtown Santa Barbara for 30 years. As the trends have changed in the food industry, we've kept our base as original as possible for...

www.yelp.com

Most of the Itallian places here are expensive. Places like Jane, the food is good just pretty pricey.

Jane At The Marketplace - Goleta, CA

Established in 2016. Jane is a family owned and operated business. The restaurant is named after my grandmother, Jane Moody, who loved to travel the world and was always entertaining. She encouraged my parents, Mark & Margaret Huston to…

www.yelp.com

But if you're hungry when you get here in Goleta I can't recommend Freebirds enough. Other than that we got stuff like In n Out and The Habbit if you want burgers.

 

[Vire]

You should drive down coast to Big Sur and visit Hearst Castle if possible. Death Valley in spring too.



co-signed on Alcatraz - best touristy thing in CA and get the award winning audio tour. Muir Woods National Park and do the dipsea trail hike from there.

of any other if those if you have cut something cut Napa.

Click to shrink...

So if we cut wine day and do Muir Woods.... 9 Miles though for dispea?! Looks astoundingly beautiful, but I don't want my legs to be jello before Yosemite the next day. Or what do you think?

 

[Rygar 8Bit]

Yosemite is going to have a bunch of hiking. Just depends how in shape you are.

 

[Vire]

Yosemite is going to have a bunch of hiking. Just depends how in shape you are.

Click to shrink...

In shape, but not bowflex man. lol

Maybe it'll give me more motivation to get my ass to the gym before the trip.

If you get to Goleta late Freebirds is heavily recommended. They are open til 1am and the food is amazing and cheap.

Freebirds - Isla Vista, CA

1256 reviews of Freebirds "Meals here are massive so bring an appetite. Average flavors, simple ingredients. The nachos are great but get soggy fast so be sure to share."

www.yelp.com

Don't know of any good sushi houses here in Goleta, but downtown SB has some. Something Fishy now Hibachi steak house is really good. I normally get the ramen, but my friend who travels a lot, and loves sushi likes that place a lot.

Hibachi Steak House & Sushi Bar - Santa Barbara, CA

Specialties: We bring the kitchen to the table delivering a show to our guests while they dine. Established in 1985. Established in the 1980's we've been in downtown Santa Barbara for 30 years. As the trends have changed in the food industry, we've kept our base as original as possible for...

www.yelp.com

Most of the Itallian places here are expensive. Places like Jane, the food is good just pretty pricey.

Jane At The Marketplace - Goleta, CA

Established in 2016. Jane is a family owned and operated business. The restaurant is named after my grandmother, Jane Moody, who loved to travel the world and was always entertaining. She encouraged my parents, Mark & Margaret Huston to…

www.yelp.com

But if you're hungry when you get here in Goleta I can't recommend Freebirds enough. Other than that we got stuff like In n Out and The Habbit if you want burgers.

Click to shrink...

Yeah we will probably get to Goleta late so that place looks perfect. A big meal after a long road trip. Hell yeah.

 

[joe1138]

Your plan is absolutely nuts. That just seems like way too much. I'd cut down the locations in half and actually get to enjoy where you're going.

Click to shrink...

Yeah man, I've lived in Southern California my entire life and haven't done half the things you want to do in a week.

I'd main So Cal for the week and maybe take a quick flight up to NorCal from John Wayne (avoid LAX as much as possible) for a night or two.

 

[Mcfrank]

Yeah man, I've lived in Southern California my entire life and haven't done half the things you want to do in a week.

I'd main So Cal for the week and maybe take a quick flight up to NorCal from John Wayne (avoid LAX as much as possible) for a night or two.

Click to shrink...

This really is the advice I would take from this thread. I would pick norcal or socal and do a week at one of those. There is more than enough to do in either location to fill a week. If you do Socal you could do Santa Barbara through San Diego and if you do Norcal you could do Monterey through Napa and have plenty to see and enjoy.

California is very large.

 

[Rhomega]

Ever since I planned out my DC trip, I'm more conscious of everyone else traveling.

 

[gdt]

That's too much dude. Chop it down and soak it in.

 

[Yams]

Yeah I'd do SF to Napa in 3-4 days and then Yosemite for the rest. If not you'll be driving for fucking ever

I just did San Francisco to Fresno yesterday. What is usually a 3 hour drive turned into a 6 hour drive due to traffic delays

Oh and you need at least 3 days in LA to see anything worth value

 

[Ominym]

Just my two cents here but Pier 39 sucks and is just a tourist trap. Yeah you can see the sea lions but it's usually overcrowded and full of all the same stuff you can see at home. If you're going to Santa Cruz anyway go to the boardwalk there and you'll have a much better experience watching the sea lions anyway even if it's still tourisity.

If you're looking for night views of the city, at least consider something like Mission Dolores or Bernal Heights park.

For food and given your aggressive travel schedule, if you can only hit one place I'd say go to La Taqueria. If you end up going to Mission Dolores you could also swing by Bi-Rite Creamery for some ice cream during your time at the park.

To echo others though you're trying to cram a lot in here and you could easily get a lot out of any of these locations for multiple days.

 

[offtopic]

OP - don't be discouraged from your planned trip - it sounds awesome! It is true that you won't be able to see all there is but some spots might inspire you to come back and spend more time or explore more fully. That said you will be very much on-the-go at all moments as those are not insignificant drives. Hopefully we'll get some more rain this winter so you get more greenery and the falls at Yosemite can be epic. One note - on your way out of Yosemite and back to Santa Cruz do yourself a favor and head south (towards Wawona) and go through the Giant Sequioas and take a look at some of those wonders of the world.

 

[El_TigroX]

Your plan goes awry on day 4-5. Too much driving if you actually want to see Big Sur. The road access there gets tough. And you'll have to clip off a shit load and speed by the important things just to make it to LA.

pick northern or southern, or extend by 3 days to give yourself breathing room.

 

[xxracerxx]

This is more intense than that other NYC trip schedule thread.

 

[GalvoAg]

If you had five days should you go SD or SF?

 

[Adder7806]

That is a very overloaded itinerary. You'll spend most of your time driving. At the very least I'd leave out San Diego. If you do go to San Diego the wild animal park is better than the zoo.

On that trip I doubt I would even try to get to LA. Definitely consider scaling back your plans. Imo, it's not doable.

 

[xxracerxx]

Looking at all the driving time between places (without traffic even) and holy shit that is a lot of hours behind the wheel. Think about pairing it down.

 

[Deleted member 4367]

If you had five days should you go SD or SF?

Click to shrink...

SF itself isn't that great. But if you add in Berkeley, Oakland, Napa/Sonoma, Muir Woods or a trip further north to the really big redwoods like Avenue of the Giants I think SF area edges out San Diego. San Diego is awesome though.

 

[ryseing]

If you had five days should you go SD or SF?

Click to shrink...

San Diego. There's the touristy stuff which you can do for a couple days, but I would spend the other half just enjoying the city and the great food. SD is really a lovely place.

 

[Damaniel]

You're in for an experience at Yosemite. It's mind blowing.

Also for SD, if possibly, I strongly suggest Safari Park over the main Zoo. It's better in every way.

Click to shrink...

Personally, I'd take SDZ over the Safari Park (did both last summer on sequential days), but if you have an extra day, both are worth seeing.

Also, I think that SF is kind of overrated. Outside of the bridge and Alcatraz, there's nothing else that screams 'COME SEE ME!' there. I'd probably devote an extra day to LA or San Diego, personally.