California Road Trip
San Francisco
Starting off in San Francisco, also known as ‘Fog City’ (and boy was this true first thing in the morning!) we got to cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge, which for me was the highlight of this part of the trip…stopping halfway across and looking out at San Francisco with Alcatraz in full view was truly special. We did also visit Alcatraz Island which was just brilliant…even the teenagers enjoyed this (a great way to sneak in a bit of a history lesson!).
Chinatown, Coit Tower, The Painted Ladies, The ‘Full House’ house (my youngest daughters must see) and the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps were just some of the other fantastic places we got to see over our three days here.
Top tip – it starts off cool so wear layers to remove as once the fog lifts it turns into a lovely warm day.
Coastal Drive
We then continued our journey down the West Coast stopping at Santa Cruz, Monteray, Pismo Beach and Santa Barbara. This part of the trip was just stunning. I would definitely recommend following the coastal road when travelling through this part of California, it may take a little longer (especially with the many, many places to stop and see along the way) but it’s 100% worth it. The views are just spectacular, although some of those cliff top drives were a little hair raising!
We got to ride the famous Giant Dipper in Santa Cruz, walked the beautiful trails of Redwood State Park, saw the breath-taking views from Bixby Bridge and the famous Elephant Seals at Vista Point. Every part of this drive was just absolutely amazing.
Disneyland (Anaheim)
So this is the reason this trip was planned. As a family we’ve been to Disneyland Paris and Disneyworld Florida, now it was time to visit the original Disneyland California and it didn’t disappoint.
Both my husband and eldest daughter are massive Marvel fans so Disney California Adventure Park was our first stop for the new Avengers Campus. The old Tower of Terror, now Guardians of the Galaxy, is definitely a family fav.
Soarin’ is another absolute gem, I just love how you feel as though you are actually traveling through all the different countries, it’s such a clever ride.
The following day was Disneyland Park, with Rise of the Resistance being our main aim for the day.
Top tip – get to the park for rope drop and head straight for this ride as it’s not included with Genie plus. We felt that Genie plus was definitely worth the extra money, it saved time (especially in Disneyland Park which we found to be the busier of the two) and allowed us to experience everything we’d planned to.
LA
It had to be done…the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Sign, Celebrity Homes Tour, Universal Studios and the Warner Bros Studio Tour- another highlight of our trip.
When visiting Universal Studios we found that if you get there for opening and visit the Lower Lot first, followed by the Studio Tour and finishing with the Upper Lot, you can fit everything in with minimal queue times.
For any Funko Pop fans out there, whilst visiting the Hollywood Walk of Fame you must visit their flagship store. It’s situated at the top end of Hollywood Boulevard and you’re able to create your own Funko Pop in their factory, but be sure to get there early as queues start to form around an hour before opening.
For a bit of relaxation Santa Monica Pier and Venice beach are great beaches to visit whilst you’re in the area. Roller skating or cycling along the boardwalk is very popular, with hire shops located in both locations.
San Diego
The last leg of our trip and time for a bit of downtime. We stayed in a lovely resort on Mission Bay where we were able to have some pool time and take part in some water sports.
We celebrated my daughter’s birthday whilst in San Diego by visiting Kansas City BBQ, the bar where scenes from the original Top Gun were filmed!
If you’re looking for somewhere nice to eat, Little Italy is a lively neighbourhood full of pavement cafes and restaurants where you are literally spoilt for choice.
The final highlight for us was attending a baseball game at Petco Park…even though we knew nothing about the game before we went, the spectacular park and the atmosphere (especially when they scored a home run!) drew us in and we had a fabulous experience that left us buzzing with excitement.
Top tip – it doesn’t really matter which seats you book as everywhere has a great view and there’s also other places around the stadium where you can sit or stand to watch the game. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere with people milling around the stadium throughout the game.
Well, that’s it…
We had such an amazing trip which completely exceeded our expectations and best of all we got to spend lots of quality family time together making memories that we will never forget!
Overall top tip - use packing cubes...these were an absolute life saver! I was dreading living out of a suitcase for three weeks but these cubes helped to keep everything organised and meant we didn't have to unpack our whole suitcase in every destination. They worked so well I will now be using them on every trip I go on.
