When planning a family car trip to the USA, each traveler has many options to choose from. You can relax on the wide beaches in Miami, touch the glaciers in Anchorage, drive through the hot deserts in Arizona or rent car in Albany to explore some of the most amazing sights around New York.
Want something different? Consider a family trip to California, more specifically San Francisco. This incredible city is a favorite destination for travelers who like steep hills, picturesque landscapes, cable cars and the famous Golden Gate Bridge. Of course, it’s also a great place for a family vacation. There are a lot of interesting sights that children will enjoy and which are easily accessible by car.
If you have long dreamed of giving your kids an unforgettable weekend, rent a car and take a trip to the following iconic places in San Francisco.
San Francisco Zoo
This place is often underestimated, but in vain! Tigers, penguins and gorillas are available a few steps from the Pacific coast. It’s also home to such rare animals as a snow leopard, a black rhino and two polar bears. Don’t forget to clarify the time of their feeding, as the show is simply touching.
Despite the fact that more than a thousand animals live at the San Francisco Zoo, be sure to check out the family farm. Here kids can feed a donkey, chase chickens and pet a goat. When the child gets tired of walks and impressions, jump into the train and ride along a breathtaking route.
Address: Sloat Blvd &, Great Hwy, San Francisco, CA 94132
Exploratorium
Do you want to instill in children a love of physics, chemistry and other sciences? Take your rental car and go to the Exploratorium! With the help of various exhibits, your little ones will learn how electricity works, why earthquakes occur and what the objects we use in everyday life are made of.
The museum includes five galleries with different themes. At the observatory, children will learn everything about the weather and see what San Francisco looks like from a bird’s eye view. Are you interested in plants and animals? Then welcome to the eastern gallery. On an interactive model, you can see the cellular organism from the inside.
Next you’ll get to the central gallery, where everything is about light, sound, sight and hearing. Here children will learn how to create different sounds and how a distorting mirror distorts what we see.
The southern most popular gallery of the museum is called ‘Tinkerville’. Here you can touch everything with your hands and show your creativity – with magnets, watches and other things.
The last section of the museum, the western gallery, tells about feelings, thoughts and behavior.
Address: Pier 15, The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94100
Aquarium of the Bay
Aquarium of the Bay is located in the center of Pier 39 and is easily accessible by car rental from any part of the city. In this place your children will get to know the plants and animals that call San Francisco their home.
Fish of all colors, jellyfish, starfish, giant octopus, as well as small sharks, great rays and turtles are among the popular inhabitants of the aquarium. Moving through a huge water tunnel, you will feel like the master of the seabed.
The museum is built on the principle of the ocean – the higher you climb the floors, the deeper you plunge into the water. On the top floor, children will find a long-awaited interactive zone: they can take a closer look at some of the inhabitantas, for example, baby sharks, and even touch the sea stars in the pond.
Address: PIER 39 The Embarcadero &, Beach St, San Francisco, CA 94133
The San Francisco Botanical Garden
The next point is a great idea for a fun pastime in your family car rental trip. San Francisco’s botanical garden is over 75 years old. Here you can see over 8,000 plant species from all over the world, from Chile and Asia to the San Francisco Bay. This is the perfect place for day walks with children – you can have fun, play and even learn.
A day in the botanical garden is like a vacation in an exotic country. Rhododendrons, conifers, blooming magnolias – you can touch, smell and explore everything. Give your child an adventure and try to read the long and unpronounceable names of plants in Latin with him.
In the far corner of the garden there’s a kindergarten. Here children take care of plants and play games. After a long walk, you can have a picnic. The Great Meadow is excellent for this.
After exploring the gardens set off to the library. There are many interesting children’s books about plants, flowers, nature and gardening.
Address: 1199 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122
Koret Children’s Quarter Playground
The playground is located in the Golden Gate Park. It’s very clean and safe, with lots of grass, swings and carousels. So, there will be enough entertainment options both for a two-year-old baby and a 12-year-old teenager.
Koret Children’s Quarter Playground was opened in 1888. It was the first public playground created for the development of children. A building was erected next to it, where children could play in bad weather. Today it houses the Sharon Art Studio for children and adults.
Another attraction of the park is the Herschel-Spielmann Carousel, built in 1914. You can enjoy it, riding a dragon, camel, horse or dog.
This site is very popular with locals and visitors to San Francisco. Therefore, it can be difficult to find a parking space for your rental car. We advise you to come there in the morning.
Address: Martin Luther King Jr Dr & Bowling Green Dr, San Francisco, CA 94117
