Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific is good as is the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. They are different enough to make visiting both worthwhile. Teens might enjoy a campus such as UC Santa Barbara...nice ocean views, surfers, etc.

Whatever you plan to do at Yosemite book now. A pass is needed just to drive in.

I've never been, but the Fort Ord Monument just north of Monterrey might be fun for kids... a crumbling Vietnam-era Army base with nature trails.

Salinas has been trying to get a tourist neighborhood going. There's a nice Steinbeck Museum there.

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Posted by j1897

Member since Nov 2011

3631 posts

Posted on 1/17/24 at 10:41 am to Tree_Fall

I don't think you can book this far out, Yosemite is a mess these days.

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Posted by LSUMBA91

The Holy City

Member since Nov 2007

231 posts

Posted on 1/20/24 at 8:55 pm to Tree_Fall

Ft. Ord is lots of hiking trails and not the prettier ones-- no trees at all and it gets hot. Nothing very "monumental" about it. Point Lobos near Carmel is a jewel and said to be the setting for Treasure Island.

Whale watching in Monterey Bay is usually good. Santa Cruz has a boardwalk, but has a strong hippie vibe/smell. Henry Cowell State Park near Santa Cruz has some big Redwoods close to the parking lot.

No signal for most of the drive up the coast from Morro Bay, but recommend stopping at Nepenthe and Pfeiffer State Park on the way up from Morro Bay.

Bring a sweatshirt. Or buy one when you get there. If they like golf, do 17 mile drive through Pebble Beach. Lots of tide pools on Asilomar Beach. There's a nice bicycle path through town & you can rent bikes.

So: Pfeiffer State Park, Point Lobos State Park, Henry Cowell State Park

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