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I took my nieces (ages 15 and seven), for a fast weekend getaway to San Francisco. Whereas we had been solely there for about 30 hours, we lined a ton of floor!
San Francisco is a fantastic town to explore as an adult and I’ve received to say, I used to be pleasantly shocked by how kid-friendly town is, too. I felt like in all places we turned there was one thing to see and do.
For those who’re questioning simply what issues to do in San Francisco with children — I’ve received you lined.
Whether or not you’re coming for a weekend getaway, planning a staycation, or stay close by and are searching for enjoyable issues to do, I’ve put collectively a glimpse at our itinerary in addition to different choices so as to add on, relying on how lengthy you will have.
Right here’s are the highest issues to do with children in San Francisco, together with my weekend itinerary!
4 Seasons San Francisco
The place to Keep in San Francisco with Children
We stayed at Four Seasons San Francisco — it’s in an awesome location because it’s proper by Union Sq.. Listed below are just a few extra choices relying on what your price range is:
Luxurious
Mid-Vary
Finances
The place to Eat in San Francisco with Children
Pinecrest Diner: This old-school, 24-hour eatery slings beneficiant parts and has all the everyday diner classics.
The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen: This place makes a speciality of…you guessed it: grilled cheese! Providing breakfast and lunch they created upgraded takes on the grilled cheese sandwich, however don’t fear — you may nonetheless order old style one.
Pier 23 Cafe: Situated only a few blocks down from the Exploratorium, their children’ menu gives normal burgers, fish ‘n chips, in addition to sizzling canine, and grilled cheese.
Mac’d: For a enjoyable twist on mac ‘n cheese, go to this counter-service store on Russian Hill. Children can select which cheese sauce they’d like, pasta form (shells or elbows), and any tasty mix-ins like bacon, sizzling canine, or broccoli.
For these seeking to enterprise outdoors the field, you may add truffle oil, sizzling Cheetos, and even lobster.
Plow: There are a number of well-known spots for this in SF, one being Plow within the Potrero Hill neighborhood. It’s a smallish easy cafe-like place, with seats inside, outdoors, and on the counter, and a wait that begins early and goes lengthy.
For those who’re in a position to get a desk early, this place is wonderful…however for those who’ve received antsy kiddos who aren’t keen on ready in line, skip this for an additional time. That stated, for those who’re in a position to snag a desk, attempt the ricotta pancakes!
Boudin: A visit to SF wouldn’t be full and not using a huge serving of steaming sizzling clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Boudin was established again in 1849 and it’s stated that they nonetheless use the identical starter yeast-bacteria tradition they developed again within the California Gold Rush.
What to Do in San Francisco with Children
Right here’s the rundown of our itinerary — we arrived mid-day on a Friday and left Saturday night.
It was a fast go to, however we had been in a position to see and do a whole lot of issues. Whereas I’ve separated out every particular person factor to provide you a fast overview, I stored all the pieces so as of our itinerary, so it is sensible geographically!
For those who’re staying for the complete weekend (or longer), I’m including in some solutions on the finish to spherical out your go to! Like I discussed earlier, we stayed on the Four Seasons San Francisco which was an awesome location in the midst of tons of issues.
Take the Cable Automobile
We took the trolley from the Union Sq. space to Seaport Village. That is such an iconic factor to do and I might extremely advocate it.
To keep away from traces, you may prepay on your Cable Automobile experience utilizing MuniMobile® (it means that you can purchase tickets with credit score/debit, PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay).
Discover pricing data for single journeys right here — cable car single trips can be found here; for those who’re planning to hop on and off or utilizing the Cable Automobile all day, you could wish to get a visitor Passport.
Observe: For those who’re paying in money, precise change shall be required.
Hold Out at Pier 39
This is likely one of the most well-known spots…and for good motive! It’s received a carousel, arcade, a mirror maze, and tons of snacks and meals. You may even stroll out and take a look at the ocean lions basking within the solar.
Spend a while right here having fun with the sights and absorbing this quintessential San Francisco expertise.
Eat at Boudin
You may stroll from Pier 39 to Boudin at Fisherman’s Wharf. That is the right cease for lunch and an absolute MUST for anybody visiting San Francisco — particularly if it’s their first time.
Boudin is thought for his or her sourdough bread and the way their unique sourdough starter dates again to 1849 — as in in the course of the California Gold Rush. How about lunch with a aspect of historical past?
I personally love their clam chowder soup in a bread bowl. Whereas the youngsters weren’t a fan, there are a selection of different choices — burgers, sandwiches, grilled cheese, and extra.
You may as well purchase cute sourdough loaves formed like turtles and teddy bears. After lunch, wander round and discover among the fish retailers the world is thought for.
Go to the Musée Mechanique
Nearly a 5-10 minute stroll from Boudin, you’ll discover the Musée Mechanique. For Princess Diaries followers, you could bear in mind among the video games and sights on this constructing as that is the place Julie Andrews battles a mechanical arm wrestler!
Entry to this museum is free however the entire video games would require anyplace from 1 / 4 to a couple {dollars}. Take photographs within the classic photograph cubicles or attempt your hand at an of the dozen old-school video games.
Get a Candy Repair at Ghiradelli Sq.
Maintain trekking on, it’s a few 20-minute stroll to the enduring Ghiradelli Sq.! You’ll stroll alongside the waterfront on Jefferson Avenue till it terminates and also you’ll flip at Hyde to go over to Ghiradelli Sq..
Have a stroll round, snap just a few photographs of the signal…and bask in a sundae! I extremely advocate the ocean salt caramel sizzling fudge sundae — we received one to share and it was excellent.
Take the Cable Automobile to Chinatown
Save your toes and hop on the Cable Automobile! We stepped on at Hyde and jumped off at Bush Avenue to go go to Chinatown.
From the place you get off on Bush Avenue, it’s about one or two blocks over to Dragon Gate, which is actually the doorway to Chinatown (actually you may enter from so many alternative streets, however the Dragon Gate is iconic).
Stroll up Grant Avenue and also you’ll be capable to see the entire size of Chinatown.
There are a ton of issues to see and do right here: a matcha cafe, anime retailers, tons of eating places. Undoubtedly a enjoyable place to seek out souvenirs!
Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Firm
Whereas this isn’t one thing we did — you could wish to look into this!
Situated at 56 Ross Alley, this is likely one of the solely locations to seek out handmade fortune cookies within the US. The legendary manufacturing unit has been making customized fortune cookies by hand since 1962.
A go to to the manufacturing unit gained’t take too lengthy, however you get to see how fortune cookies are made, in addition to scent allllllll the deliciousness. You should purchase some whilst you’re at it. 😉
The Manufacturing facility is open 9 am to six:30 pm Monday by way of Friday, and 9 am to 7 pm on Saturday and Sundays. The house itself is kind of small and may get very busy (particularly on the weekends).
If you get there, the supervisor usually is handing out free (contemporary) samples — and a majority of the time, they’ll be good and heat as they’ve simply come out of the oven. You’ll get to see the employees making the cookies and utilizing a metal rod to form them.
Enjoyable Reality: The manufacturing unit produces round 20,000 cookies per day.
Ramen for Dinner
After Chinatown, we walked again to the resort and received prepared for the night. This can be a nice time to relaxation and get well, or, you could wish to retire for the night. Completely as much as you!
We had huge plans…a Broadway present! However, most significantly, meals first.
I do know that always it’s tough to seek out distinctive locations to eat with children who’re very particular about meals. Thankfully, my nieces love any sort of noodle soup, so ramen was on the desk.
We selected Ippudo US and their veggie ramen is out of this world. They’re additionally actually giant parts so I shared a bowl with the youngest niece.
My teenage niece was in a position to eat most of hers, so two was loads between the three of us! Sidenote: in case your children have by no means had ramen earlier than, what higher place (particularly as town will get fairly chilly)?
See a Present!
Our selection: Harry Potter and the Cursed Youngster
Observe that you just most likely have to already be a fairly large Harry Potter fan to observe the storyline of this present…particularly as a toddler. They don’t advocate it for anybody beneath 8; nonetheless, my 7-year-old niece is an excellent fan.
The present is 3 and a half hours lengthy. It does have an intermission however it’s not for everybody.
Until you understand your child can sit by way of that lengthy of a present and actually, actually loves Harry Potter, that’s the one means I might advocate this. Nevertheless, there are all types of productions taking place in San Francisco at any given time!
Brunch It Up
We determined to go for breakfast in mattress and did room service…however there are a TON of breakfast and brunch spots round San Francisco! A few faves embody Tartine and Plow.
Discover the Ferry Constructing
This now results in Saturday morning and a whole lot of issues don’t actually open till 10 am. We walked to the Ferry Constructing round 8:45, and for those who’re staying Downtown, this can be a comparatively straightforward stroll.
Many of the retailers on the Ferry Constructing open round 9 am, and there was additionally a farmers market happening outdoors. Whereas the farmers market caters extra in direction of locals purchasing for weekly groceries, there have been some ready meals choices.
Contained in the Ferry Constructing, you’ll discover a treasure trove of breakfast choices, so if the little ones aren’t ravenous, you could wish to wait to have breakfast right here.
Have your decide from bagels, donuts, bao, empanadas, and extra. There’s additionally a Blue Bottle Espresso for the adults who want their caffeine repair. Simply be aware that the wait can typically take as much as 20 minutes on your brew, so it is perhaps a good suggestion to place your order in, wander round, after which come again on your java.
For an additional particular expertise (and certain for youths who’re somewhat older), try the Imperial Tea Court docket.
Right here, you may select from an in depth choice of teas, have it ready on the desk, and discover some scrumptious goodies to munch on (I’ve heard their barbeque pork buns are out of this world!).
Get Your Science on on the Exploratorium
This place opens at 10 am and it’s the COOLEST factor. We had solely deliberate to be there for an hour and ended up sending about 3… We mainly needed to reduce ourselves off so we might enterprise on to do different issues.
There may be a lot to see and do right here.
It’s a really interactive science museum with tons of reveals and demonstrations—all the pieces from robots to magnets to electrical energy. There are methods for youths to work together and find out about issues, so you actually might spend a whole lot of time right here.
Lunch at Brenda’s Meat and Three
I discussed above that my 7-year-old niece is fairly choosy and requested Chick-Fil-A or Mcdonald’s…which I refused. Our compromise? Brenda’s Meat and Three: A spot that dishes up Southern plates, that includes fried meals and beignets.
Whereas the fried hen was a favourite for the women, I used to be in a position to get a shrimp po-boy, and so they additionally had quite a lot of veggie or vegan-friendly choices.
See the Painted Girls
From Brenda’s, you may stroll to Alamo Sq. Park the place you’ll see the enduring Painted Girls. One choice to contemplate is getting your meals to go and having a picnic within the park if it’s a pleasant day.
For those who’re not within the temper for Southern meals, Divisadero Avenue has a ton of eating places, so you’ll find one thing you want there.
Discover Haight-Ashbury
So this can be a little bit of a stroll from Alamo Sq. Park, however we went for it. Be aware that it’s barely uphill, so for those who’re going with a stroller or have actually little ones, you could wish to Uber.
Additionally, in case you have very younger children, you could wish to save Haight-Ashbury for an additional time. Nevertheless, with a young person in tow, this was the spotlight of her journey.
Haight-Ashbury is all about classic procuring and quirky retailers so it’s not for each child, however for older children, it’s undoubtedly a should.
You may stroll down Haight Avenue, which has among the greatest thrift retailers like Buffalo Alternate, Wasteland, and Many years. It kind of caps off with Amoeba Music, and once more, relying in your little one’s pursuits, they could love this.
Conservatory of Flowers at Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
We didn’t have a ton of time to discover Golden Gate Park as a result of it’s MASSIVE (consider it as Central Park of San Francisco).
The place you enter from Haight Avenue, there’s a implausible playground referred to as Koret Playground. When you’ve got little ones, this can be a excellent spot to go together with its large slides and enjoyable interactive issues to play on.
From Koret, you may stroll to the Conservatory of Flowers. It closes at 4:30 pm every single day (and isn’t open on Mondays), so plan forward. From there, John F. Kennedy Drive is closed to visitors, so on the weekend, it’s buzzing with folks using their bikes and a lot happening.
Peacock Meadow has a brief mild set up that’s properly price trying out. Once more, Golden Gate Park has so many cool issues happening and you may spend period of time discovering all of its hidden gems.
A couple of different issues you could wish to take into account whereas on the park are the Japanese Tea Backyard or the Botanical Gardens.
Japanese Tea Backyard in Golden Gate Park
Different Enjoyable Issues to Add to Your Itinerary
We flew out that Saturday evening, however for those who had been to remain on for an additional day, you would fill in something you missed or select just a few of those actions to spherical out your itinerary.
These are only a few solutions for those who had three full days in San Francisco:
Japanese Tea Backyard: Situated inside Golden Gate Park, this beautiful Japanese Backyard has a tea home within the center and is the right place to have a zen second. Enjoyable Reality: That is the oldest public Japanese backyard in the USA; it was constructed for the Worldwide Exposition of 1894.
Aquarium of the Bay: Situated at The Embarcadero and Seashore Avenue (simply on the fringe of Pier 39), this aquarium focuses on native aquatic animals from the Bay Space.
California Academy of Sciences: This analysis institute and pure historical past museum is likely one of the largest museums of pure historical past on this planet. They’ve even received a planetarium.
Cable Automobile Museum: Curious concerning the Cable Automobiles? This museum delves into their historical past, the know-how behind them, and even has its personal reward store. Situated within the Nob Hill neighborhood, you’ll discover the free museum on the Washington-Mason powerhouse and carbarn.
Seward Slides: Seize a chunk of cardboard and fly down these extremely steep slides. Don’t fear — they’re not practically as treacherous as they could look.
Stroll Throughout the Golden Gate Bridge: The most well-liked technique to stroll throughout the enduring Bridge is to begin on the Welcome Heart on the south finish of the bridge. It’s free to stroll or bike throughout the Golden Gate Bridge and there’s a pedestrian walkway.
The stroll itself is about 1.5 miles and you will get sweeping panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and Metropolis (climate dependent, in fact). Be aware to bundle up because it will get critically chilly and windy!
Lombard Avenue: This famously crooked avenue has 8 hairpin turns and beautiful landscaped flowerbeds. Stroll or drive down the steep hill that includes a 27% grade (woooweee!).
Baker Seashore: This mile of rugged cliffs has a spectacular view of the Golden Gate.
Metropolis Lights Bookstore: This impartial bookstore options literature from throughout. Based in 1953, it’s been a gathering place for readers, artists, writers, and activists by way of the years.
There you will have it, of us! The highest issues to do with children in San Francisco, and take a look at my itinerary for a weekend within the metropolis with little ones.
What issues would you add to this record? Let me know within the feedback under!
