California Vacations in the Bay Area

The luxury Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay resort has a scenic location amid miles of unspoiled a coast just forty minutes south of San Francisco. Family-friendly features include a Ritz Kids program and Kids Night Out.

Monterey Bay, south of San Francisco, is home to Cannery Row,the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Fisherman's Wharf, and a host of sea mammals in the ocean including sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, and gray whales. The Big Sur Coast is a short scenic drive away. Stay at budget-friendly spots, or splurge at the Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa.

The Napa Valley, a beloved getaway for wine-lovers, is also a fine place for families. About.com's Guide for California Travel recommends staying in Calistoga, taking a safari tour, and visiting the Petrified Forest and the (other) Old Faithful Geyser. Napa Valley is day-trip distance from San Francisco.

Take a tour of the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield, about one hour north of San Francisco: About.com's Guide for California Travel has details (plus interesting facts about jelly bellies, which date back to the Civil War.)

Here's a novel way to get an extended family or group of friends together: rent a large houseboat with all the comforts of home (and maybe a waterslide on the back.) This guest article describes a family houseboating getaway on the California Delta, which has thousands of miles of waterways in the San Joaquin Valley.