California Coast

Hi there,
We are planning a trip down the California Coast with a final destination of Anahiem. Our preliminary route is:
Harris Beach, OR -> Ukiah (1 day)
Ukiah -> Big Sur (2 day stop over at Big Sur)
Big Sur -> Anaheim ( 1 Day)
We have 3 children(12, 10, 3 years old), so we don't want to do too much driving each day (max 5-6 hours a day).
We would like to know of nice quick places to stop along the way for the kids to run around and explore. Since we want to limit our travelling times we don't want stop for more than 1/2 hour at any one spot. Any suggestions for roadsdie attractions along the routes mentioned above? Are our planned daily destinations reachable within the 5-6 hour time frame? Are there any attractions in Ukiah worth visiting? We're not interested in the Wine country because of the kids, and don't want to travel too far off the beaten path.
Thank you in advance.

The sand dunes at Pismo Beach are an awesome place for kids. You can drive right out on the beach and if you go far enough you'll have it all to yourselves. My family took all of our vacations here when I was growing up. Found tons of shells, especially sand dollars, and then you can go roll and jump around in the dunes. There is also nearby Shell Beach, where the name tells it all, lots of shells. And for dinner, McClintock's is the by far the best. A bit pricey, but its western themed and a great family environment.

Brett

Mission Creek in downtown San Luis Obispo is a great stop. There's a park straddling the creek and the kids can get their feet wet in the water. Also, along the banks of the creek there are park benches and behind the benches there are a few eateries, like a frozen yogurt place and a couple of outdoor cafes.

Hi Memoboy,

Welcome to the RoadTrip America Forum!

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Any suggestions for roadside attractions along the routes mentioned above?

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Here are a few Californian attraction that might be interesting for the kids. From north to south :

Redwood National Park;
Patrick's Point State Park, Trinidad;
Kinetic Sculpture Race, Arcata-Ferndale (May);
Lipinski's Juice Joint, Mendoncino;
Orr Hot Springs, Ukiah;
Horseback riding through the redwoods, Guerneville;
Redwood Hill Goat Farm, Sebastopol;
Point Arena Lighthouse;
Earthquake Trail, Point Reyes;
Monterey Bay Aquarium;
17 Mile Drive (interactive map);
Carmel River State Beach;
Point Lobos State Reserve;
Pfeiffer Beach and other Big Sur beaches;
Hearst Castle, San Simeon;
Apple Farm Mill House, San Luis Obispo;
Hans Christian Andersen Museum, Solvang;
Santa Barbara Zoo;

Note : most of these attractions are on the coast.

Happy planning!
Gen