2 weeks in CA/AZ Advice needed

[maspinner]

hello all,
been lurking on this site for some time, but this is my first post. We would like to take a 2 week road trip this summer(end of July-beginning of August) with our 12 and 15 year old boys. This is a rough itinerary I have come up with. Would like to know if this is feasible in 2 weeks and if we should add or subract any destinations. I'm in New England and have never been west of PA so looking forward to this immensely!
1. Fly into LAX. Spend 2 nights in LA. Universal/Hollywood touristy stuff
2. Drive up the coast, possibly as far as Big Sur. Stay one night
3. Drive to Las Vegas. Spend 2 nights. See a show/ go to arcade. (Is Las Vegas totally inappropriate for a 12 and 15 year old? It seems there is enought to do without getting into the casino scene)
4. Drive to Grand Canyon - Spend 2 nights
5. Drive to Sedona - Spend one or two nights
6. Drive to San Diego - Go to Sea World/ visit a family member. Spend one or two nights
7. Back to LA for flight home.
As you can see, we still have an extra night or two. Any advice on where to spend more time? Hoping to not feel like we are driving all the time, while still see quite a few things. Also trying to balance things we think the boys would enjoy and things we would like.
Thanks for any help/advice you can give!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

As I read your proposed itinerary, I count 21 days worth of flying, driving, and activities. Last I looked, that was 3 weeks, not 2. So the first thing you're going to have to do is decide what to cut, and it's probably going to be painful. To help you out, have a read through these discussions of similar trips and see what other people came up with in the way of places to see and time to spend there. While there are many 'tween friendly activities in Las Vegas, I would not consider the majority of the shows and certainly none of the casino floors to be appropriate venues. If mom or dad want to hit the tables or slots, only one can do so at a time or you're going to have to find a sitting service for the youngsters. But check with the hotels. Many offer just such a service.

AZBuck

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

Your trip looks pretty good. If you had a couple of nights to spare you could spend a little more time on the coast Rd around Big Sur. Hearst castle at San Simeon could make a first night stop and then Monterey and the aquarium for another while enjoying the coastal scenery. This wouldn't clock up any extra miles either, well barely. Another option would be to head to another National park, you could head to Yosemite and cross the Sierra mountains on Tioga pass [CA120] or overnight in Sequoia NP on route to Vegas and admire those huge trees.

Don't forget though, that the drive times will already be eating into your days.

[maspinner]

Thanks so much for the input and ideas! This is a great site, so glad I found it. Going to keep working on the itinerary, and will check back in when things are more firmed up

[travelingman]

Years ago, we stopped in Vegas with the kids. They really enjoyed the dinner show at Excalibur ... eating with your hands while you watch the knights on their horses battle each other!

For a more serene experience, the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef is worth a visit, at a cost!

Some of the hotels also have an IMAX show.

And there are free shows going on at Circus Circus and the RIO.

There's lots more.

Oh, if you're going to be there in August, you might need reservations ahead of time ... Gigantic Star Trek Convention August 11-14

http://www.creationent.com/cal/stlv.htm

[Yeehaw]

With 2 weeks I would forget about the drive to Big Sur first. That's a full day of driving without time to explore. To Las Vegas from Big Sur even is more than a day drive.
Many things to see in Los Angeles. I'm sure the boys would love to visit some amusement parks.
With kids that age maybe this:
Day 1: Arrive LA
Day 2 and 3: LA
Day 4: Drive to Las Vegas
Day 5: Las Vegas
Day 6: Las Vegas to GCNP (make sure you check out Hoover Dam and R66 between Kingman and Seligman)
Day 7: GCNP
Day 8: GCNP to Sedona via its east entrance visiting places like Cameron, Wupatki, Sunset Crater Volcano, Walnut, Flagstaff., Oak Creek Canyon
Day 9: Sedona (although you easily can spend more days also www.visitsedona.com don't miss the Jeep tour.
Day 10: Sedona to San Diego. This is a full days drive
Day 11 and 12: San Diego. Many places worth a visit. Zoo, Seaworld, Battleships, beaches.
Day 13: Drive to LA
14: Home.
Many more options of course.
Yeehaw

[maspinner]

Thanks Yeehaw - good to know that the trip to Big Sur may be pushing it a bit. Would love to see a beautiful ocean vista though - any other places to get that without the full day drive to Big Sur?

[Yeehaw]

There are some pretty impressive ocean vistas from San Diego as well if you visit Cabrillo National Monument. Maybe 20 minutes from San Diego. You not only have the ocean views but also the views on San Diego to the east.
We also like to drive Pacific Coast hw from Santa Monica to Malibu. Then go up to Santa Monica Mnts and back via Mulholland to Beverly Hills and Hollywood. Some pretty sights from there as well but it's not a trip for "a couple of hours" Easily takes half a day.
Yeehaw

[Mark Sedenquist]

Yeehaw,

Nice to see you back here -- giving good advice as always.

Mark

[Yeehaw]

Thanks Mark!