TravelPangs's Passport
 | Been to 324 Attractions |
 | 200 Reviews |
 | 125 First to Review |
 | 398 Photos |
 | 160 Helpful Votes |
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Send a ComplimentHometown:
SF, California, United States
About Me & My Family
I'm a mother
3 Kids 0-8 years old boys and girls
3 Kids 0-8 years old boys and girls
When we travel, good food and adventure always abound. Our family loves to push the limit of what we can do with children. Our mantra has always been - have kids, will travel. However, this doesn't mean I'm unlike most frantic moms before a trip. Wanting adventure and being a control freak can sometimes be a lethal combination.
Our Family's Travel Personality
adventurous, independent, spontaneous
We Just Got Back From
Northern California and Oregon
Our Favorite Vacation Spot
Hawaii
A Place We'd Love To Visit
New Zealand, Argetina, Brazil, Eastern Europe, Cambodia
Favorite Vacation Memory
Climbing Machu Picchu with a 4 month old infant in a slight and having all the locals stop us to ask what happened to his feet which were all bundled up. They just couldn't believe it wouldn't be bow legged.
Worst Travel Moment With My Kids:
Getting to the airport on our way to Scotland with my 15 month old and discovering that my husband's passport had expired. Instead of rebooking all of our flights, we decided that I would do the first leg of our journey on my own with baby. Unfortunately, we had not packed for me to be flying by myself. I could bearly walk to the runway with all my bags and a 15 month old who would get distracted by everything along the way. He then proceeded to sleep only 1 hour of the entire 11 hour journey (red-eye). It was pretty miserable.
Websites I Like:
Must See Attractions for Kids K-5 in San Francisco
Elementary school aged kids are eager explorers and discovering San Francisco with them will be a total blast. Kids at this age are great communicators, able to follow a tour, are interested in history, and are strong enough to do what may be more demanding physically. If you are coming to San Francisco with a child who is in elementary school, here are some must see attractions listed in order of importance.
Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco, California
Comment:
Take a Bike Ride from Fisherman's Wharf through Crissy Field, Fort Point, and across the Golden Gate Bridge. The views are simply stunning and you'll have the opportunity to savor some of the most picturesque views of the Golden Gate Bridge. With a kinder kid, you might want to get a tandem bike, but with older kids, they will probably be able to manage the entire ride on their own. It's about 3 miles. Bay Bikes offers a bike rental and ferry ride return from Sausalito.
Pier 33 (on Embarcadero and Bay St)
Hornblower Alcatraz Landing San Francisco, California
Comment:
Alcatraz is the infamous maximum security prison where Al Capone, Bird Man and others spent the last days of their lives. Also featured in the movie The Rock, Alcatraz is a place where kids will be introduced to the bizarre stories that make up the mystique of this island. Elementary school aged kids will also love the ferry ride to the island with beautiful views of San Francisco. But the night tour is probably a little too scary for young kids.
55 Music Concourse Drive
San Francisco, California
Comment:
This brand new home of the California Academy of Sciences is one of the most celebrated green buildings in the country with it's novel living roof. It's a must see building, but the exhibits are also exciting for kids and adults alike. Explore the 4 story rain forest, see stars in the planetarium, and get up close to over 40,000 animals.
420 Montgomery Street
Between California and Sacramento San Francisco, California
Comment:
A big part of San Francisco's history is anchored in the part it played as the gate way to the Gold Rush. The Wells Fargo History Museum allows elementary school aged kids to discover the sights and sounds of the gold rush. They'll love the tales of that bygone era as well as seeing real gold nuggets.
750 Kearney Street
San Francisco, California
Comment:
San Francisco Chinatown is a feast for the senses. For elementary school aged kids who are beginning to learn about diversity and culture, San Francisco's Chinatown is a great way to become immersed in a different culture without leaving our borders. Introduce your child to dim sum at Great Eastern Restaurant, egg tarts at the famous Gold Gate Bakery, or visit the Fortune Cookie Factory. You might even like to your child a few dollars to spend on an interesting trinket from half way round the world.
reviewed on: January 18 2009
"Oldest Chinatown is a feast for the senses"
Soak in the smells, the sounds, the colors, the architecture and more. San Francisco Chinatown's Chinatown really transports you to Asia. We usually head to the specific restaurant that we're heading to and don't take the time to enjoy the sights and sounds. But today, we decided to soak in some of the Chinese New Year atmosphere with our 2 and 5 year old boys. It made me feel nostalgic for Singapore where I grew up. We got to hear people everywhere speaking in Cantonese and Mandarin, check out all the interesting food items in the various stores. We stopped at the famous Golden Gate Bakery at 1029 Grant St. We'd heard that they were famous for their egg custartd tarts (Dan Tat) and they were totally out of this world especially when they are still warm from the oven. It was a little hard walking down the busy street with two young ones, so if you visit with some little ones, be sure to have a 1:1 adult to child ratio. If you're from a town where you don't have access to many cross cultural experiences, I highly recommend visiting China town. There are so many great restaurants to explore and so many interesting nick nacks to look at and touch. So many interesting people to observe. On the weekends, Portsmouth Square is a big gathering spot for the men in the neighborhood. They gather to chit chat, play chinese chess and other card games. This is a scene right out of China. There is also a playground at Portsmouth Square if your kids need a little break. The streets of Chinatown are very steep, so be sure not to let your kids run. It's for young legs to trip and go rolling down the dirty street. It might be helpful to bring along a child carrier for younger kids because they might get tired walking up the streets. Strollers are okay, but difficult to maneuver down the crowded streets.
Parking is horrible. But Portsmouth Square is a public garage and some of the restaurants do validate. If you can, take public transportation.
Palace of Fine Arts
3601 Lyon Street San Francisco, California
Comment:
Perfect for elementary school aged kids, the Exploratorium brings physics, chemistry, and biology alive with creative interactive exhibits. Form giant soap bubbles, experience persistence of vision, and do some fun science experiments.
reviewed on: August 13 2008
"Perfect for School-age Children"
Wow! The Exploratorium is an absolutely must visit if you are bringing school age kids to San Francisco. My kids who are starting to reach the age when they would rather listen to their ipod than enjoy a beautiful hike were enthralled from the moment we walked through the door. There is an electricity about the place. Even adults find the exhibits fun. My kids who are budding sport fantatics loved the exhibit on the science of sports. This museum makes science comes alive. For the rest of our vacation, the kids were asking questions about how various things work. Uh oh, now I need to go brush up on all that physics, chemistry and biology that I've not touched in years.
Downtown San Francisco
San Francisco, California
Comment:
A cable car ride is an must do San Francisco activity and kids 8 and up are just about old enough to enjoy the thrill of hanging off the side of the cable car in this old fashion thrill ride up and down San Francisco's hilliest streets. A stop at the cable car museum is a great free activity that gives you a peek into how the cable cars are pulled across these streets by a central engine turning and pulling miles of cable cross city streets.
221 Fourth Street
San Francisco, California
Comment:
This small but unique multimedia museum has lots of interactive stations where kids can try their hand at anything from claymation to cutting their own music album, to photo manipulation using photoshop. It is in Yerba Beuna Gardens that also houses a interesting playground and carousel. There is also an ice-skating rink there, but it's not the best. My review below was our experience with kids who weren't quite old enough to fully appreciate this museum. However, other Trekaroo families with older kids love this museum.
reviewed on: May 18 2009
"Were my expectations too high?"
We visited the Zeum and after reading all the rave reviews, I wonder if my expectations were too high. Or maybe it was because we went on Mother's Day when there was free admission. In any case, I was surprised that the museum was so small. The kids did enjoy themselves. The younger one really just played with Legos the whole time. Our 5 year old really got into the claymation studio. It seem to be a good museum 5- 16 year old kids. But it's a good thing they just added the toddler area so that while older siblings are having a grand old time pretending to be animators, graphic artists, or cutting they new album, young siblings will still be occupied. We'll definitely give this another try on a less busy day.
Lombard Street, between Hyde and Leavenworth
San Francisco, California
Comment:
The Powell and Hyde cable car line can drop you off right at the top of the Crookedest Street. Elementry school kids will enjoy the humor of this wacky crooked street with many hairpin turns across just one city block. This stop provides an opportunity to explore the relationship between sharp inclines and rate of fall. In the summer, the flower beds between each turn are in full bloom making this street one of the most photographed spots in San Francisco.
Pier 45 at Taylor Street
San Francisco, California
Comment:
This one of a kind museum houses hundreds of old world curiosities and amusement park machines. Most of them still work, so if you put a quarter in their slot, you can watch string puppets dance, or a big woman laughing (Laughing Sal). Entertainment for kids has gotten so over the top these days that it is very nice to see that even simple amusements can delight kids.
