The Wild beaches, rich aquatic life, spectacular coastal trails, and lots of tourist attractions make Monterey a perfect location for a family getaway.

WHERE TO STAY
Book a family friendly hotel. We love Portola Hotel & Spa and we spent there a few vacations in the last 3 years. The hotel is being renovated and should be done by the beginning of 2017, but it will not effect your stay. 

We usually take the option that include breakfast and tickets to the aquarium. The buffet style breakfast is very good and includes pastries, omelet bar, pancakes and french toast to order, good coffee, and a lot more, but most impotently - bottomless Mimosas! Now that's the way to start off your day. 
The tickets for the aquarium are good for two days, which makes it a great option with kids who still naps. We visited the aquarium in the morning and afternoon, and the afternoon of the following day. This is a great arrangement if you don't have a membership.

The best part about the hotel is the Portola Pirate Kids Program for kids between the ages of 3-12. Upon arrival, Daniel received a hot cookie, a bag and a treasure hunt map with crayons. It was fun (mostly because they gave us a cheat sheet) and we ended up going back to the lobby and finding the buried treasure box, from which Daniel picked a yo-yo. Yes, it's small, but really fun. In the next visits there will be other fun things and the fifth visit includes a pirate party with friends, and I'm going to try and book it for Daniel's birthday :)



WHAT TO DO
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is usually our first stop - breathtaking beauty and fascinating wildlife is always a good choice. There are lots of trails that are good for kids, and lots of pebble beaches and tide pools to explore. 
Here are our favorite trails:
Bird Island Trail is a short hike (0.8 mile) to a huge rock where you can spot many birds and seals.
Cypress Grove Trail - 0.8 mile walk through coastal scrub, cypress forest, and cliffs with dramatic and spectacular ocean views. 
Sea Lion Point Trail - 0.6 mile trail takes you to the cove overlook and offers best view of sea lion rocks offshore. 
We also liked Moss Cove and Granite Point Trail.
We spent a lot of time just playing in the water, looking for interesting tide pools and spotting sea lions. 
Always look for volunteers with Binoculars and scopes, as they usually spot whales and otter romps.
At the first parking lot, there's a small shed with some seal skulls, fur and more. Knowledgeable docents would love to explain and answer your questions.
There are many picnic tables, so pack your breakfast and bring it with you. Every table is a table with a view - our favorite is the picnic area near at the last parking lot.
Parking is not easy to find in this reserve, which create traffic at the entrance, so try getting there early in the morning.

Monterey Bay Aquarium is also a favorite, and probably our top reason to visit. We like visiting in the afternoon, after nap, because it's very quiet, so we usually plan to be there for two afternoons, and we stay until closing time. Try planning your visit after checking the daily schedule. We like to avoid the feedings of the otters and penguins for example, since it's very crowded, but like watching the feeding in the Kelp Forest, where you can interact with the divers, and it's big enough for everyone to see everything.
Don't miss the giant octopus, and the flashy fishes (we had a great time watching them play)! 
Of course, what Daniel likes most are the interactive exhibits, like the Rocky Shore touch pools where you can get up-close-and-personal with a bat ray, starfish, abalones, sea urchins, kelp crabs and more.  
The Coral Reef Kingdom offers a playplace for infants and toddlers, and a fun mini aquarium with lots of clown fishes you kids can crawl into.
If you visit often, and want to try something new, take one of the behind-the-scene tours! We plan to do it in one of our next visits. 

We only visited Dennis the Menace Playground because of recommendations from friends. It is a nice park, but not something amazing that we included in our next visits. If you're looking for a fun park to spend an hour - go for it, otherwise there are better things to do. 

Every Year Thousands of Monarchs Overwinter in Pacific Grove. If you're visiting Monterey between October and February - plan a short visit to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary. Just look up and look for the Monarch Butterflies cluster together on the pines and eucalyptus trees of the Sanctuary. Entrance is free, and the trail is very short. 

The 17 Mile Drive is widely recognized as one of the most scenic drives in the world. At the entrance, pick up a map, and drive between the stops. You can see some of the famous coastal landmark like the lonely cypress, play with playful squirrels, see the sea lions, spot deer, and enjoy the views.
The inspiring vistas and sites can easily fill your morning.

This picture is from a visit almost four years ago, and still my favorite!

Monterey Zoo in Salinas Valley offers a daily tour (every day except Christmas and thanksgiving, 7 days a week, at 1pm) where you can see lions, tigers, elephants and bears. After the tour, guests are invited to return to the elephant playpen and feed one of the elephants housed in the African elephant sanctuary. I don't really like seeing large animals in zoos, but here they save retired animals from the show biz, and it looks like they really care for them. 

 
The Monterey County Youth Museum gives children the chance to discover the thrill of learning through unstructured play at its 80 exhibits. Exhibit areas include the Creation Station; the toddler-centric MY Day at the Beach, with a sandbox, a slide, a boat and a walk-through lighthouse; MY Hospital, with a life-size version of the game Operation; MY Theater, where children can perform on stage and even use a TV camera, and more.




If you want to see more seals and otters, stop at the Coast Guard Pier where dozens of full grown sea lions, baby sea lions, and hundreds of pelicans will be hanging out on the rocks. There's a nice trail along the sea you could walk and enjoy (San Carlos Beach Park).

WHERE TO EAT 
We usually take the breakfast package at the hotel, but at least once stop at the Crepes of Brittany. This is a great location for sweet and savory crepes. For years they were located in a tiny place on the Fisherman's wharf, but now they are right across from the Portola Hotel. My favorite is the brie and caramelized onions crepe, but really, everything we tried was delicious. You can defiantly make it a dessert stop and take one of the sweet crepes, if you don't want to make a meal out of it.

As for dinner - most restaurants on the Cannery Row offers kids meals, coloring pages and crayons. We enjoyed the food and view at Louie's Linguini, and the hot chocolate and ice cream, at Ghiradelli are not to be missed. I wish I remembered the names of the restaurants from our previous visits, but I will sure be back to update after trying new places!

Mendocino County Weekend Getaway

Since my darling husband got an extra day off for 4th of July weekend, we decided to take a longer vacation trip than what we did so far with Daniel. We wanted to take a break from the busyness we have had going on lately, and this weekend on our calendar has helped keep us sane! We had a wonderfully relaxing and restful time together.

California is blessed with many top-notch kid-friendly tourist destinations, so it wasn’t easy to choose, but very easy to plan!
 
We traveled to Fort Bragg on Friday afternoon, to beat Saturday morning’s traffic, and it was a great idea! Daniel napped in the car and it seemed like only a few got there as early as we did, because hotel parking and restaurants were empty. 

The drive to Mendocino coast took us almost 5 hours, and since all roads to the coast are very curvy, I would consider traveling somewhere else if you have children who get nauseated easily.

It was very cold, even in July, so make sure you bring lots of layered clothing! We didn’t get lots of sun, and we had to buy extra fleece layers so we will be able to enjoy all that we planned.

Our days were full of discovery, hiking and relaxing, and a four day weekend flew by with so much left to do for the next visit.

Hiking in Van Damme State Park

VanDamme State Park is a classic northern California rain forest located right across from the Pacific Ocean. It is home to redwoods and fern, songbirds, mountain lions, snakes, bears and salmon.

We started with Fern Canyon Trail.
Tip: Drive to the last parking lot and start the hike at the trail-head and save yourself a 10-15 minute walk from the Visitor Center.
The trail is about 5 miles, level, wide and well-marked, made up of broken concrete and wooden bridges, so it is stroller friendly.
The beautiful trail follows the Little River into the fern-carpeted canyon filled with young redwoods, red alder, big leaf maple and Douglas fir as well as many wild berry bushes. Along the trail, there are 10 bridges to cross, but we didn’t make it all the way, since we didn’t take the stroller with us and Daniel got tired. Even without finishing the Fern Canyon hike as we planned, it is very nice, cool, with lots of spots to go into the water and lots of exploring to do. Daniel enjoyed the hike. Most exciting for him were a snake we saw, a few fallen trees he played with as slides, going into the river and banana slugs. All around, this is a very kid-friendly hike.

Fern Canyon Trail

Fern Canyon Trail

After getting back to the car, we decided to change plans, and instead of heading back, to explore the Pygmy Forest Trail. Pygmy Forest is located 3 miles away, and it is a national landmark. The trail is a ¼ mile long elevated wooden walkway, perfect for toddlers and strollers. Dwarf cone bearing cypress and pine trees are the main attractions and although they are over 100 years old, it looks like a young forest. The soil these trees grow in is between 500,000 to 1,000,000 years old. The educational signage about the Pygmy Forest were interesting, and the trail is very short, so we were able to get back to our car and drive up to our hotel in time for nap.

Pygmy Forest Trail

Skunk Train
Since Daniel is a train lover, we could not miss this popular attraction. We took the 1 hour scenic train ride. It is really pretty ride through the redwoods, along the creek. There are other and longer options, but we wanted to get back early enough for bed time.
Once we were back from our train ride, we crossed the tracks to a the model museum. It is not fancy, but lots of fun! Admission is free with a Skunk Train ticket. Daniel enjoyed walking (and running) around a large G-Scale layout with over 1300ft of track. He loved finding out that one of the model trains is the one we just came off. The kids did not want to leave! One parent after another had to carry away a crying, yelling, kicking child away. And yes, so did we.

Skunk Train

Beachcomb at Glass Beach
This beach used to be Fort Bragg’s city trash dump site, and the waves created ocean-smoothed colored glass. This is a great kid’s destination. Daniel loved playing there, so we spent almost two hours playing with seaglass, exploring the tide pools and watching seal pups playing in the water.
When browsing attractions before our trip, friends told us not to go there because it's too crowded. Well, I think that if expectations are not too high, you will enjoy your visit to Glass Beach. The parking lot was full, but we easily found street parking close by. If you don’t expect a mile-long carpet of multi-hued seaglass, you will enjoy the colorful mixture of seaglass, shells and rocks.

Glass Beach

Point Cabrillo Light Station
The Point Cabrillo Light Station was built after the 1906 earthquake to guide San Francisco-bound cargo ships carrying lumber. It’s a 10-15 minute walk from the parking lot to the lighthouse where friendly docents show the exhibits and tell the lighthouse history to kids. The tower is closed for climbing but there are hiking paths on the bluffs, and a (very) small aquarium.

The road to the lighthouse is paved and stroller friendly. If you don't want to walk 20 minutes form the parking lot to the lighthouse, drive to the handicapped parking lot right next to the lighthouse. Although the road signs don't show it, there are a few regular parking spots next to the handicapped parking spots. 

It’s possible to rent one of the keeper’s homes for a vacation stay. That looked like an interesting choice, so we will surely remember it for our next vacation!
 

Point Cabrillo Light Station

Haul Road (Silvergate Trail)
This popular beach in MacKerricher State Park doesn’t have an official name. This trail was a nice 1 mile that was perfect for stretching legs, seeing flowers, exploring beetles and getting some views – though the fog blocked most of the panoramas. There is beach access, but we stayed on the bridge/trail. We did come back to play in the beach and sand dunes later. To access the trail, park at the Beachcomber Motel and cross the bridge to the other side.

Silvergate Trail

Downtown Mendocino
This beautiful downtown features architecture which dates from the 1850s. You’ll see grand Victorians (now primarily upscale B&Bs), Saltbox houses, and the characteristic water towers. There is also a vibrant artist community: It’s the place to go for one-of-a-kind works of art, so be sure to peek in the galleries and art stores.
We visited the downtown during the 4th of July’s parade which was much fun!

4th of July Parade
Somewhere around 2000 people (double the population) line the streets of Mendocino (Main St. & Lansing St.) to watch this kooky hometown parade. Make sure to come early to get a good spot. After the parade, head to the fire department for BBQ!

4th of July Parade in Downtown Mendocino

World’s Largest Salmon BBQ
The annual World's Largest Salmon BBQ is sponsored by the Salmon Restoration Association to raise money to take positive action to restore salmon to the rivers and streams. Great food, live music and a love of the outdoors are all part of the atmosphere at the barbecue. Make sure to get your tickets in advance! At the end of the event, head to Fort Bragg’s main bridge for the fireworks over the ocean. It was Daniel’s first time watching fireworks and it was very exciting! The fireworks show is about 45 minutes, and make sure you stay all the way to the end, as it gets much nicer when it’s completely dark outside. This event happens the first Saturday of July, so the fireworks are not necessarily on Independence Day.

First time watching fireworks!

Mendocino Botanical Gardens
Beautiful gardens with an ongoing Fairy House Project where kids can let their imagination and creativity run free.

B. Bryan Preserve
African Safari tour starts in the barn, where you climb into an antiquated open-air Land Rover to drive around the preserve and see 3 types of antelopes (kudu, sable and roan), two types of zebras (Grevy’s zebras and mountain zebras) and Giraffes. This is up-close-and-personal encounter with dozens of majestic animals without having to travel 6,000 miles to Africa.
1.5 hours tours run daily at 9:30am and 4:30pm, reservations are required. They also have two lovely cottages that they rent out.

 
We loved Mendocino County, and with so much more to explore - we will be back soon. Do you have any coastal favorites or tips? Please share in the comments! :)

Xx
Sarah