You didn’t say where your wife and kids would be landing (SF/San Jose or LA/Orange County/SD). If SD, then the SD Zoo is one of the finest, second to none. And how about some Mexican food recommendations from you all who live that way?
SF Bay area If you are a tree guy you can get a reasonable dose of the coastal redwoods at Big Basin (not far from the Monterey Bay aquarium) without the drive to the far north of SF; save the latter for when they are older as the drive is a bit lengthy, nonetheless well worth it someday in the future. I can still remember walking in/driving through their mists (Avenue of the Giants) coupled with jumping on the rocks of the untamed rivers (The Eel and what’s that other one that always floods?); anyone see the great flood of 1969 high water markers? Going thru there left me a lifetime of memories. That’s some country you won’t find elsewhere.
The Intel Museum in Santa Clara is a good one for the kids. There is a 49-mile self-guided drive tour of SF – a must do, including Coit tower and a short ride on the trolley car if you still have time. And then there’s the WWII submarine, USS Pampanillo (sp?) at one of the piers – my boy’s eyes were wide open throughout the self-guided tour. And while you are at the piers the seafood and sourdough bread will fill up those empty tummies - Scott’s and Scoma’s comes to mind – or just buy a steamed crab/shrimp combo with a loaf of sourdough and butter.
The Steinhart (sp?) Aquarium, Museum, etc., used to be one of the finest with it’s variety and fine gem collection but the last time we were there the we encountered too many school-bus loads, filling the place and distracting our otherwise previous calm visits. Stick with Monterey.
Sequoia/Yosemite Another good tree place is the loop through Sequoia National Forest on the other side of Fresno; Yosemite is well worth the drive, and can be driven through in one hour, gate-to-gate, and see most things from a distance - rock formations you wouldn’t believe - although I would recommend stopping at one or two of the falls and doing the short hike to take in even more spectacular angles.
Others It’s too far of a drive but Chico has Bidwell park; plenty of oak trees – Erol Flynn starred in the early Robin Hood series with the park as a backdrop. And parts of Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid were filmed in the upper Chico Creek drainage, the part where they took a jump.
When you are in SLO definitely do the Thursday night farmer’s market. 6-9pm. The McClintock BBQ has the best dead cow/chicken/p-o-k-e of the bunch. Mo’s for a sit-down, and a fine BBQ/smoke house and my favorite is their pulled beef plate. The Mexican restaurants are fair and the bike shops? Let’s not go there.
A trip to the SW is incomplete without Death Valley; it’s outrageously panoramic and can be seen in one day (all of the good spots); my family still talks about that place. If you’re there at the right time in March the floral displays are second to none (Anza-Borrego near SD is another but I cannot vouch for it). We’ve seen a few more Europeans there than any of the aforementioned (they don’t do Yosemite for some reason). On the way out a must-see are the Trona Pinnacles. I believe the drive to and fro DV is too far out of your way but with no-limit rental car mileage, why not? Hotels are very reasonable in Ridgecrest.
Send me e-mail in the spring and I’ll try to come up with some more ideas by then. millenniumdsj@hotmail.com.