We’ll be driving from Michigan to California in October and I’m looking for suggestions of cool stuff to do on the way/while we’re there. I lived outside of LA for 3 years going to school but I never did much tourist stuff and I’ve never driven these routes so I’m not familiar with the attractions.

The last time we were in California and did any sightseeing was right after the Northridge earthquake so, while we were able to tour Hearst castle and Solvang, we also ended up in downtown Hollywood at 2:00 AM due to a detour.

On the way out we’re taking the I-80 route to northern California (Berkeley). Then we’re going to southern CA—via either the I-5 or PCH to spend time with my mother. We’ll be heading home by I-40 and I-44.

My wife wants to see “San Francisco”, the San Diego zoo and the St Louis Arch,. The last two aren’t a problem but my idea of seeing San Francisco is to glance west as we drive south on the I-5. Any suggestions would be helpful. (Nothing particularly against San Francisco by the way, I feel the same about most large cities.)

We think it’d be cool to go to the Laura Ingalls-Wilder museum in Missouri but that and the Gateway Arch are the only things we know we’d like to do on the way back.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

All sorts of oddball stuff http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

What sorts of things do you find interesting. I tend to plot courses between bookstores for example. Tattered Cover in Denver and a cluster of used bookstores on Colorado Springs are nice.

I've been living in the San Francisco Bay Area for six years now. Sunday was only the third time that I have driven into the city. Wall-to-wall traffic. We had guests visiting so we were heading to Pier 39 as a very typical guest spot. It was a beautiful day on a holiday weekend, so all the traffic should not have surprised me, but as you can guess, I don't strongly recommend driving in the city if you don't have to. Of course seeing the Golden Gate Bridge is always lovely. We still haven't been out to Alcatraz Island, but that is considered a must-see item. On weekends, you should book the tickets in advance. There are also boat tours of the harbour that don't stop at the island.

We also took our guests to the Monterey Aquarium, which they really enjoyed. And as you probably know, some of the most beautiful coastline is between Monterey and Carmel - well worth the drive. There are several redwood forests both north of SF and then south on the way to Santa Cruz. And of course the wineries of Napa and Sonoma Counties north of SF.

We also lived in San Diego for several years. I definitely recommend a visit to the zoo, and there's also the Wild Animal Park, which is about 30 miles north of the city. The zoo is in Balboa Park, in the heart of the city itself, and Balboa Park also has a number of museums, such as the Natural History Museum and the Air & Space Museum. There's Sea World, which can be fun whether or not you have children with you. There are several ships to visit as part of the San Diego Maritime Museum, and there is also an aircraft carrier (I think it's the Midway). Other popular spots are Coronado Island and the beaches of La Jolla and Del Mar further north up the coast.

Kathy

Not sure how long you are planning to be in St. Louis, but if there is one thing I'd recommend you see while you are here, it would be the St. Louis Zoo. It has consistently been ranked one of the top ten zoos in the country and admission is free.

I hear Zion National Park is lovely...