A scenic road trip down the Pacific Coast Highway,
Two grown-ups and two kids traverse Highway 1 for natural wonders and pure fun
THE stretch of Route 1 south of San Francisco is, quite possibly, the best place for a family road trip. Consider starting in Half Moon Bay, around 45 minutes from the city, and taking a drive down the gorgeous Pacific Coast Highway. There’s loads to see and do, from wildlife-watching to restaurant-hopping. We — my husband, two kids under 10 and I — cruised the 90 miles from Half Moon Bay to Carmel with frequent stops during our 2½-day tour to ease the dreaded choruses of “Are we there yet?” Here are the highlights.
CLIFF HANGER
Set on a rugged bluff facing the ocean, the luxurious Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay (from $619;
RitzCarlton.com) is great for families because it offers babysitting, a kids’ club, scavenger hunts and fun activities like roasting s’mores over open fires (either on your room’s terrace or communally). We took a stroll down to the windswept public beach before dining at the hotel’s Conservatory restaurant, where we felt at home dining next to a table of new parents and their infants. The staff didn’t bat an eyelid when we ordered plain spaghetti with butter for the young ones, while my husband and I feasted on a chilled seafood platter of oysters, tuna and hamachi ($45) and grilled local trout ($34).
TOWN & COUNTRY
Half Moon Bay has a cute historic center where we found old-school diner Main Street Grill ( MainStGrillHMB.com), which serves a Cubano omelette with sautéed bananas topped with melted jack cheese and home fries ($13). It’s a good place to build up an appetite for a visit to the free Fitzgerald Marine Reserve ( FitzgeraldReserve.org). This small but fabulous park is a dreamy warren of tidepools. Our pint-sized duo — Daisy, 9, and Bobby, 7 — were enchanted by the anemones, starfish, limpets and crabs they spotted as well as the adorable harbor seals resting on rocks in the distance.
BOARDWALK EMPIRE
The next stop south was Santa Cruz. Our kids couldn’t resist the beach boardwalk’s amusement park. Strolling the boardwalk is free but the best-value deal is an all-day wristband for the rides starting at $29.95 per person ( BeachBoardwalk.com). With a 1924-built wooden roller coaster and the charming 1911 Looff Carousel, the experience will remind New Yorkers of a less gritty Coney Island.
UNDER THE SEA
If, like my brood, your offspring are suckers for Disney’s “Finding Dory,” you’ve got to visit the (admittedly loose) real-life inspiration for the movie’s aquarium ( MontereyBayAquar
ium.org). Admission is pricey (adult tickets are $50, kids $30) but it’s worth every cent to see the exhibits. There’s a living kelp forest where scuba divers hand-feed fish — from a leopard shark to a giant sea bass — every day. Other highlights include the “open sea” section (its jellyfish perform a graceful ballet) and the thrilling “splash zone” (where waves crash over colorful corals). Then there’s the crowd-pleasing sea otter tank, with rescued California native Selka and her adoptive pups.
MISSION POSSIBLE
Some 5 miles south on Route 1 is Carmelby-the-Sea, where you can hang out on a perfect expanse of sandy beach, ogle the fairytale cottages in the village-like center or visit the historic Carmel Mission. We practically had the latter’s Spanish colonial church to ourselves, stopping by early in the morning because we were still on New York time.
GREAT OUTDOORS
Another 10-minute drive later, we arrived at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. With the naked eye, you can spot sea otters, harbor seals and even gray whales during their December-to-May migration ( PointLobos.
org). A high point for Daisy and Bobby was an exhibit where they could touch the skins of various animals in the park, from field mice to cougars. (Don’t worry, they all died of natural causes.) Running along the beach in the tracks of sandpipers was a great way to let off steam before reluctantly climbing into the car for the journey home.