Sonoma / Santa Rosa
A miniature railroad children can ride and a Peanuts museum, in a walkable plaza town.
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Doable in a day
8 destinations from the Dublin, CA area. Close enough to drive there and back in a day, and small enough to see in one. No hotel booking, home for bath time.
| Destination | Kids | Drive | Days | Cost (2 nights, family of four) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoma / Santa Rosa | 4.3 | 1h 18m | 1–2 days | $1,200–2,500 |
| Half Moon Bay / Pacifica | 4.2 | 56 min | 1–2 days | $1,000–2,200 |
| Petaluma | 4.1 | 1h 23m | 1–2 days | $1,200–2,500 |
| Sonora / Columbia State Park | 3.7 | 2h 14m | 1–2 days | $1,000–2,000 |
| Healdsburg / Russian River | 3.4 | 1h 58m | 1–2 days | $1,500–3,000 |
| Bodega Bay | 3.4 | 2h 01m | 1–2 days | $1,200–2,500 |
| Napa Valley / Calistoga | 3.2 | 1h 08m | 1–2 days | $1,500–3,500 |
| Pinnacles National Park | 2.7 | 2h 23m | 1–2 days | $800–1,500 |
Half Moon Bay / Pacifica
A farm with pony rides, a working fishing harbour and tide pools, all within a few miles.
Petaluma
A walkable Victorian downtown with a swim centre and an adobe fort - a base town more than a destination.
Sonora / Columbia State Park
A Gold Rush town preserved as it stood, with stagecoaches, gold panning and a working steam railroad.
Healdsburg / Russian River
A plaza town on the Russian River, with shallow swimming water and old-growth redwoods close by.
Bodega Bay
A working crab port with a sheltered beach - the best seafood on the coast road, and little else.
Napa Valley / Calistoga
Wine country that works for children: a real castle, an erupting geyser, and roadside burgers.
Pinnacles National Park
Volcanic spires with talus caves you walk through by torchlight, and condors overhead.
Costs are a fixed yardstick: 2 nights, family of four, lodging, food and activities. Not the cost of the stay we recommend.