Universal Studios TourThe Queen MaryBig Bear ( a mountain resort about 2 hours from LA)Palm SpringsJoshua Tree National Park (by Palm Springs)The Salton SeaCabrillo National Monument in San DiegoMarin County (outside San Francisco)California Wine CountryDrive Highway 50 out of Lake Tahoe to Placerville. Beautiful!Pebble Beach
Coast Redwood NPMuir WoodsBig Sur Hearst Mansion, San Simeon, CAcity of San FransiscoDeath Valley NP Kings Canyon/Sequoia NPLa Brea Tar Pits and museum , Los AngelesMonterrey Joshua Tree NPStrange evaporite towers at Mono LakeLassen Volcanic NPDisneylandRichard Nixon Library and museum
Golden Gate bridge is essentially in San Francisco. Got to see the crookedest street among the many, many things to do. RIde a SF trolley. see Fisherman s Wharf, Visit the Chocolate factory, lots. Napa valley is near. Check out Mount Tamalpias, too. Great views. Don t let Bigfoot get you! Then East to Sacramento and up to Lake Tahoe. Back West, down the central valley to Yosemite - there are other beautiful parks on the way south, but if you are pressed for time you HAVE to spend it in Yosemite. Make reservations at the lodge if you can. You can SEE Alcatraz from SF, but I don t know if they run tours there now. Maybe a resident of SF can tell you. Hollywood was a disappointment for me. Be sure to take the tours of the studios. From the street, you cannot see a thing. LA can be dangerous. Make sure you know which areas to avoid. Continuing South, San Juan Capistrano is very nice. If you get to San Diego, do not go into Mexico. Dangerous right now. You might write AAA and ask for Tour Books of Califonia- will list all the hotels, motels, places to eat and the attractions. If you have to pay for them, worth the priceThe parks you mention are hardly kddy parks. Definitely for adults, too.