You’ll need stamina and a kidlike sense of wonder for this trip. Start in San Francisco, where you could spend weeks doing fun stuff in the city by the bay. But since a world of fun lies out there, we send you packing—in a loop that heads north and east, then south to Monterey, and back to San Francisco.

Trip Time: 1 Week

Start with a visit to the California Welcome Center at Pier 39. There’s so much kid fun in San Francisco, it’s ridiculous. The staff can help fine-tune your list.  While you’re in the neighborhood, explore Fisherman’s Wharf . Don’t miss the hordes of barking sea lions on the docks (best viewing is from the Pier 39 perimeter road). And everyone loves the chocolates at Ghirardelli Square.

Tucked at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Area Discovery Museum caters to the little ones (age 8 and younger) with hands-on art and science exhibits.  Kids a little older? Anchoring the Palace of Fine Arts, the Exploratorium has hundreds of science, art, and human perception exhibits. Check out some hip stuff, like the science behind surfing and skateboarding.  Teenagers restless? Ride on a ferry to Angel Island State Park and hop on a two-wheel motorized Segway (age 16 and up), buzz around the island, and take in views of downtown San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Head northeast to Vallejo and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom . The country’s first combination wildlife park/oceanarium/theme park has something for everyone, from dolphin shows to heart-thumping rides.

Love candy? Head east to Fairfield and take a 40-minute tour of the Jelly Belly Candy Factory . See how taffy and chocolate are made, and why it takes more than a week to make a single jelly bean.

Next, head south to the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park . California’s only horticultural theme park, it’s a wondrous place—picture Willie Wonka put to shrubbery. And, naturally, it features lots of fun rides, too.

Pass through Salinas and return to the coast at Monterey, home to the Monterey Bay Aquarium . Innovative and vast (roughly a quarter-million animals and plants on display), it is without a doubt one of the best aquariums in the world.

See wildlife in the raw at Elkhorn Slough . The 1,400-acre estuary, 20 miles north of Monterey, is home to harbor seals, sea otters, and more than 100 species of birds. Take a kayak tour with Kayak Connection .

Goof around on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and ride on the famous Giant Dipper, a 1924 wooden roller coaster.

Surfing is California’s sport. Take a lesson in Santa Cruz with Club Ed , just a short walk down the beach (on Cowell Beach in front of the West Coast Santa Cruz Hotel).  In Felton, ride on the Roaring Camp Railroad through redwoods aboard an authentically preserved narrow-gauge steam engine.

Return to San Francisco . Maybe the kids will let you do what you want, at least for an evening.