Take an Active, Educational, Family Jaunt from San Francisco up along the North Coast.

Trip Time: 2 to 3 days

Begin at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge by visiting the Bay Area Discovery Museum ; the innovative museum caters to nippers 8 years and younger with hands-on art and science exhibits, workshops, and exhibits. Ride a restored 1955 fire engine across the bridge with Fire Engine Tours & Adventures .

Hop in your car and head north across the Golden Gate (conventionally), stopping first to stand spellbound by the redwoods at Muir Woods National Monument , the closest redwood stand to San Francisco.

Beat summer’s crowds to Stinson Beach and grab a meal (breakfast is best) at the Parkside Cafe . A few miles north of Stinson, visit Audubon Canyon Ranch and gawp at great blue herons and egrets. Hop in a kayak and explore Tomales Bay with Blue Waters Kayaking .

Parents can browse Bodega Bay’s art scene; the area is filled with galleries like the Local Color Collection and the Ren Brown Collection of Japanese prints and antique Japanese furnishings. Kids may want to stop into Northern Light Surf Shop, where they can pick up great surf stuff.

Grab dinner at Sandpiper Seafood Restaurant by the dock in Bodega Bay; they have local art on their walls. Route: State 1 north from San Francisco. One road, lots of adventures, all the way to Bodega Bay.