parking charges at california state parks

Big Sur Region State Parks Vehicle Day Use Fees

Four state parks in the northern and central Big Sur region allow visitor vehicle access with a single vehicle day use fee payment on the same day. Your vehicle day use fee receipt from Point Lobos State Reserve, Andrew Molera State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, or Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is good at all four parks on the same day.

Some San Francisco coupons

http://www.mapwest.com/cgi-bin/couponsearch.cgi?category=1

Santa Barbara, Solvang and San Simeon

Head to Santa Barbara and see the mission church.
They have an 11am mass on the Sunday. Awesome architecture and a huge visitor centre.
Tourist Info http://santabarbaramission.org/. Small fee for tourists.
Church Parish info http://www.saintbarbaraparish.org/

Want to go to San Simeon to visit Hearst Castle
http://www.hearstcastle.org/tours/tour/grand-rooms-tour
Pay for a tour of selected rooms ($25 per adult, $12 for Bevan, Kit free) and then you are free to see the pools and gardens afterwards.  However, it closes at 3pm on Sunday so will have to do it monday morning.
   

Stay at the DAYS INN in san simeon perhaps on Sunday night? Cheap price, includes breakfast and rooms look big.

To fill in the Sunday afternoon after the mission church at Santa Barbara we could go to the town named Solvang which is between the two. Cute Danish town (mm pastries). http://www.solvangusa.com/explore-solvang/what-to-do/
They have the Sunny Fields playground

and this cute shopping area:

More Jnr Ranger programmes

Junior Ranger Fan site here: http://www.juniorranger.info/Junior_Ranger_Program.html . It has lots of information about doing the badges by post, which parks run the programmes etc.  He also links to a fan site for park passport cancellation stamps.  I will try and buy a booklet for them.

There are programmes at the Golden Gate National Recreation area of San Fran eg one for Alcatraz (quite tricky for little kids, Bevan would need help). Other 2 are Muir Woods and Marin Headlands. Can/should download & preprint their booklets free. http://www.nps.gov/goga/forkids/beajuniorranger.htm

Snr Badge

Sequoia and Kings Canyon have a programme too - and "seniors" can join in and get their own badge.  Kids one is called Jay Award. Webshop at http://www.sequoiahistory.org/default.asp?contentID=666
Sequioa is home to the "General Sherman" tree - a HUGE HUGE tree.




San Francisco Maritime Area SAFR http://www.nps.gov/safr/forkids/beajuniorranger.htm#

They have cheap strollers at walmart for as little as $20 USD.  (even cute ones like 101 dalmations).


consider scooters for the walking. Not as cheap though.  Need to store in locker - $10 a day storage.

Shopping in anaheim

If you want a Super Walmart, look at the corner of Harbor and Orangethorpe instead, a new Super Walmart is there, a large Target, Costco, a Sprouts Farmer's Market (Focus on Natural Food) grocery store, plus lots of discount stores, including the Disney Character Warehouse, which is an outlet store for Disney Parks stuff. Also a new Sketchers Outlet Store and much more.

Take Route 43 North, that goes up and down Harbor Blvd about every 15 minutes. It is about a 3 mile trip, or 20 minutes on the bus each way.

To get to the Westfield Main Place Mall, that is also easy by bus. Just head to the Main Disneyland Public Bus stop, which is under the Monorail Tracks on Harbor Blvd. Route 83 south and about 20 minutes will get you to the Main Place Mall (also nearby other malls, the Discovery Science Center Museum, and the Bowers Museum and Kidseum. On the way back, ask the driver to take you to HoJo's, which is where they get to take their break. (It is optional, but if you are nice, they normally will do it).

I also recommend you look at this "Top Question" here at TA for other easy to get to Shopping areas...

http://www.tripadvisor.in/Travel-g29092-c168883/Anaheim:California:Shopping.Areas.Via.Public.Transit.html

Brave Merida souvineers

They have crayon rubbings at the Merida meet n greet area.