Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
188
walks scheduled during y our trip. This is a superb way to get to kno w a neighborhood
and it's free (although donations are gladly accepted). Reservations aren't even necessary.
Just show up at the designated meeting point.
Starting locations vary.
&
415/557-4266.
www.sfcityguides.org. Schedules vary.
City-Sightseeing San Francisco
All ages.
The best thing about these tours is
the flexibility they offer. It's a “hop-on/hop-off” tour, so you can choose when and where
to board the bus. D o you need to jump off to placate a hungr y toddler? Did your teen
see a hip clothing stor e she absolutely must check out? N o problem. Your ticket is valid
for 48 hours after you first use it, so you can continue the tour later that day or even the
next. The tours also offer flexibility as to the weather. Don't want to be cooped up inside
a bus during sightseeing? Since the tours are on open-top, double-decker buses, just head
upstairs! If it's cold or rainy, stay below. The downtown tour stops at major destinations
like the F erry Building, Union Square, Chinatown Gate, and F isherman's Wharf. The
Golden Gate Loop Tour takes y ou over the G olden Gate Bridge, with accompanying
scenery of the Presidio, Pacific Heights, the Palace of Fine Arts along the way.
2800 Leavenworth St., ste. 14 (btw. Beach and Jefferson sts.)
&
415/440-8687.
www.city-sightseeing.us.
Downtown Loop tours: $27 adults, $16 kids 5-11, under 5 free. Daily 9am-6pm. Downtown tours depart
every 15-30 min.; Golden G ate Loop tours: $22 f or adults, $17 k ids 5-11, under 5 fr ee. Depart daily at
9am, 1:30pm, and 4pm.
Explorer's Club
Ages 5 and up.
Susan Edwards, who spent mor e than 20 y ears
in child development and education before starting this business, provides two programs
under the Explorer's Club name: individualized tours for children and families and a day
camp for local kids that r uns during the summers and o ver holiday br eaks. Her avid
interest in natur e and the city 's histor y, combined with gentle enthusiasm and energy ,
make her an ideal guide/child-car e provider. She will plan a one-of-a-kind, half- or full-
day outing for a family, or you can choose a tour fr om her website, all of which include
door-to-door pickup and deliv ery. Tours run the gamut fr om hiking in M uir Woods to
taking an in-depth look at the most famous San Francisco sites. Edwards can also design
a unique program just for children over 5—either during the day, if no camps are sched-
uled, or for a “Kids ' Night Out,” a nighttime tour that includes dinner and an activity
such as seeing a play or toasting marshmallo ws over a campfire on the beach. If you will
need child-care during your San Francisco trip, check the Explorer's Club Camp calendar
online to see if E dwards will be out and about the day y ou need help . If she has r oom
(she takes a maximum of 13 kids out, with another adult supervisor), you and your child
will both be in luck.
Mailing address: 693 Dartmouth St., San Francisco, CA 94134.
&
415/902-7014.
www.eckidsclub.com.
Kids' camp $65 per day. Individual tour prices vary.
6
Fun Facts
Stump the Tour Guide
Question:
Where's the most crooked street in San Francisco?
Answer:
No, it's not
Lombard Street, despite being nicknamed “the crookedest street in the world.”
Lombard may be the most attractive crooked street anywhere, but the most
crooked street in San Francisco is in Potrero Hill. Vermont Street, between 20th
and 22nd streets, boasts six turns in 270 feet while Lombard has eight turns in a
relatively lengthy 412 feet.
