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Dear Families: There are many great things to do in the Bay Area. Since many families are extending their visit to the Families of SMA conference to include time in San Francisco or other Bay Area locales, the Northern California families wanted to provide some suggested activities so you can make the most of your visit here. Following are some suggestions on things to do in the Bay Area. All of these activities and locations are wheelchair-accessible. Note that San Francisco is about 1 hour north of Santa Clara. This list is heavy on San Francisco because that’s where I live and I’m most familiar with things in the city. San Jose and other Northern California cities also have a lot to offer and I have listed some of that info here too. Feel free to find me or any of the other Northern California families at the conference for any questions or further ideas. SAN FRANCISCO
Alcatraz
This is a must-see. In addition to the prison itself, there are gardens and a path around the island that gives you wonderful views of San Francisco, Marin, and the East Bay It is a fully-accessible tour, including easy transfers onto the island from the ferry and there are several van-accessible parking spaces at Pier 33—where the ferry docks. Plan about 2 or 2-1/2 hours for the tour. Some snacks are available on the boat (hot dogs, pretzels, junk food), but taking food with you is a better option. The Ferry Building (see below) is nearby, also along The Embarcadero, and has many restaurants and take-out options. There is an excellent guided audio tour of the prison, which kept my 6-year old’s attention just fine, but sort of bored my 3-1/2 year old son. But, even then, there was plenty to keep his attention and it wasn’t too scary. Both my kids have been asking to go again. Tickets sell out early, especially during the summer, so you must purchase in advance. Go to:
http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/ and tickets can be purchased weeks in advance. There are tours all day, and night tours too. Chrissy Field
Where the locals go instead of Fisherman’s Wharf. This is a large park along the San Francisco bay in The Presidio (see below). On a clear day, it has a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, downtown, and the Marin Headlands across the Bay. On a foggy day (common during the summer), it has a very neat atmosphere, but can be quite cold, especially if it’s windy. In addition to great, accessible walking trails and paths, there is also a small beach, and a national-park-run shop called The Warming Hut. The Warming Hut has coffee drinks, hot cocoa, sandwiches, cold drinks, and healthy snacks. It also has a nice little shop with books, puzzles, some toys, and other gifts. The bathrooms near the Warming Hut are small and often pretty disgusting if it’s a busy day there. A better option, particularly if you need to transfer someone from a wheelchair to the bathroom seat. If necessary, they’re okay, but plan ahead if possible.
There are a limited number of van-accessible parking spaces at the end of Chrissy Field near The Warming Hut, and a few more along the road outside, e.g., the climbing gym (Planet Granite) and the swimming school (Le Petite Baleen), but often these are taken during peak hours (about 11 am to 3 pm on sunny weekends days). Parking during the week and early morning is usually no problem. If walking along Chrissy Field, it’s worth going all the way to the base of the Golden Gate bridge. Great views and overlook there and there are often surfers at the point who are fun to watch. Occasionally you’ll see sea lions or even a porpoise or dolphin. At the base of the Golden Gate bridge is Fort Point—an old military outpost that was used to defend the city. Only the bottom level is accessible, but it’s interesting to see (cannons and cannon balls, etc.) and there is a small shop with old maps and neat trinkets. The park rangers on duty are very helpful. If you don’t mind stairs and have a wheelchair user who can be carried up to the top, there are great views and old military uniforms and barracks on upper levels. http://www.parksconservancy.org/our-work/crissy/ The Presidio
A former military base along the San Francisco bay that now houses various businesses, non-profits, and George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic. It is home to Chrissy Field, the Walt Disney Family Museum, a bowling alley, and beautiful grassy areas perfect for picnics. During the summer, there may be festivals or other activities on the weekends that can be fun, but also may add to traffic. http://www.nps.gov/prsf/index.htm Ferry Building / Embarcadero
The Ferry Building is still just what it’s name implies. From here, you can catch a ferry to Tiburon (across the bay in Marin), Sausalito (also across the bay) and elsewhere. It is also a marketplace with wine stores, coffee shops, chocolatiers, a gourmet market, a bakery, and several restaurants that offer everything from high-end “fine dining” to sandwiches and tacos. Taylor’s Refresher has great burgers, sandwiches, shakes and salads. Acme Bread is the best bread in town. Cowgirl Creamery offers a huge selection of cheeses (to go with an Acme baguette), and on the weekends there is a large farmer’s market outside with fruit, vegetables, food stalls, etc. Being San Francisco, most produce is organic. It gets crowded on the weekends and parking can be tough. There are a few blue-curb spaces along the Embarcadero just past the Ferry Building, but those are often taken. There are also metered spaces along the side roads and a couple private parking lots. Some of the lots offer a discounted rate with validation from a Ferry Building vendor. http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/
San Francisco Zoo
Located out near the Pacific Ocean (Ocean Beach), this is a nice zoo with great grounds and a wonderful old ride-on steam engine (“the little puffer”) that has one car that accommodates a wheelchair.
Lines for tickets can be long on weekends days, so you may want to buy your tickets on-line ahead of time, or get there close to opening time. http://www.sfzoo.org/ Stern Grove
Located in a somewhat hidden part of the city out towards the zoo (about ½ an hour from downtown), Stern Grove is a beautiful outdoor space. It is accessible, although the paths down into the grove are sort of steep. My son’s Koala handles it fine (and he loves the hills!), but be cautious. It also has an outdoor amphitheater and there are concerts occasionally during the summer. Street parking is usually available along Sloat Boulevard or the side-streets. If you have a disabled placard or license plates, your car is exempted from the 2-hour non-resident parking limitation. http://www.sterngrove.org/
Land’s End / Sutro Baths
There is a great accessible path here that runs along the ocean. Beautiful views of the ocean. The large parking lot usually offers plenty of parking, although there are a limited number of disabled spaces. The nearby Cliff House restaurant is a long-standing landmark. http://www.parksconservancy.org/visit/park-sites/lands-end.html#Accessibility Academy of Sciences
Located in Golden Gate Park, the Academy has an aquarium, an indoor-rainforest, a planetarium, an albino crocodile, and a natural history collection. There is a special exhibit called “extreme mammals” with saber-tooth cat and other fossils. It also has a great (albeit pricey) café, so is a good place for lunch. It gets very crowded on the weekends, and tickets often sell out, so you may want to purchase tickets on-line before your visit. Planetarium tickets also sell out quickly, so check in at the desk when you arrive (if you haven’t bought already on-line) to check on availability and times. There is an underground parking lot with a good number of van-accessible spaces. Even when the lot is full (on weekends), there are usually disabled spots available. You may have to tell the parking lot attendant that you need one of those so you’re not turned away from an other-wise full lot. On Sundays, you have to enter the parking lot from the Fulton Street side instead of the Lincoln Way side because a number of streets within the park are closed to cars on Sunday. http://www.calacademy.org/ DeYoung Museum
The DeYoung is across from the Academy of Sciences and is one of the city’s largest art museums. http://deyoung.famsf.org/ Legion of Honor
A spacious art museum in a picturesque setting. One of the current exhibits includes internal scans of an ancient mummy and related artifacts. http://legionofhonor.famsf.org/ Golden Gate Park
One of the country’s largest urban parks, this stretches through a large part of the city. The Conservatory of Flowers currently has a carnivorous plants exhibit; Stowe Lake has a path around it for rolling/walking/strolling (and rents paddle and row boats); there is a Buffalo Paddock with American Bison; Spreckles Lake is a popular spot for remote-control boats which are cool to watch; and there are miles of accessible paths and trails. I don’t think the Japanese Tea Garden is accessible, unfortunately. Since it’s so large, you’ll want to check out a map (available on-line). http://www.sfgate.com/neighborhoods/sf/goldengatepark/
http://www.sfgov.org/site/recpark_page.asp?id=17796 Ocean Beach
This is a large beach along the Pacific Ocean, popular with surfers. The water is very cold, but feet dipping is manageable. Although I have never gotten one, a beach wheelchair is available if you call-ahead and pick it up at Fort Mason, which is in San Francisco, but not immediately nearby Ocean Beach. Here are the contact details for the person who handles reservations: Richard DeLao
Accessibility Program Manager
Golden Gate NRA
201 Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123
Voice (415) 561-4958
TTY (415) 561-4724
Fax (415) 561-4950
Email Richard_Delao@nps.gov Theater
There are lots of theater options in San Francisco, including Wicked and other major productions. Sausalito/Tiburon
Both towns, which are located in Marin across the Bay from San Francisco, can be reached by ferry from The Ferry Building or by a quick car ride across the Golden Gate Bridge. They have many shops, cafes, restaurants, and great views.
http://www.sausalito.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiburon,_California Hiking generally
There are many accessible hiking trails in the Bay Area. One wheelchair-user and frequent hiker has created a website with details: http://www.wheelchairtrails.net/ Axis Dance Company
Headquartered in Oakland, California, this nationally-renowned dance troupe is composed of dancers who use wheelchairs and dancers who don’t. Information on performances and programs can be found at: http://www.axisdance.org/ SAN JOSE
San Jose is California’s third-largest city and is very close to Santa Clara. Following are some suggestions for top attractions. The Tech Museum
This is a unique museum dedicated to technology, which is a good fit for its location in the heart of Silicon Valley. The exhibits are varied and full information can be found at: http://www.thetech.org/ Great America amusement park
California’s Great America is located very close to Santa Clara. Details on rides, attractions, tickets, and the like are here: http://www.cagreatamerica.com/ OTHER NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
Muir Woods
Located just 11 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods offers a redwood forest with a fully-accessible trail running through it. The parking lot fills up on weekends, although there may still be disabled spots available. Information, including details on a shuttle that runs to and from when the lot at the woods is full, can be found here: http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm Monterey Bay
About an hour and a half from Santa Clara, this seaside town is home to the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. It is the home of John Steinbeck has a host of attractions, stores, restaurants, and the like. You can purchase aquarium tickets on-line before you visit to avoid lines. Monterey is a really lovely town to visit and the aquarium is quite amazing. http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
http://www.monterey.org/ Santa Cruz
A coastal town with a large old-school beach boardwalk with rides, games, activities. It is about 45 minutes from Santa Clara. Beach wheelchairs are available from the city and from private companies that rent manual and motorized models. http://www.scaccessguide.com/parks.htm
http://www.sharedadventures.org/beachchair.htm
http://www.beachboardwalk.com/ Roaring Camp Steamtrain
Located about 45 minutes from Santa Clara in Felton, California, this historic steam train from the late 1800’s winds through the redwoods. A train to the Santa Cruz beach is also operated here. All trains are wheelchair-accessible. http://www.roaringcamp.com/ Gilroy Gardens
Also about 45 minutes from Santa Clara, this is a theme park with a variety of rides and attractions. Extensive gardens are one of its main attractions. http://www.gilroygardens.org/ Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo
Palo Alto is only about 20 minutes from Santa Clara. An added benefit of this small children’s museum and zoo is that there is no entrance fee. It is run by the City of Palo Alto. http://www.friendsjmz.org/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/palo-alto-junior-museum-and-zoo-palo-alto Lake Tahoe
The Lake Tahoe area is about four hours from Santa Clara, depending on traffic and which part of the Lake you go to. In Truckee, California, you will find the home to Disabled Sports Far West, which has an adaptive skiing program at the nearby Alpine Meadows Ski Resort during the winter and also has lots of adapted summer outdoor activities. For information on Disabled Sports Far West and its programs: http://www.dsusafw.org/
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