Our Feature Destination - North America

Day 1 – Welcome to the “City by the Bay”
Your California travel family adventure begins at 6:00 PM at the Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf. A transfer from San Francisco International Airport to the hotel is included. After traveling all day, your family might enjoy taking a dip in the outdoor heated pool or exploring a little of San Francisco’s famous Fisherman’s Wharf. Please join us to meet your Tauck Director and the families who will be traveling with you at our welcome reception and dinner this evening.
Meal: Dinner
Lodging: Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco

Day 2 – Planets, penguins, a cruise and San Francisco treats
The Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, Coit Tower, the “painted ladies,” the Marina District and Lombard Street, “the crookedest street in the world,” are all world-famous symbols of San Francisco, and you’ll see them this morning on a city sightseeing tour. After crossing over the Golden Gate, you’ll sail under it on a harbor cruise that also circles Alcatraz Island, the site of the first lighthouse and U.S. fort on the West Coast – and later an infamous federal prison that held some of the most notorious and dangerous criminals of the time. Then, head for the California Academy of Sciences where a world of natural wonders waits. It’s the only place on earth with an aquarium, a planetarium and a natural history museum all under one roof! There’s a lot to see and a lot to learn at this terrific place that houses more than 38,000 living things including penguins, but maybe one of the coolest things about the Academy is that its roof is alive! Your visit there will be a highlight of your California travel. The rest of the day is free for your family to explore what interests you most in San Francisco.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco

Day 3 – Back to the future… and, the past
As the song says, “run and catch the wind” – and that’s just what’s been happening at the Altamont Wind Farm, one of the earliest wind farms in the United States. You can take some great pictures of the kind of giant windmills – technically, wind turbines – that may look like "alien visitors," but will produce more and more of our electricity as the future unfolds. Then “return with us to the thrilling days of yesteryear” in Columbia, where you’ll find yourselves in the middle of the Gold Rush era, as citizens still travel in stagecoaches and merchants go about their business just as they did in the 1800s. You’ll even have a chance try your luck panning for gold during your California travel! Later, put your rock-wall climbing* skills to the test on the new climbing wall at your mountain resort just outside Yosemite National Park.
Meal: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, Fish Camp, CA

Day 4 – It’s Yosemite – Yippee!
A visit to Yosemite is one of the very best things about California travel. Yosemite National Park is chock-full of awesome wonders and adventures, as your family will discover for yourselves today. You’ll learn about Yosemite’s history, geology, plant and animal life, and must-see attractions from park rangers during a two-hour tram tour along the valley floor. Spend some free time with your family exploring this amazing place… go for a hike, rent bikes, go to programs presented by park rangers… or anything else you choose. Later, get set for a rip-roaring evening aboard the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad Moonlight Special. First, you’ll chow down at a great barbeque dinner while the Sugar Pine Singers entertain you with old-fashioned ballads and toe-tapping melodies. Then, it’s ALL ABOARD The Logger steam train for an exciting ride through Sierra National Forest – and back in time to the days when lumberjacks and steam locomotives ruled the woods. Keep an eye pealed for “outlaws” known for stopping trains in search of passengers with loot!
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, Fish Camp, CA

Day 5 – The Grizzly Giant and friends
Have you ever heard of a drive-through tree? You may see one today, as well as the Grizzly Giant, a humungous sequoia tree thought to be between 1,900 and 2,400 years old! The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is home to about 500 of such ancient trees. Many of these trees are real “celebrities,” with their own fascinating names and stories, as you’ll find out during the Big Trees Tram Tour this morning. Lunch is on your own today and Wawona might be a great place to have it. While you’re there, you can visit the Pioneer Yosemite History Center in Wawona; learn more about life in the good old days as you investigate historic buildings brought to this living history museum from all over Yosemite. Or, head on back to the Tenaya Lodge and spend the afternoon enjoying all the fun activities it offers with your family. Tonight, see what really goes on the woods at night during an interpretive hike lit by flashlights – and perhaps by starlight or moonlight, too – in the Sierra National Forest.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, Fish Camp, CA

Day 6 – From the mountains to the Monterey Bay
Visit the Mariposa Museum & History Center for a look at indoor and outdoor exhibits including an authentic Gold Rush-era saloon, a typical miner’s cabin and a one-room schoolhouse. California travel wouldn’t be complete without seeing “America’s salad bowl.” At least 25% of America’s agricultural products come from California and the majority of them are produced in the San Joaquin Valley. You may see vineyards, nuts, citrus fruits and vegetables basking in the sun as you drive along. Hopefully they’ll make you hungry because you’ll want a big appetite when we stop for lunch at Big Bubba’s Bad BBQ… it’s “bad to the bone.” While you’re waiting for your lunch to arrive, check out the huge indoor tree house, ride the mechanical bull or drag your family outside and take their pictures sitting on a big pink pig! After all that food and all that fun, someone in your family might need a little nap on the ride to coastal Monterey.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Lodging: Casa Munras, Monterey, CA

Day 7 – All around the Monterey Peninsula... and another great bay
Did you know that an octopus tastes with its tentacles… that among seahorses, it’s the boys who have the babies… that corals and jellyfish are cousins? That’s just part of what you may learn at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, located on the former site of a sardine cannery and one of the world’s largest aquariums, during your visit this morning. Next up is a drive along the 17-Mile Drive through the Del Monte Forest past mansions and famous golf courses to Cypress Point, where you’ll find the lonely lone cypress. This afternoon, your family can choose between three fun things to do – a bike tour* along the coast, a kayak adventure* in Monterey Bay or a self-guided walking tour along Monterey’s Path of History. There are bound to be some cool surprises during our farewell dinner event, a "California Marketplace Experience" at the Culinary Center of Monterey. Exchange addresses with your new friends and share your favorite memories of your family’s California travel this evening.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Casa Munras, Monterey, CA

Day 8 – Homeward bound
Your California travel ends in Monterey. Your family can fly home anytime; a transfer is included from the Casa Munras to Monterey Peninsula Airport. For those flying from San Jose International Airport, one group transfer is included from the Casa Munras for flights after 11:30 AM. Please allow 1 ½ hours for flight check-in formalities. We wish you a safe and pleasant journey home.
Meals: Breakfast