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California

Bridges, Redwoods & Alcatraz: San Francisco With Your Grandchild

Program No. 21059RJ
A jailhouse that has stories to tell, bridges that stretch across the sparkling sea and the tallest trees on Earth! Discover these and more in the Bay Area with your grandchild.

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Age 10 - 14
ROOMING OPTION PRICING
The figures below indicate the rooming options available.
DATES
Jun 23 - Jun 28, 2024
Per Adult
1,949
Per Child
1,199
Select
Jun 23 - Jun 28, 2024
1,949
/ Adult
1,199
/ Child
1,949
/ Adult
1,199
/ Child
2,749
/ Adult
1,199
/ Child
Select Date
Jun 30 - Jul 5, 2024
Per Adult
1,949
Per Child
1,199
Select
Jun 30 - Jul 5, 2024
1,949
/ Adult
1,199
/ Child
1,949
/ Adult
1,199
/ Child
2,749
/ Adult
1,199
/ Child
Select Date
Jul 7 - Jul 12, 2024
Per Adult
1,949
Per Child
1,199
Select
Jul 7 - Jul 12, 2024
1,949
/ Adult
1,199
/ Child
1,949
/ Adult
1,199
/ Child
2,749
/ Adult
1,199
/ Child
Select Date
Jul 21 - Jul 26, 2024
Per Adult
1,949
Per Child
1,199
Select
Jul 21 - Jul 26, 2024
1,949
/ Adult
1,199
/ Child
1,949
/ Adult
1,199
/ Child
2,749
/ Adult
1,199
/ Child
Select Date

At a Glance

Climb aboard a classic cable car with your grandchild to explore the City by the Bay and the nature that surrounds it. Ride a ferry to Alcatraz Island to explore the famous jailhouse, and take in the sights, smells and sounds of the largest Chinatown in America. Walk across one of the most famous landmarks in the world, the majestic Golden Gate Bridge, and tinker with some science experiments at the Exploratorium. Plus get outside the city to play amongst the foot of giant redwoods in Muir Woods and hike to a seaside lighthouse. Introduce your grandchild to this world-class city as you explore our favorite spots around San Francisco, making new friends along the way!
Activity Level
Let's Go!
Walking up to three miles at a time over varied terrain, including stairs. Extensive use of public transportation.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Experience natural and cultural wonders including Redwoods at Muir Woods and the complex history of Alcatraz Island.
  • Go behind the scenes at the Academy of Sciences, where you’ll be transported into a rainforest, an earthquake and into a starry night sky!
  • Learn what life was like for fishermen through history on a field trip to a historic sailing ship on Hyde Street Pier in Fisherman’s Wharf.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
James Dalessandro
James is a writer and filmmaker best known for his novel '1906,' a retelling of that year's earthquake in San Francisco. He has more than 20 feature film and television scripts to his credit. He wrote and directed 'The Damnedest Finest Ruins,' a documentary on the earthquake. In his adopted hometown of San Francisco, James lectures on the Transcontinental Railroad, Old Chinatown, and the Golden Gate Bridge as well as the history of its artists: Mark Twain, Jack London, Isadora Duncan and the Beat Generation.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of James Dalessandro
James Dalessandro View biography
James is a writer and filmmaker best known for his novel '1906,' a retelling of that year's earthquake in San Francisco. He has more than 20 feature film and television scripts to his credit. He wrote and directed 'The Damnedest Finest Ruins,' a documentary on the earthquake. In his adopted hometown of San Francisco, James lectures on the Transcontinental Railroad, Old Chinatown, and the Golden Gate Bridge as well as the history of its artists: Mark Twain, Jack London, Isadora Duncan and the Beat Generation.
Profile Image of John Martini
John Martini View biography
John Martini is a native San Franciscan and a life-long researcher into the history of California and the American West. He worked as a national park ranger for more than 25 years at parks around the country including Fort Point National Historic Site, Alcatraz Island, the National Maritime Museum, the USS Arizona Memorial, the Presidio of San Francisco, and Teddy Roosevelt's estate at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. For many years, John was stationed at the Marin Headlands District of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area as a supervisory park ranger for interpretation and education. He completed his long career with the National Park Service at the Presidio of San Francisco where he served as curator of military history. He now works as an independent historian and consultant specializing in historical research, interpretation and preserving of cultural resources.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Essential Muir
by Fred White (Editor), John Muir
Taking the best of John Muir's writings on nature, Fred White's collection presents a fresh look at one of California's greatest literary figures.
City by the Bay: A Magical Journey Around San Francisco
by Elisa Kleven (Illustrator), Tricia Brown
A colorful introduction to San Francisco’s highlights through collage-style illustrations of city landmarks -- kids will have fun finding the hidden surprises in each picture.
Earthquake in the Early Morning
by Mary Pope Osborne
Jack and Annie travel to the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake where they meet a reporter and bring kids to safety.
Al Capone Throws Me a Curve
by Gennifer Choldenko
The 4th book, an addition to the Al Capone trilogy, follows 14-year-old Moose Flanagan during the summer before high school.
The Cable Car and the Dragon
by Barbara Ninde Byfield (Illustrator), Herb Caen
An illustrated journey through San Francisco, from Fisherman's Wharf to Chinatown, alongside a cable car and a Chinese dragon.
This is San Francisco
by Miroslav Sasek
Cable cars, Chinatown and other city sights are depicted with bright, stylized illustrations in this classic portrait of San Francisco, first published in 1961 and presented here in facsimile.
Streetwise San Francisco Map
by Michelin
A laminated, folded map of the city center of San Francisco at a scale of 1:30,000.
Golden Gate, The Life and Times of America's Greatest Bridge
by Kevin Starr
Starr covers the history and meaning of this beloved icon and great American feats of engineering in this slim portrait.
Journey Around San Francisco from A to Z
by Martha Day Zschock
Exploring the unique cultural appeal of San Francisco this children's book for ages 6 to 9 is an informative read, made enjoyable by lots of hand-drawn color illustrations.
Escape from Alcatraz
by J. Campbell Bruce
First published in 1963, this true crime classic is now out in a special edition. Bruce recounts the Rock’s transition from a Spanish fort to the infamous penitentiary, temporary home of legendary criminals like Al Capone and the Birdman of Alcatraz (Robert Stroud). He also includes descriptions of Frank Morris’ escape attempt alongside archival photos.
Al Capone Does My Shirts
by Gennifer Choldenko
The first in an award-winning trilogy about a young boy and his family who live on Alcatraz Island in 1935; humorously narrated and full of history about The Rock.
The Mystery in San Francisco
by Gertrude Chandler Warner
When the Boxcar Children go to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, they discover something amiss with their friend’s fishing operation. Will they solve the mystery?
Gold Fever, One Man's Adventures on the Trail of the Gold Rush
by Steve Boggan
Rich in history and economics, Boggan's travelogue follows the trails of the original 49ers -- to San Francisco and beyond -- where Americans still risk life and limb for lucrative gold strikes.
San Francisco
by Andrews McMeel Publishing
A fabulous and stylish die-cut book that introduces young readers to San Francisco highlights.
Maybelle the Cable Car
by Virginia Lee Burton
The true story of how the people of San Francisco banded together to stop the city from shutting down the cable cars -- which still run today! Illustrated and told through the perspective of Maybelle the cable car.
Al Capone Does My Homework
by Gennifer Choldenko
The third installment in the Al Capone series for readers ages 9 to 12 follows Moose Flanagan’s adventures as his father gets promoted to Associate Warden on Alcatraz Island and becomes a target. Once again, Moose receives cryptic messages from the prison’s most infamous inmate, Al Capone, and must figure out what he is trying to communicate.
San Francisco, A Cultural History
by Mick Sinclair
Organized more thematically than chronologically, this easy-to-read introduction to the city and its neighborhoods will appeal both to first time visitors and those who know and love the city.
The Lucky Ones, One Family and the Extraordinary Invention of Chinese America
by Mae Ngai
Ngai, a professor of history at Columbia University, uncovers the story of the Tape family in post-Gold Rush, racially explosive San Francisco.
Fly High, Fly Low
by Don Freeman
A classic Caldecott Honor Book about two San Francisco birds who live in a sign above a hotel; illustrated with sweeping panoramas of the Bay Area.
California History for Kids, Missions, Miners, and Moviemakers in the Golden State: Includes 21 Activities
by Katy S. Duffield
A history of the dreamers who shaped the great state of California, featuring a time line of important events and fun and educational hands-on activities.
Al Capone Shines My Shoes
by Gennifer Choldenko
The sequel to Al Capone Does My Shirts (SFO72) continues the story of 12-year-old Moose Flanagan who lives on Alcatraz Island and receives cryptic messages in his laundry from infamous inmate Al Capone. A fun book for readers 9 to 12.
Fifth Chinese Daughter
by Jade Snow Wong
First published in 1945, Jade Snow Wong's memoir is a simply told, moving story of family life in pre-WWII San Francisco Chinatown.
A Crack in the Edge of the World, America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906
by Simon Winchester
Geologist, master storyteller, traveler and journalist, Simon Winchester succeeds again in this fast paced, utterly fascinating account of the great 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco.
Travelers' Tales San Francisco
by James O'Reilly (Editor), Larry Habegger (Editor), Sean O'Reilly (Editor)
Experience San Francisco from the inside out with this engaging, insightful and entertaining selection of mostly contemporary eyewitness reports -- a terrific literary profile of a dynamic city.





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