For many families, a trip to a children’s museum while on vacation is typically a compromise of sorts. Mom and Dad sacrifice an afternoon to entertain the kids, when secretly there are other places they’d rather be exploring.

Factor in children that range in age from toddler to teen and the family dynamic gets even more complicated. In other words, it’s really hard to make everyone happy. Hard, but not impossible, for families who include the California Academy of Sciences in their San Francisco itinerary.

Eating through San Francisco with my baby son has been one of the biggest joys of parenthood for me because there are so many restaurants to explore that offer delicious food that appeals to both baby and mommy taste buds.

When Amie asked me to share my picks for five family-friendly restaurants in San Francisco, it was really tough to pick my favorites out of so many amazing eateries in the city.

The list of kid-friendly things to do in San Francisco goes on and on. Even kids lucky enough to live here have a tough time keeping up. The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Fisherman’s Wharf are just a few of San Francisco’s world-renowned tourist attractions.

If you have a day to spare, the Presidio is a great addition to any family-friendly itinerary.

When visiting San Francisco the list of must-sees can be overwhelming. You can’t do it all. Make choices, and plan on coming back again. If you’re looking to go a little off the beaten path, check out some of my favorite things to do in Golden Gate Park. Amie also has a list of her favorite City by the Bay escapes.

But if you’re looking to visit some of the more touristy spots, a little advance planning can save you a lot of aggravation and precious travel time.

It’s good to be a kid these days.

Not that being a kid was bad when I was growing up, but being a kid now has perks that didn’t exist when my age was still written in single digits. Playgrounds had slides and swings, not rock climbling walls and carousels. We rode bikes, not electric scooters, and we listened to cassettes, not iPods.

In the past ten years there’s been an explosion of things just for kids. Think about it. Hotel kids’ clubs, kids’ menus and move over Louvre, kids’ museums.

One of the best aspects of living in the San Francisco Bay Area is the abundance of weekend getaways within a 1-2 hour drive. A favorite option that is easy to access yet a world away is Half Moon Bay, a seaside town in San Mateo County.

The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay is new to our luxury hotel portfolio. It’s not one of those properties that scream family with an endless list of onsite activities for kids; however, there are just enough things to do that parents and kids alike love spending time here.

It’s amazing to me how easy it is to miss great travel opportunities in your own backyard. Last year, I spent a fair amount of time researching and preparing for a family trip to New York to climb the Statue of Liberty and visit Ellis Island. It was a fabulous trip. This summer, I discovered the “Ellis Island of the West” is about an hour from my front door.

Who knew? The results, another fabulous trip, no plane tickets needed.

I’m lucky enough to call the Bay Area home. And for almost seven years I lived in the center of it all, San Francisco. I was young, and newly married with a great job. The city was the place to be.

Then I had a baby.

But instead of packing up and moving out, I quickly discovered raising a “city kid” had major perks.

You’re traveling to San Francisco with kids, and ready to see the sites and maybe have a few museum day or two. You have an itinerary you know that you (and maybe your spouse) will love. But the kids…they are ready to the Golden Gate, but not so anxious to spend the day at the de Young.

Local area summer camps can be just the trick to give your child a kid-oriented introduction to San Francisco while you savor more grown up activities.

I love doing “theme” traveling with my family. That means picking a category and exploring several types in a given area, teaching my kids some critical thinking skills (one favorite: “how was this ice cream shop different from the last one?”).

Here are two themes to explore on your San Francisco trip with kids …