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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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6 days

5 nights

11 meals

5B 3L 3D

Registration, Orientation, Golden Gate Bridge Presentation

San Francisco, California

Golden Gate Bridge, Point Bonita Lighthouse, Muir Woods

San Francisco, California

Chinatown, Exploratorium, All About Alcatraz

San Francisco, California

Jeremiah O'Brien, Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz Island

San Francisco, California

CA Academy of Sciences, Free time, Wrap up

San Francisco, California

Program Concludes

San Francisco, California

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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 a starry night sky!
Learn what life was like for people aboard the SS Jeremiah O'Brien, a World War II ship that is now a living museum near Fisherman's Wharf.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

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.

James Dalessandro View biography

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.

Kenn Sparks View biography

Kenn Sparks is an award-winning journalist, foreign correspondent, and Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker. His life has taken him from the once-closed cities of Siberia to debating business economics with Barack Obama. Kenn’s Road Scholar groups explore the mysteries of old Chinatown, hear tales of treacherous sea voyages to Gold Rush California while aboard a famous 19th-century Square Rigger, experience the mostly unknown legacy of the wives of the Big 4 Robber Barons, and wonder at centuries of Medieval and Renaissance art and relics at Grace Cathedral.

Suggested Reading List (17 books)

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You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

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Bridges, Redwoods & Alcatraz: San Francisco With Your Grandchild

Program Number: 21059

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.

1906: A Novel

by James Dalessandro

Set during the great San Francisco earthquake and fire, this page-turning historical novel reveals recently uncovered facts that forever change our understanding of what really happened. Narrated by a feisty young reporter, Annalisa Passarelli, the novel paints a vivid picture of the Post-Victorian city, from the mansions of Nob Hill to the underbelly of the Barbary Coast to the arrival of tenor Enrico Caruso and the Metropolitan Opera. Central to the story is the ongoing battle--fought even as the city burns--that pits incompetent and unscrupulous politicians against a coalition of honest police officers, newspaper editors, citizens, and a lone federal prosecutor. James Dalessandro weaves unforgettable characters and actual events into a compelling epic.

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.

San Francisco

by Andrews McMeel Publishing

A fabulous and stylish die-cut book that introduces young readers to San Francisco highlights.

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.

San Francisco Stories: Tales of the City

by John Miller (Editor)

San Francisco Stories collects the most outstanding writings about the city from some of the most distinguished authors of the last 150 years.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tales from Alcatraz Series

by Gennifer Choldenko

An award-winning series about a young boy and his family who live on Alcatraz Island in 1935; humorously narrated and full of history about The Rock. There are four books: Al Capone Does My Shirts, Al Capone Shines My Shoes, Al Capone Does My Homework and Al Capone Throws Me a Curve.

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Bridges, Redwoods & Alcatraz: San Francisco With Your Grandchild

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At a Glance

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