place to stop between Napa and Disneyland

[kc26]

Hi,
My famiy and I are visiting California for the first time in 10 more days. We will be in Napa Valley for the begiining of the week and then driving down to Disneyland. We have a 6 month old son and we will probably need to stop somewhere between Napa and DL. Can anybody tell me a good town to stop at in between the two? I would like to look up hotels b/f we leave for vacation. Any other insights about Dl too are gratly appreciated. I go to WDW at least three times a year and I have finally worked up the nerve to fly to Cali. to visit DL. Thanks a lot.
Kerry

 

[Tikiman]

Well we live in the wine country (Sonoma County) and we visit WDW almost every year and we just returned from Disneyland Monday. You drive on I5 to go from Napa to LA and there is not much in between. We do the trip in one day (about 7 hours) and we stop in Coalinga that is about the halfway point. We eat and gas up there and only once did we sleep there when we left after work to go down and could not do it in one day. There are two places to stay there (one is a Best Western) and they are fine for the night and inexpensive. Where are you flying into?

Aloha

Steve

 

[kc26]

Hi Steve,
My husband actually is doing business in Pleasanton so we are flying into SFO. Staying there for a couple nights and then we are going to Napa for 2 nights and then to DL. Thanks for the info. on a good place to stop. I read your trip report b/c it stood out that you have a five month old. We took our son to WDW at 7 weeks and then again at 5 months. It was wonderful to see him looking at everything. By the way I love the name Kai. I tossed that name around when we were choosing our sons name but this time we went with Brady and next time it will be Kai. Thanks again.
Kerry

 

[Tikiman]

No problem. If you want to get to Disneyland the fastest from Napa you will head over to the 5 (interstate) by using Hwy 12. If you want to go through the bay area and check out things it will take longer but might be more fun. Either way you will end up on I5 because taking the 101 all the way down would take forever. There is not much down off the 5 but Coalinga is your best bet and easiest access.

Have a great trip.

Aloha

Steve

 

[Amybirds]

If you're coming from Napa, I suggest taking Hwy 29S towards Vallejo, cut over on Hwy 37 (1.5 mi), to 80W, to 780E (towards Benicia) which becomes 680S, to 580E (towards Stockton), to I-5S. Sounds complicated but it's really not. You'll cut out a lot of traffic by doing this as you avoid the crowded Hwy 80 by Berkeley/Oakland.
If you're looking for a place to stop & eat, here are some choices along your way:
Santa Nella (Pea Soup Anderson's -- pretty novel place --sit-down restaurant; Del Taco, other fast food)
Coalinga (Harris Ranch sit-down restaurant; fast food)
Kettlemen City (In-N-Out, Taco Bell, other fast food)
Grapevine (fast food)
Valencia (sit-down restaurants, fast food)

If you're looking for a place to spend the night, I'd actually recommend a hotel in Bakersfield, though plan to hang out in your room or by the pool
'cause Bako is hot this time of year! You'd have about a 3 hr drive to Disneyland the next day and there are much nicer hotels available for much less money than along along I-5. It's about 20 minutes off of I-5 to get to Bako, but then you just hop on Hwy 99 to get you back on the road to Disneyland so it's really not out of your way... Check out the Comfort Suites, the Courtyard by Marriott, the Residence Inn, the Doubletree, or the Holiday Inn Select Convention Center.

Hope that helps!

 

[Tikiman]

We like Red Robbin at Coalinga. Andersons is good but we don't like to stop that soon. We stop at the half way point so we only stop once.

 

[kc10family]

We have driven from just outside Travis AFB north of San Francisco a few different times. (with kids) We stop for gas/ pit stops whenever needed. This year we have decided to stop for the night just past the grapevine in Valenica. Why? Two reasons… One I don’t care for LA traffic during rush hour (I have a 20 mth old) two, we figured we could get ride of some energy at Magic Mountain for an evening and then get a fresh start in the a.m. This would put us at the hotel pool before check in and we would have time then to gear up for another night of fun. We shall see if it works.
Have a great Disney Day!

 

[bubbasmom99]

We stopped right before the grapevine. Farther past than halfway, but the 2nd leg in LA takes as long as the first leg out on the open freeway.

 

[armywife]

***I 2nd Harris Ranch in Coalinga. They're hotel rooms are very nice with pool & spa, gift shop, and sit down rest. Their steak is the BEST! Yes, there is a certain manure odor in the air, but after you have a bite of their steak you won't care!

Pea Soup Anderson's in Santa Nella is also very good. They also have a gift shop & bakery counter inside the rest. a fun place to walk around for a few minutes to stretch your legs..And a Best Western? I think, next door.

Santa Nella is basically a commuter town -- nothing but gas stations, a few hotels, and fast food.

Depending on how far you want to drive the first day -Bakersfield could be another option also.

We recently moved to Phoenix -- * sigh * making me miss Cali

 

[nordey]

I agree that Coalinga is a good 1/2 way stopping point but beware of the the STRONG cow manure smell. I gag all the way through that town and you couldn't pay me to stop for gas or a meal there, let along an overnight stay!

We usually stay in Santa Clarita when we break the trip up. It's more than 1/2 way and makes your 2nd day drive (when you're more anxious to arrive at DL) shorter and more pleasant.

Good Luck.

We've stayed at both the Fairfield Inn and Comfort Suites in Santa Clarita and both are fine. There is also a Residence Inn and several other chain hotels.

 

[calvin3]

Ok we make the Bay to DL drive at least twice a year. (Bay Area to DL) We usually stop at the bottom of the Grapevine. Gas and a quick meal and then bomb over the Grapevine. We have a 5 year old and an 18 month old. 3 ½ to 4 movies on the portable DVD work great for the kids. A couple of times we left at like 6-7 in the evening and let the kids sleep most of the trip.

 

[kc26]

Thanks for all your help but can somebody tell me what or where the grapevine is?
Thanks

 

[gduvall]

We're driving from San Francisco to LAX at the end of July and we're planning on driving the coast since we've never done it and people say it's beautiful. How long does this drive take and is it worth the effort.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Thanks for all your help but can somebody tell me what or where the grapevine is?
Thanks

The Grapevine is a low mountain pass you have to go through when you leave Los Angeles, going north to Bakersfield & beyond. It's in the Tehachapi Mountains. The road is really good through there, but it's still steep enough that they have signs posted to turn off your a/c to save on your car motor.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

We're driving from San Francisco to LAX at the end of July and we're planning on driving the coast since we've never done it and people say it's beautiful. How long does this drive take and is it worth the effort.

If you take Hwy 1 all the way down, it'll take about 10 hours or so. Hwy 1 is very windy.

People who are more knowledgeable will give better advice than me, but what worked for us was taking Hwy 101 south from San Francisco & then going through Monterey, driving along the 17 Mile Drive (very much worth it), and then taking Hwy 1 south through Big Sur.

We cut over to Paso Robles (I think that was it) & back to 101 before we got to Hearst Castle, but for the experience, I would say take Hwy 1.

Caveat -- if the coastline is socked in with fog, then I do not think it would be worth it, and would recommend Hwy 101 for nice scenery and some coastal views, and skip Hwy 1 (or PCH) altogether.

 

[CalGal]

gduvall:
Taking 101 is a nice compromise between the scenic but very long and sometimes foggy hwy 1, and the boring I5. Often I have taken 101 one way from the Penninsula, and I5 one way. From SF to Anaheim via 101, I would estimate 7-8 hours of driving time. Add another 2 hours if you take Hwy 1 from SLO to Santa Cruz. I will sometimes spend the night in Solvang, Santa Maria, Pismo Beach if I take Hwy 101, and definitely if I take Hwy 1. There are nice places to visit along the way, including those mentioned by Mary Jo. I like the beach in Carpenteria (It's considered a very safe beach for rip tides), and Santa Barbara has a cute zoo just off 101.

Is it worth it? It is if you want a pleasant, leisurely vacation. I love the feeling of driving down 101. But as I've gotten older, I don't love driving for long periods, so I am much more likely to take I5.