The Unofficial Guide(r) to California with Kids, 3rd Edition [Paperback]

Colleen Dunn Bates (Author), Susan LaTempa (Author)

Book Description

Series: Unofficial Guides | Publication Date: November 1, 2002

The Unofficial Guides? are the Consumer Reports of travel guides, offering candid evaluations of their destinations' attractions, hotels, restaurants, shopping, nightlife, sports, and more, all rated and ranked by a team of unbiased inspectors so even the most compulsive planners can be sure they're spending their time and money wisely. Each guide addresses the needs of everyone from families to business travelers, with handy charts that demonstrate how each place stacks up against the competition. Plus, all the details are pulled out so they're extremely easy to scan.

Family vacations are a necessity in today's hectic world, a time for togetherness without all the day-to-day distractions. The Unofficial Guide? to California with Kids covers the top family destinations in the Golden State, from Disneyland? to San Francisco and Yosemite to the redwoods. Full of activities and creative ways to make learning fun, this guide evaluates all the attractions and activities based on your child's age group and specific interests.

The Unofficial Guide? to California with Kids also includes:

• A complete sourcebook for first-time visitors or long-time residents, whether you're planning a day trip, a long weekend, or an entire vacation
• Insider advice on what to look for in lodging, plus detailed information on family-friendly restaurants throughout California
• Complete coverage of California's natural attractions and the best outdoor adventures for families
• Suggestions on where to bike, camp, hike, kayak, snorkel, water ski, and whale-watch, plus the best beaches for children
• Insider advice on how to have big-time fun without spending big-time money.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

From the publishers of The Unofficial Guide? to Walt Disney World?

"A Tourist?s Best Friend!" ?Chicago Sun-Times

"Indispensable" ?The New York Times

The Top 10 Ways The Unofficial Guide? to California with Kids Can Help You Have the Perfect Trip:

1. No-nonsense advice on how to plan a trip the whole family will enjoy, from parents to tots and teens
2. A complete sourcebook for first-time visitors or long-time residents, whether you?re planning a day trip, a long weekend, or an entire vacation
3. Insider advice on what to look for in lodging, with area recommendations
4. Every attraction rated and ranked for each age group
5. Detailed information on family-friendly restaurants throughout California
6. The inside scoop on the best beaches for children
7. Complete coverage of California?s natural attractions and the best outdoor adventures for families
8. Suggestions on where to bike, camp, hike, kayak, snorkel, water-ski, and whale-watch
9. Insider advice on how to have big-time fun without spending big-time money
10. Special tips for single parents, grandparents, and travelers with disabilities

Get the unbiased truth on hundreds of hotels, restaurants, attractions, and more in The Unofficial Guide? to California with Kids?the resource that helps you save money, save time, and make your trip the best it can be.

About the Author

LOS ANGELES NATIVE Colleen Dunn Bates is the founder and publisher of Prospect Park Media, a book-publishing company in Pasa dena, California. She is also the author of many books, including Hometown Pasadena: The Insider’s Guide and Storybook Travels: From Eloise’s New York to Harry Potter’s London, Visits to 30 of the Best-Loved Landmarks in Children’s Literature, which she cowrote with Susan LaTempa. She lives in Pasadena with her husband, Darryl Bates, and their two daughters.

CULVER CITY RESIDENT Susan LaTempa wrote Story book Travels with Colleen, has written for many national magazines, and is now an editor for the Los Angeles Times. Susan and her husband, Dan Milder, have two daughters. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 3 edition (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764566857
• ISBN-13: 978-0764566851
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,455,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Has Good and Bad Points, January 28, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Unofficial Guide(r) to California with Kids, 3rd Edition (Paperback)

Good Points: Give good descriptions of attractions, including an estimate of how long you'll want to spend, and practical issues like availablity of food/strollers/etc.
Good descriptions of natural sights (beaches, parks) as well as man-made attractions.

Bad Points: Seems to take a very narrow view of what kids are going to enjoy. Why assume that no child is capable of enjoying an art museum? Or, as the authors states flatly, that kids hate scenery, and that your teen would much rather stay home with his friends than actually travel with his family? (Author suggests spending time at the local malls if you are travelling with teens!) Or that kids won't eat anything but hamburger-based kid's menus?
Given that the book is covering a large geographic area, and given the author's abovementioned narrow view of 'kid-friendliness', many important attractions aren't mentioned at all.
Only a few accomodations recommendations are given, and most are very expensive.

(This review, incidently, applies to all the books in this series; California, Florida, and Washington DC).

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful, April 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Unofficial Guide to California with Kids (Unofficial Guides) (Paperback)

I found the Unofficial Guide to California with Kids to be very helpful in planning our family vacation. It gave detailed information about everything from beaches to theme parks as well as suggestions on where to bike, camp, hike, snorkle, and whale watch. It has information on family friendly restaurants and lodging, including prices, maps, meals served, types of payments accepted, children's menu availability, as well as which restaurants accept reservations. The Unofficial Guide helped us to pick and choose which attractions to visit by giving a specific rating for each age group, as well as admission prices, average touring time, and what services and facilities are available. All in all the Unofficial Guide to California with Kids helped us to have a GREAT family vacation!

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Could Be Better. Disappointing!, March 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Unofficial Guide(r) to California with Kids, 3rd Edition (Paperback)

I have the first edition of this book, and when I first moved to the LA area, it was great to have...but, I find it lacking a lot now that I know more about the area. It doesn't mention the Huntington Gardens, or the Rose Bowl, or Descanso Gardens (cool tiny train that runs on weekends)or other kid friendly venues. I found the restaurant listings useless...rest's are everywhere, and I tend not to make one a special destination when I'm on a daytrip!

I recommend getting an up-to-date California guidebook (Lonely Planet or some such) and decide where to go based on your child's and your inclinations, and ignore the ubiquitous malls that you can find anywhere in country.