driving from Portland, OR to San Fran

I'm in the midst of planning an August trip from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco. We'll be driving (I think it's about 450 miles) and we'd like to spread it out over several days. I've never been to that part of the country, and would greatly appreciate any suggestions/advice from those of you who know the area.

1. I'm guessing that the coastline is gorgeous and that the drive will be stunning. Am I right? Is there plenty to do along that route to last a few days? Any suggestions of places to stop/stay over?
2. We'll be traveling with two young kids. Any must-sees or must-dos in that general area? We'd like to make it as much of a 'nature' trip as possible.
3. We'll be flying into Seattle. Is it crazy to drive from Seattle to Portland the same day we arrive from the east coast? Or should we stay in Seattle for a day or two? (We've got friends in Portland who we'll stay with for a week or so.)

Thanks in advance! 

If you can stay in Seattle a day or 2, do so. It's worth the time. Not to mention, it is a long flight to Seattle. And yes, the coast is amazing there. But that's all I can offer as it's been too many years since I've been out that way.

*stomps off in a jealous huff*

When I was little we lived down by San Francisco (kinda) and would come up to the Portland metro area for Christmas every year since my mom's family was up here. With that said, I can't recommend any specific areas to see, but it can be a gorgeous sight if you stick around long enough to explore a few of the beaches; even up here in Oregon it can be quite pretty, and in August the temps at the coast are pretty reasonable compared to the rest of the state. Lincoln City isn't bad, neither are Newport or Seaside (those are the two beaches I can think of offhand) and most of them are set up for tourists so you'll have places to stay overnight if you need to

It's not a bad drive from Seattle to Portland I don't think, not if you're not in a hurry--just hop over the river

I'm not super familiar with Oregon and Washington, so I'll leave that to those who do, but Northern California I do know.

The northcoast (Mendocino to the Oregon border) has some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet.  Spending some time in the redwoods is a must.  Depending on where you want to stay and how much walking/hiking you want to do, I can recommend several places for a quick walk or a nice afternoon's meander.  A couple:

Prairie Creek Redwood State Park
Patrick's Point State Park (I highly recommend the walk up to Wedding Rock - best sunset view on the west coast!)

I can go on and on about it, but I won't go crazy.  If there are certain things you're looking for or want to do, I'm happy to pass on more suggestions.

Wow! Thanks for the replies. I'm getting very excited!

Depending on where you want to stay and how much walking/hiking you want to do, I can recommend several places for a quick walk or a nice afternoon's meander.  

I can go on and on about it, but I won't go crazy.  If there are certain things you're looking for or want to do, I'm happy to pass on more suggestions.

Thanks for these links! We'd definitely consider camping, and hiking is an absolute must, although we'll be a bit limited by the two little guys. And I'd love to do something unique to the area, so if you know of any excursion-y type things I'd be all ears.

Any towns that you'd recommend staying in along the way (for hotels)?

Here's our tentative plan:

Fly into Seattle: 1-2 days
Portland: 5-6 days
Drive from Portland - San Fran: 4-5 days   
San Francisco: 2-3 days
 

Wow! Thanks for the replies. I'm getting very excited!

Thanks for these links! We'd definitely consider camping, and hiking is an absolute must, although we'll be a bit limited by the two little guys. And I'd love to do something unique to the area, so if you know of any excursion-y type things I'd be all ears!

Any towns that you'd recommend staying in along the way (for hotels)?

Thanks again!

Arcata or Eureka are two good towns to use as a base for pretty much anything in Humboldt County, including the two parks I posted.  You could easily do either as a day trip.  If you're interested in staying further north, you will be limited in terms of options, though.  Eureka is the larger of the two towns and has a nice waterfront in Old Town.  Arcata (where I used to live) is a smaller town with a funky hippie vibe.  Fabulous place, but I am a bit biased.

Unfortunately, unique in that area tends to equal "touristy".  Not that it's a bad thing, but something to keep in mind.  A few that come to mind:
Trees of Mystery (which I think the boys would love)
Samoa Cookhouse is kind of fun for families, and always a hit with visitors.
Fort Humboldt is a neat little museum.
Oh, another really cool one is the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary.  Not only is it beautiful (with great bird watching), but it's also the city's wastewater treatment plant.  It's a fascinating project!

Further down the coast (assuming that's the route you take), I highly recommend a stop at Fort Ross.  Super interesting and one of my favorite places when I was a kid.

In terms of places to stay on the drive down, it depends on which route you plan to take.  If you're staying along the coast, there isn't a whole lot before you hit Fort Bragg.  Small towns, mostly, with small motels.  If you stay inland on Highway 101, there are a few more towns, but again you'll find mostly small motels.  There are a few state campgrounds, though, if that's more your speed.

I really could go on and on.  Happy to PM you with more so I don't bore everyone else.

If you're headed down US 101, I highly recommend stopping in Trinadad, just north of McKinleyville...they have a place that sells the best smoked salmon in the world Katy's Smokehouse, just ask at the Chevron gas station at the off ramp and they'll give you directions...it's been ages since I've been there but well worth the stop. Also there is a really cool lighthouse there as well. I recommend Patrick's Point and agate beach! Oooo Lots of places to go and see. Someday I'll take DH there and do it all!

And Gold Beach, Oregon is very beautiful as well.

The North Coast of California along 101 is very, very beautiful. The 'Avenue of the Giants is a wonderful drive with lots of interesting places to visit, such as the giant treehouse, drive-thru tree, Confusion Hill and other things to see:

http://www.avenueofthegiants.net/

http://www.aveofthegiants.com/

http://www.confusionhill.com/

Farther down 101 is the area of the Russian River, which is nice as well and leads out to the coast, also nice. Ft. Ross is a wonderful old fort that has a history of the Russian settlement. My daughter's 4th grade class got to spend the night there years ago, and it's very interesting:

http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=449

Getting closer to San francisco, Pt. Reyes national seashore and Muir woods are really very beautiful:

http://www.nps.gov/pore

http://www.nps.gov/muwo

The beautiful town of Sonoma is about 12 miles east of 101 and is in the heart of the lovely Wine Country. There is plenty to see and do for adults and kids with the historic mission right off the square and many wonderful shops and restaurants to choose from. The square is beautiful and well preserved and there is a lovely Irish pub right off the square:

http://www.sonomauncorked.com/wine-country-places/town-of-sonoma/

http://local.yahoo.com/info-21692394-murphy-s-irish-pub-sonoma

...as well as Traintown for the little ones:

http://www.traintown.com/

I work right next door to Traintown in Sonoma, and I know this region very well, so feel free to drop me a line and I will be happy to offer more suggestions if you visit.

From Sonoma you can go right on to the Napa Valley and on to hwy 80 towards Fairfield (about half hour). The Jelly Belly factory is right off the freeway and offers fun tours for the kiddies:

http://www.jellybelly.com/visit_jelly_belly/california_factory_index.aspx

Going towards San Francisco along I-80 is the Lawrence hall of science (which is really interesting and fun for the little ones as well as the big kids) and Berkelely is an interesting town as well:

http://www.lhs.berkeley.edu/

Those are just a few ideas, as there are many things to see and do along that drive. I will post as I think of more.

jw66's post reminded me to mention The Exploratorium.  It's an absolute must while you're in San Francisco!!

I just remembered to mention Marine World. It's only a 15 minute drive down I-80 from Fairfield's Jelly Belly factory in Vallejo:

http://www.sixflags.com/discoveryKingdom/index.aspx

Also, I read that you are a nature lover, and Sonoma County has many farms and ranches open to the public. Many offer wonderful experiences for children to do hands on activities:

http://www.farmtrails.org/

http://www.safariwest.com/

In San Francisco, along with the 'Exploratorium' (a must see) mentioned by AbbyNormal, 'Zeum' is a great kids' technology and science museum. It's great that Pixar Studios is located in Emeryville (just outside of SF and right next to Berkeley), and though Pixar doesn't do public tours, they send animators to 'Zeum' to give hands on demonstrations to kids which are really cool :

http://www.zeum.org/

I always loved the California Acadamy of sciences in Golden Gate Park as a kid, with the aquarium, planetarium, and museum. Golden Gate Park itself is really lovely with the beautiful gardens, playgrounds, and carousel:

http://www.calacademy.org/

http://www.golden-gate-park.com/

I was thinking also of things to do if you decided to travel down I-5 instead of 101, and I thought of the beautiful area around Redding and Mt.Shasta. It's gorgeous, and there are beautiful places to see down that route as well. However, inland is much warmer than the coast in August:

http://www.visitredding.org/thingstosee.cfm

http://www.visitsiskiyou.org/todosummer.html

Going down I-5 as you get closer to Sacramento, there are great places to explore such as the 'Gold Country', which has many beautifully preserved 'Gold Rush' towns with lots of interesting history and things to do, such as 'panning for gold' which is great fun for the kiddos. Once in Sacramento, 'Old Town' Sacramento and the California State capital and museum are fun and interesting as well:

http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/California/Gold_Country/goldcountry.htm

http://www.oldsacramento.com/

http://www.nevadacitychamber.com/

http://capitolmuseum.ca.gov/


Crater Lake in Southern Oregon is breathtaking, but other than the view (which is spectacular), there isn't much to do, so not sure if the kids would be bored:

http://www.crater.lake.national-park.com/

Also, Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 in San Francisco are fun places for kids and adults:

http://www.fishermanswharf.org/

http://www.pier39.com/

This restaurant in SF is very family friendly and the food is heavenly:

http://sanfrancisco.citysearch.com/profile/41429990/san_francisco_ca/rigolo.html#

Thanks so so much jw66, Abby Normal, and everyone else who has contributed here. I really do appreciate all the ideas and links you've taken the time to post!  We'll definitely be able to use all these suggestions to plan a really cool trip.  Thanks again.

There's one major problem with this trip that I can see, though ... I'm not going to want to get back on the plane home! I (only half) jokingly told my husband that we should take one day of this vacation to look at properties. 

Sorry, I missed this in the beginning, but wanted to highly recommend stopping along the coast in Florence, OR.  It's a cute little town (with THE BEST clam chowder restaurant in existence) with a beautiful driftwood coast.  Somewhere near the town is a place to go in and see a sea lions cave.  Really pretty coastline - something a bit different from the usually sunny beaches...Also recommended in the area is Heceta Head lighthouse - the most photographed lighthouse in the US (http://www.hecetalighthouse.com/).

If you're headed down US 101, I highly recommend stopping in Trinadad, just north of McKinleyville...they have a place that sells the best smoked salmon in the world Katy's Smokehouse,

And Gold Beach, Oregon is very beautiful as well.

I just read up on Trinidad and it looks beautiful ... 

..Florence, OR.  It's a cute little town (with THE BEST clam chowder restaurant in existence) with a beautiful driftwood coast.  Somewhere near the town is a place to go in and see a sea lions cave.  ... Also recommended in the area is Heceta Head lighthouse - the most photographed lighthouse in the US (http://www.hecetalighthouse.com/).

this, too! Thanks so much.

[...] Arcata or Eureka are two good towns to use as a base for pretty much anything in Humboldt County, including the two parks I posted. 

If you were planning this trip  , would you rather:
1. stay in a hotel-ish kind of place in Eureka or Arcata and use that as a base OR
2. stay in a cabin-y kind of place like this: http://www.mirandagardens.com/directions.html and use that as a base?

   Thanks!