USA holidays

[Pinkpeanut27]

It's going to sound stupid but where do you recommend for a family holiday kids 14,14,7.
We have just had a week in Miami Beach and almost 2 weeks in New York and totally loved it.
We were thinking California next maybe San Fransisco but I have read it can be cold foggy and dangerous with lots of poverty and crime . This is not how I remember it from 25 years ago but things change .
I know about the whole Disney thing but personally hate theme parks but it is possible I will have to cane in for the kids .
We hate driving so would not be looking to hire a car but to use public transport private transfers and flights if needed.

So any holidays you have had that have been fab so I can start researching while I save,

We did California this summer with a 13,12 and 8 yr old kids. Was the best holiday we have ever had.
Started in San Fran and ended in San Diego. Stopped in Yosemite, Monterey and LA.
San Fran is foggy in the morning but it burns off in the afternoon. We went over the GG bridge and the fog disappears immediately. Wouldn't let it put you off going.
Did a fair bit of driving but didn't feel too much and the drive down the Big Sur and highway 1 is great.
Would move to San Diego in a heartbeat.

Oh sorry just saw the bit about driving. You could fly between the cities it but would struggle a bit once there.

Actually had San Fran and San Diego on my list but was rethinking .
Did you do many trips from San Diego ? Would Disney be doable ?

We drove to Aquatica which was a water slide place in Chula Vista.
Visited La Jolla and Mission Beach.

Didn't do Disney and it would be quite a journey from San Diego, couple of hours.

California is a brilliant place for a holiday, but you might need to rethink hiring a car. Driving in the US is far less stressful than driving here (apart from the big cities).

You don't need a car for San Francisco, but getting around elsewhere is easier with a car. Generally the public transport system isn't great and you would need to book tours to visit places. If you want to do Disney I would stay in Anaheim at a hotel that offers a free shuttle service to the park.

Without a car you would miss out on places like Yosemite, Death Valley and Lake Tahoe. Even in San Diego we needed a car to visit the zoo and Sea World (not something I would do now)