American west coast

[OhCobblers]

Considering a trip Sep time but possibly earlier in the summer. We don't want to do the whole of the west coast but some fun driving, LA, San Fran, nice but not horribly expensive hotels! Seeing some obvious tourist attractions!

Does anyone have a clue where to start planning or researching this kind of trip?! Thank you!

Check the season for certain attractions. Schools go back in August and many attractions close. I first moved out there in August and we drove over to Santa Cruz to visit the boardwalk. It was closed because the schools were back in. (Not covid related - many years before.)
Don't underestimate how long the distances are too. It's beautiful over there. I hope you have a fabulous time.

I’ve been to LV. Safe to say it’s now at the bottom of my holiday experiences.

It was an experience but, although I’m glad I have been, I won’t be rushing to go back. I’m talking about LV itself, not the surrounding area.

Here's our itinerary from a few years ago, had the best trip!!! Amazing holiday, lovely hotels, was very happy with all of them.
Personally we didn't like San Fran, lots of homeless smoking cannabis.

@Zazdar
We flew there and went into Arizona asap. Our trip was to visit national parks and scenic areas like Mesa Verde and the cliff dwellings. LV just isn’t what I call a holiday. DH is a civil engineer. He’s seen dams. We actually drove as far as Durango on that trip and up to Teluride via the Million Dollar Highway. A fairly hairy ride!