My family and I just went to San Francisco this past summer. I wanted to have some good, cheap fun, so I made sure to do a little research before we headed out. I looked up reviews on all the hotels and museums. I also looked up all the possible tours I could take, and some of the more famous sights to see like the golden gate bridge.

The Golden Gate Bridge is something that everyone can recognize. It makes appearances in countless movies, plenty of pictures, and its fair share of postcards. If you get the chance, I would suggest walking to see this landmark. You won't be able to see much of it if you're stuck in traffic, worrying about rear-ending the car in front of you. When my family went, we took the opportunity to join a guided tour. It was great to be able to learn a little bit of the history behind the Golden Gate Bridge, and not worrying about getting lost.

If you're making the trip with kids, the Cable Car Museum is a great place to visit. Here, you can learn all about Cable Cars and how they became one of San Francisco's Trademarks. My boys had a blast here, and never wanted to leave. I had no problem telling them that we could go back again before the trip was over, because it was free. Can you believe it?

Since our day began with a spectacular free activity, I didn't want to end it with something costly. I took out all of my notes from the research I did before the trip, and decided on looking for some free Strolling Tours. I never would have guessed how many stories the streets of San Francisco are able to tell! Learning about the history of the place may have been my favorite thing over the whole vacation. Our Tour Guides took us to some of the more famous sights, and even told amazing stories about places you might not see if they weren't pointed out to you. This was a great way to finish off our day of free activities.

The next time we were out, I knew exactly where to take my boys next. Any boy, big or small, loves the Fire Department, so I took them to the San Francisco Fire Department Museum. I think my husband loved it just as much as they did. I enjoyed learning even more facts about the place. My husband and the boys loved just looking at everything. They, again, begged to stay "for ever and ever". For weeks afterward, my youngest boy talked about being a firefighter when he grows up.

Over all, my family and I had a wonderful time in San Francisco. Because I did my research before we left, I was able to save a ton of money. It was relatively cheap compared to past family vacations, and the fun definitely did not suffer because of it. We still were able to find a hotel that I trusted with my little kids, saw plenty of museums and tours, and had a blast. Next time you go to San Francisco California, make sure to plan ahead and find great things to do in San Francisco!