California Girls

I'm not sure how long you will be there - but do be aware of how far SoCal is from places like the Hearst Castle! Our son loved the Hearst Castle (aside from the ostentatious construction & decorating, the land is a nature/wildlife sanctuary). They're old enough to watch "Citizen Kane", loosely based on Wm. Randolph Hearst - that might give them some of the drama involved at that time among people in the newspaper business.

We also enjoyed Monterrey & the Aquarium there, and driving along the coast in general. It's very scenic but of course the weather is pretty cold, and even in summer the water north of LA is way too cold for most people!

You're really going along the Mission Trail for much of this, so if that interests you, check out some of the history. Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo have a lot to do - museums and more.

Are you a AAA member? I always rely on them for updated hotel info and I find their ratings very useful. For just "passing through" you don't need much but sometimes the kids will enjoy a heated pool.

That's about 5 hours!
I was "over" the PCH in about 30 minutes--lol You can only go so fast.
Hearst Castle is cool to see if you're up for the trip.
What about Solvang?
Have you been to the Santa Barbara Zoo?

I love a road trip! Going North from Anaheim there are several nice beach towns you could stop in, including:
Laguna Beach- which has an art galleries and restaurants and shopping
Santa Barbara- a favorite local weekend desination for southern californians
Pismo Beach- where the California coastline starts to take on a decidedly more "NorCal" appearance.
I am partial to Santa Barbara myself having lived there for 5 years in my younger days. You can do a lot in a day or two there, including their cute little zoo, lunching and shopping along State Street, checking out the view from the top of the courthouse, and riding bikes along the boardwalk. Lots of cool parks and beaches around the town.

I am assuming you don't want to go into LA and do anything interesting there... or any of the suburbs around there?

Hearst Castle is very cool and I think your boys are a good age for it. I have been there once at age 14 and I think I was pretty impressed with it. I would take my kids when they are that age. Somewhere around there you can view the elephant seals lying around on the beach, I can't remember if it is north or south of the turnoff for the castle.

I have driven PCH from Hearst castle area up to Monterey, it is beautiful, and looong. It starts to feel a little claustrophobic because once you are on it you have to see it through... it would take too long to veer off to get back east onto a main highway. But it is the only way to get to Big Sur, which is gorgeous. If you do go all the way up PCH to Monterey, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is pretty amazing and you could spend an entire day there.

Cambria is another coastal tourist-y town people like to go to but I have never been to that one.

I have been to Sequoia and it is impressive. I have camped there. you would not really do that in February unless you were hardcore outdoorsmen I think. Definitely something you might want to see in your life time (gigantic trees!) but I would do Hearst Castle this time of year.

If I were you I would head up to Hearst castle and make one of the beach towns your stopping point for a day or two. (Not Laguna, that's very close to Anaheim)

I like Topanga Canyon. You can do a little bit of the coast and then head up North through Topanga Canyon. I think it is beautiful.

That's really really a long drive, just so you know. The traffic from LA up to Cambria can take 6-8 hours. That's after you get to LA from the OC. There are beautiful coast areas near Anaheim as people have mentioned. Laguna ( Crystal Cove), Dana Point, Newport, Balboa Island.
Just make sure you all love to drive! Traffic will add hours to the drive. Santa Barbara has a fun pier and small aquarium in addition to a fabulous zoo. Maybe a stop over night in SB to minimize time in the car?

I love Hearst Castle and the history surrounding it. Cambria is a really relaxed easy place to stay near the castle.
I hope you get great weather as its been amazing this week. Beautiful and 75 here at the beach.
Safe travels!