Join Date: May 2003
Location: Redwood City, CA USA (SFO/SJC)
Programs: 1K 2010, 1P in 2011, Plat for 2012,13,14,15 & 2016. Gold in 17 & 18, Plat since
Posts: 8,824
The evening might be best for photos, but the crowds grow hugely throughout the day. Plan to arrive close to 8am to buy tickets at get in line; it opens at 9am, and you'll have two pretty decent hours to explore. And then... it's wall-to-wall people the rest of the day. So what I'd do is spend the previous night in the local town (can't remember where my wife and I stayed; it certainly wasn't anything fancy), drive close for the evening photos, then come back in the morning for the visit. Three hours should be enough time so you'll be leaving around noon.