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San Diego Attractions & ActivitiesFamily Activities
Doing things as a family makes for great memories on the road. Our selections include attractions that are safe and tailor-made for families and children. See what we recommend, and try the places with the whole bunch!
Category: Family Activities - San Diego Attractions & Activities
Address: 1549 El Prado, The Promenade, San Diego, CA 92101
With over 85 cultural and recreational facilities, Balboa Park is a must-see. It's probably best to start at the Visitor's Center for a map and events calendar, and to purchase a Balboa Park Passport, which provides entrance to most of park's attractions. The zoo is a big attraction, but there are also 15 museums, cultural centers, lawn bowling, a...
Category: Family Activities - San Diego Attractions & Activities
Address: 3146 Mission Blvd, Mission Beach, San Diego, CA 92109
Built in1925 by sugar magnate John D. Spreckles, this amusement park reopened in the late 1980s and is the only beachside amusement park in southern California. Perhaps the biggest draw is the Giant Dipper, the original wooden roller coaster. The Plunge, at 175' the largest indoor heated pool in California, has its fans, too, as does the...
Category: Family Activities - San Diego Attractions & Activities
Address: 2300 Exhibition Wy, Scripp's Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA 92037
One of the world's most renowned aquariums, this facility dates to 1903 and features 30 tanks filled with a plethora of fish and coral species. The "Blue Planet" exhibit focuses on water's importance to life on Earth, and interactive exhibits include a display that lets visitors generate thunderstorms.
Category: Family Activities - San Diego Attractions & Activities
Address: 2052 Entertainment Cir, Chula Vista, CA 91911
If you’re a thrill-seeker, you’ll love Knott’s Soak City. High-speed slides, tube slides and body slides appeal to daredevils, but there are plenty of options for those who prefer tamer experiences, including a ¼-mile lazy river and a huge wave pool. For the under 42” set, the park features a special kid’s pool, mini-slides and a water playground...
Category: Family Activities - San Diego Attractions & Activities
Address: One Legoland Dr, Carlsbad, CA 92008
If you don’t have kids, borrow some. Legoland is so much fun, so amazing, that you’d really be doing yourself a disservice to skip it. It’s a traditional theme park with rides and games and shows, but it looks like a giant version of something you could build with Legos - very cool. Waiting in line for rides is a bore, but several of them here...
Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theatre
Category: Family Activities - San Diego Attractions & Activities
Address: 2130 Pan American Rd W, Palisades Building, San Diego, CA 92101
The first show at Balboa Park’s puppet theater was in 1947, by sisters Marie Hitchcock and Genevieve Engman. Hitchcock continued to perform until her death in 1994, at which time the theater was renamed in her honor. Today, the 200-seat theater presents classic tales such as "Rumplestlitskin" and "The Princess and the Pea," along with more...
Category: Family Activities - San Diego Attractions & Activities
Address: Bear Valley Pkwy and Mary Ln, Kit Carson Park, Escondido, CA 92025
If you’re traveling with children, or if you love art and the outdoors, a side trip to Escondido’s Kit Carson Park is definitely in order. Inside the park’s 12-acre Iris Sankey Arboretum is Queen Califia’s Magic Circle, a magnificent installation created by artist Niki de Saint Phalle. It’s a collection of huge bold, mosaic-tiled sculptures...
Category: Family Activities - San Diego Attractions & Activities
Address: Park Blvd and Zoo Pl, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA 92101
With over 4000 animals, this world-renowned zoo is the best in the US, and not to be missed. State-of-the-art habitats feature both the flora and fauna of various ecosystems, so you'll often see more than one animal species in a single exhibit. The zoo also has a very successful breeding program, so chances are you'll see some babies. Giant...
Category: Family Activities - San Diego Attractions & Activities
Address: 500 Sea World Dr, San Diego, CA 92109
This is San Diego's most popular destination. View seals, walruses, manatees, polar bears, penguins, and of course, Shamu, the killer whale. The park also features Wild Artic, an exhibit dedicated to aquatic life from the polar regions. Although Sea World is a research center, they also offer a playland and rides. Best time to visit is in the off...
Category: Family Activities - San Diego Attractions & Activities
Address: 15500 San Pasqual Valley Rd, Escondido, CA 92027
The San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park shelters over 3200 animals on some 1800 carefully designed, African-themed acres. The main exhibit is Heart of Africa, home to cheetahs, giraffes, okapis and a wide variety of birds. Nairobi Village features gorillas, meerkats, Nile monitors and lemurs, and still more feathered inhabitants. A gorgeous pride of...
