Globe Pequot - Are We Almost There? San Diego: Where to Go and What to Do With the Kids

W hat does summer vacation mean to your family? How about one with plenty of outdoor recreationboating, hiking, biking, picnicking, swimming, golfing, baseball, surfing, or sunbathing on miles of beach? Does it include excursions to great parks full of wildlife and sea life, exciting museums with hands on displays of fun things, old sights with new twists, all surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, mountains, and desert and capped by a clear blue sky with mega-sunshine? The year-round answer is San Diego, Southern Californias endless summer vacation destination.

Using this Guide

Are We Almost There? is a handy, pocket-sized resource of the top attractions for kids in San Diego County. Dont forget to toss it in your bagyoull find the Popout map to be invaluable as you embark across San Diego with the kids! We intentionally did not suggest itineraries in this guide. You need to decide where and when to go based on your familys different tastes and the age(s)and staminaof the kids. Be sure to carefully select the elements that satisfy your familys unique tastes. Parents and caregivers must use their own judgment and experience to determine whether a particular site is appropriate.

Here are a few general guidelines to keep in mind before you set out. First, always call ahead to double check that what you want to see is still there; some places may change location or shut down between the time this guide goes to print and the time you want to visit. For family travel its safest to stick with chain hotels and motels and to make your reservations in advance. In a similar vein, most of the restaurants mentioned are geared toward the middle-of-the-road tastes that kids usually prefer. One last note: When admission to an attraction is by donation, you can usually gauge what the real expectation is by whether a specific dollar amount is suggested. If it is, youll be more comfortable if you plan to pay that amount; if not, theyll be grateful for whatever you give.

Rates

Dollar symbols are used throughout the guide to provide an idea of the cost for attractions, restaurants, and accommodations.

Rates for Attractions

Dollar signs represent the cost per person for admission, not including tax, or the average cost of the activity. If no dollar sign is indicated, the attraction is free or donations are accepted.

Rates for Restaurants

For meals, the prices are per individual dinner entrees, without tax or gratuity.

Rates for Accommodations

Prices represent the rates for a double-occupancy room, European plan (no meals unless indicated), exclusive of hotel bed tax or service charges.

San Diego Countys location at the extreme southwest corner of the contiguous United States helps explain not only its temperate climate (an average year-round temperature of seventy degrees) but also its friendly spirit. In this geographically varied, 4,269-square mile region, you can head west out to sea, south into Mexico, east into forested mountains that receive more rain and snow than Seattle and deserts that are hotter and drier than Phoenix, and north into 70 miles of sandy, palm-lined beaches that rival Florida. You will find country kitchens and apple farms, cosmopolitan bistros and burger joints, craft shops and giant retail malls, high-rises and bungalows, dirt roads and ten-lane freewaysinhabited by 3.2 million culturally and ethnically diverse people. Their sheer numbers make San Diego Americas seventh most populous area and the Golden States second-biggest metropolis, after Los Angeleswho all pulled together in October 2007 to help those affected by Mother Natures fiery outbursts in the region. (Rest assured, all is well now.)

Kudos! San Diegos LEGOLAND California was named Best Childrens Park in the world by Amusement Today magazine, the fourth year it has won this Golden Ticket Award from this international trade publication. In March 2006, San Diego was chosen by Bicycling magazine as the best bicycling city with one million population followed by Chicago and New York. Family Fun magazine continues to rank the area as one of the coolest in the southwest.

Touring the greater San Diego area is best accomplished by automobile. Your choices of activities and attractions are incredibly diverse. Many families start in the Mission Bay area at SeaWorld and are entertained by the penguins, sharks, and killer whales. Or you might begin at the world-famous San Diego Zoo with its exotic and rare species of animals and plants. Or the San Diego Wild Animal Park may beckon, where the animals roam free and really wild. Balboa Parks museums, art galleries, and theaters provide you with some fantastic cultural attractions. If outdoor recreation is your familys favorite, there are hundreds of beaches, parks, sailing, and fishing options. We like to begin at the beginning by visiting the Old Town State Historic Park and Presidio district, then touring the first California missions, downtowns restored Gaslamp Quarter, or Point Lomas Cabrillo National Monument, which commemorates the first European to set sight on San Diego Bay. But no matter how you divide and conquer it, you will find incredibly fun things to see, do, and taste throughout metropolitan San Diego. For more information contact the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau (619-232-3101; www.sandiego.org) or visit the San Diego International Visitor Information Center (10401/3 West Broadway, on the Embarcadero, corner of Harbor Drive and West Broadway; 619-236-1212).

Note: The following listings begin with those located in Balboa Park (including the San Diego Zoo) and then are followed alphabetically by other attractions in the San Diego metro area.

Just northeast of the downtown business district. (619) 239-0512 (for general information). www.balboapark.org.

In 1868 some farsighted city leaders set aside 1,200 acres of barren pueblo land for a city park. Now that land contains the world-famous San Diego Zoo and fifteen museums (the largest concentration outside the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.). The best way to see the rest of Balboa Parks attractions is on foot. Park at the Plaza de Panama lot (by Laurel Street near the Cabrillo Bridge crossing) or take the free tram from the Inspiration Point parking lot (the tram has eleven stops throughout the park). Admittance to the park grounds is free, but admission prices to attractions vary by institution.