California - First trip to San Diego -- Pls suggest

We are taking our parents to San Diego for my dad 60th birthday....there is me, my brother and sister and our respective spouses and 2 kids under 2 yrs old...dates are not set yet...maybe April/May/June...We would leave on wednesday and come back on sunday....

We have never been to San Diego so do not know what to do....I have looked it up on the Internet and have gotten the following ideas:

1) Seaworld...of course
2)San Diego Zoo
3) Wild animal park....

this is for the kids....we could care less about the buildings and museums and grandparents just want to spend time with the grandchilren....

Any suggestions on what to see/do/stay/eat?

I would recommend staying in the La Jolla area--you've got very easy access to all the best kid-friendly beaches, nice shopping and a walkable area. I'd rank Wild Animal Park above the zoo, but that's a personal thing and both are well worth doing; it's just that WAP is more 'unique'. If you want a bit of a splurge, go for the safari adventure there (I forget what it's called specifically) where you're not just in the train going around.

Wild Animal Park is great (and top of our list even though we live here), but could be hot in June - it's a ways inland an MUCH hotter than the Zoo or SeaWorld in summer; April/May it should be a great day out.

Legoland is expensive, and IMHO not worth the money; we drive up to Disney if we want to do a theme park- the kids have way more fun, and the extra ~75 minutes in the car is worth it.

There's lots to do in Balboa Park - can easily spend a day there (but fairly heavy on museums).

Our favorite beach is Torre Pines - but beach preferences can be very personal, so I'd hesitate to make a recommendation.

La Jolla is a good place to stay, but on the expensive side, unless you can find a deal. Lots of great places to eat nearby as well.

I also would rank the Animal Park above the zoo but both are pretty interesting.

The San Diego Maritime Museum has a tall ship you can sail I think. It was pretty fun but it does get pricy.

Personally with small kids I will stick to the animals and beaches. I also agree that the legoworld was pretty lame.

San Diego is one of my FAVORITE cities. Make sure you visit the Hotel Del Coronado. It's a historic hotel (gorgeous) and has a beautiful deck with an absolutely perfect view of the water.

On Sundays, the hotel has an amazing brunch buffet. I can't remember the price; however, just the experience is worth whatever the price. I think you need reservations.

You can roam the hotel and there are all types of pictures of nostolgic/famous actors that have stayed there. You're parents will love that.

The trip to the Hotel Del Coronado is fun & relaxing. Visit for a couple hours or stay for a night. I tried to get a room there about a year ago & they were sold out. Here's the website: http://www.hoteldel.com/

Have fun in San Diego! Travel safe :cool:

In general, I agree that the Wild Animal Park is more unique than the Zoo. However, you can be rather far from the animals at times, especially on the tram ride, and for kids around the age of 2, I think getting really close to the animals, as you can at the Zoo, might be more interesting.

Also, once you are on the Tram, you are stuck there. At the Zoo, you can take a break at any time.

For the same reason, Sea World might be a good 2nd choice.

Watching the hang gliders at the beaches in Torrey Pines might also be a unique site for the kids.

There are discount coupons available for all of the attractions - check around.

make sure you get some socal mexican food from a shack - basically any of the places ending in *bertos (robertos, albertos, hillbertos, etc) will do it good enough. If you want the best view, on the north end of torrey pines beach (it's actually inland about a quarter mile, on the road that goes from the beach to I5, basically across the street from the state park parking lot) is a robertos with a good view of the lagoon.

all the comments above i'd agree with - WAP is worth it, legoland is not. If the weather is good enough, go up to irvine for the waterpark.

touristy but interesting for the first time is old town.

a few years ago i was in town as a tourist (hard to do when you grew up there) an interesting experience, if you want to try it with little kids was to take the trolley down to tijuana and walk around all day, see the sites on revolucion blvd.

hope that helps.

Be sure to check out the seals on the beach in La Jolla.

The OP's two kids are under two years old -- for them, Legoland might not seem "lame." Our kid loved it until he reached 9 or 10 or so. It is not nearly as expensive as Disneyland.

Balboa Park is great -- there's an aviation museum, a huge model railroad museum (if the kids like model trains), a big horticulture area with an enormous Crystal Palace-type greenhouse, and very often arts and cultural events.

As you're going in April or later, the new ballpark, where the San Diego Padres play, is pretty nice and well-situated.

Old Town is OK, but the kids might be bored stiff. One idea would be to take a picnic and let them run around the central squares and exhaust themselves.

There are all sorts of tourist tour and whale-watching boat rides that go from the harbor.

I agree about the charms of the Wild Animal Park and staying in La Jolla. Either the Wild Animal Park or the San Diego Zoo does overnight campouts in the animal zones, which we've always wanted to sign up for, but you have to make the arrangements well in advance.

Sea World is more fun than you'd think. You end up thinking Anheuser-Busch is the best company in the world: giving out free beer and saving the whales. The kids will be interested to learn what real penguins really smell like.

Be sure to check out the seals on the beach in La Jolla.It's great to combine this with lunch at the outdoor terrace of the excellent restaurant "George's at the Cove".

For the grandparents' time with the kiddies, what's better than a baseball game - the Padres play at beautiful Petco Park, located right downtown at the edge of the Gaslamp District. If you stay at the Omni Hotel (not cheap, but highly recommended), which is literally next to the ballpark, you are entitled to use a private skybridge entrance from the hotel lobby over to the ballpark (this also means that you don't have to pay a separate parking fee at the stadium garage - and also you can easily take the kids back to the hotel if they burn off their energy and get tired).

Edit: I see that BearX220 posted just before me about the baseball game - so there's two votes :)

This is why my addiction to FT gets stronger...great advice guys...thank you very much....

I suggest you choose either the Wild Animal Park or the Zoo. Although different, they are enough alike that you don't need to do both on a short trip. Also, the Science Museum in Balboa park is very hands on and would be fun for kids. However, if they have a science museum near home, it might not be anything different or special.

All great suggestions. When you want something simple and are walking by Seaport Village and the wharf, try taking the ferry from San Diego to Coronado Island. It docks at Coronado by a nice sandy beach the kids can play in, and there are places to have a nice lunch on Coronado. When you take the ferry back to downtown San Diego, you get a great view of the San Diego skyline. This is one of our family's favorites.

Another, depending on your kids interest, is the Train exhibit in Balboa Park. Don't be put off by the fact they call it the San Diego Train Museum. It's a working exhibit, and they have a section just for the younger kids.

keith

http://www.cottagelajolla.com/

I would agree that with the kids being under 2 Legoland may not be a bad choice. It is great for kids under 10 but over 10 than Disney is way better. In Late spring early sommer it can be overcast (we call it May Grey/ June Gloom) so going inland to the Wild Animal Park may be a great way to get some sun.

Sea World is great too. I would stay in La Jolla. There's a great Hilton on TorreyPines. If you stay in San Diego, I'd pick either the Westin or, even better, the new Hyatt.

If you go to the Zoo, you can also take the kids to the carosel and mini-railroad (open on weekends and school holidays) right next to the entrance in Balboa Park. The Wild Animal Park is better than the Zoo for letting small kids out of the stroller to walk around as the Zoo has tour buses driving through the main park. However, the walk at the Wild Animal Park is a little more strenuous for the older (and very young) crowd with hills and decent distances between attractions.

Torrey Pines Beach seems to be a favorite with most families.
Legoland is fun but probably not the best bet for small (under 3 years) kids and is overpriced.
La Jolla is a great place to spend an afternoon - lots of shops, restaurants and you can visit the seals on the beach.
Sea World is definitely worth a visit. I'd recommend going on a weekday!
Coronado is another great place to spend an afternoon. You can either drive over the bridge or take a water taxi from downtown. Nice place for a stroll and plenty of shopping, restaurants, etc.

Have fun!

We enjoyed a 90 minute harbour cruise, which seemed to amuse all ages.

I dont know about the kids on this but the waterfront has some intresting stuff like the very large old boat the star of india is intresting and there is also the aircraft carrier the USS Midway which you can walk all over. Than also eat some good sea food on shelter island they have a real good fish market.

I go to San Diego on business often and last year I took my family to SD twice and we are returning again. My son is a lego freak so he loved Legoland but I agree with other posters that for 2 yrs and under, they will enjoy more at a local beach park. I think it's called Moonstone Beach or something that is in Encinita, nice beach with facilities as well as a nice park equipment for small kids.

While we love La Jolla and highly recommend you to go to the beaches there, Oceanside beach and pier is fun too. The pier is the longest wooden pier in U.S.. Longboard Cafe across from the City Hall serves the best breakfast/lunch. Love, love, love driving on Old Hwy 101 and looking at beaches between Oceanside and La Jolla. :)

Re: Legoland, if you want to just check it out, they have a shopper's pass program which will be perfect. You go to the custmer services desk/window (not the ticket window) and ask for a shopper's pass. They will make a copy of your CC and tell you to be back within one hour with a receipt (more than $20 or so?). Upon returning to the window with the receipt, they will tore up the copy of CC and won't charge any admission fee, and will validate your parking ticket ($10/day). ^ So all you spend for the family of six or more? will be $20 Lego goods. And they have GREAT selection so you won't have to worry at all. There are Lego stores all over the park but the nearest one is right after you enter, so you can purchase the goods and walk around the park the rest of the time. You don't need any tickets to get on a ride but for your young kids, just looking at stuff made entirely by Lego is enough. And if you decide to stay at the park, you can purchase the tickets. I know there's tons of discount coupons for Legoland and other attractions, so be sure to check them before you hit SD. If I can find Legoland coupon, I'll post here later.

edit: I found the discount code. I'm not sure if it's still working but I used it 9/06. It's $17 per adult saving, which is by far the best discount available.
http://www.socccd.org/hr/discountinfo.asp#LegoLand
But if you are going to many attractions during your stay, check out GoSanDiego Card to see if you can save by buying 3 day pass. Today they are having 10% off sale too. Check AAA discount for Sea World as I had a great discount last year.

Also I second to going to see Padres' game if you are into MLB. You can buy bleachers tix for $8/person or so (cheaper than going to a movie), although it's a restricted view, I don't think you'll go there to see the game itself, right? And there is a sandy man-made beach (LOL) so your kids can play while the adults watch a couple of innings.

I love Balboa Park but I don't think young kids would enjoy as much as the adult. If you like to go to a theatre, you can have the grandparents babysit while mom and dad go to Old Globe Theatre. They have some excellent shows. During June to Sept., they have outdoor Shakespeare shows.

Have a fun!

One of my favorite things to do here when I was a kid was the tidepools, and as a bonus it is free and you get to be at the beach at the same time. Probably the best places are Point Loma or La Jolla, just make sure you go at low tide (you should be able to look the times up on the internet). If you choose Point Loma, you can also see the historic lighthouse while you're there. I also second the recommendation for USS Midway, especially with the waterfront view you get while on the carrier. Definitely go to Casa Guadalajara in Old Town for Mexican food. Not sure what range of accommodations you are looking for, but I love the L'Auberge and Lodge at Torrey Pines (both in Del Mar area).

I too have an upcoming family trip in March, 2 kids (10 & 7), and I'm stuck on which hotel to book.

Manchester Hyatt $179.00

Westin Horton Plaza $169.00


Any help would be appreciated.

I would stay at the Hyatt...Great location if you have children...Have a GREAT trip!!...

I would stay at the Hyatt...Great location if you have children...Have a GREAT trip!!...

Ditto for sure. Waterfront location is much better for non-business travel and the Hyatt is much more modern and attractive.

http://www.photohype.com/Hodads.htm

hope it is ok if I jump in on this post...we are thinking about taking our kids there in december...dont need it to be hot, but will it be pleasant to be outside at the zoo etc
also, where do you suggest staying? (hopefully a hilton or marriott property as we would like to use points) any nice resort type places nearby
Thanks a lot
Theresa

hope it is ok if I jump in on this post...we are thinking about taking our kids there in december...dont need it to be hot, but will it be pleasant to be outside at the zoo etc
also, where do you suggest staying? (hopefully a hilton or marriott property as we would like to use points) any nice resort type places nearby
Thanks a lot
Theresa

My personal preference for a resort-type hotel is the Torrey Pines Hilton, but it is about 15 minutes north of downtown San Diego.

I agree with JerryFF..If you want to use your honorpoints stay at the Hilton La Jolla/Torrey Pines Resort....I would try to stay in the La Jolla area or somewhere close traveling with kids.

thanks for the tip...the hilton at la jolla looks great and the rates are reasonable for the dates that we want (before christmas)
Theresa

Head down to Point Loma in the late afternoon to catch the sunset. Follow Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, south, past Ocean Beach, or as we say, OB. You can park along Sunset Cliffs. Just be VERY careful where you walk. We're not kidding when we call them "cliffs".

If you drive all the way to the end of SS Cliffs Boulevard, turn left on Ladera Street and park on the hill. Get out and walk around. The view is magnificent. Surfers and pelicans doing their respective things, and the sunset is lovely. The last time I was there I marveled at the number of pelicans, flying around, dive bombing the water to catch their dinner, and just floating on the waves. Back from the brink of extiction it would appear. Take a camera.

Pick up a carne asada burrito and a drink from Roberto's at the intersection of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and Voltaire Street as you enter OB and you've got dinner and a show. :)

I agree with JerryFF..If you want to use your honorpoints stay at the Hilton La Jolla/Torrey Pines Resort....I would try to stay in the La Jolla area or somewhere close traveling with kids.

Keep in mind that although this is a nice property, there is nothing within walking distance of the hotel other than a hospital and the golf course. The Lodge at Torrey is a better choice in my mind if you are going to be up there on the hill.

The OP's two kids are under two years old -- for them, Legoland might not seem "lame." Our kid loved it until he reached 9 or 10 or so. It is not nearly as expensive as Disneyland.

We do Legoland about every other weekend, and it's great for 3-9 years old or so. Kids under two don't really get much out of it. It is expensive on a one time pass though.

Keep in mind that they are remodelling alot of the MiniLand or whatever it is called, and about 50% of what used to be there is a big empty nothing right now (or was last weekend) and I don't know how long it is going to take them to build Las Vegas, which is filling the emptiness.

http://www.localwally.com/

Wally's sort of goofy, but he hits every local sight you shouldn't miss, and most of his restaurant reccommendations are very good.

The picture on the home page is the Children's Pool in La Jolla which is now full of seals. I think he even has the Spruce St. suspension bridge on his site.

Lots of photos, lots of good ideas from Wally.

Cabrillo Lighthouse in Pt Loma, kids can climb up in the lighthouse, and there are nature trails, tidepools and ranger walks. This before or after Pt. Loma Seafoods for lunch.

I prefer Brockton Villa for lunch/breakfast for views directly into La Jolla Cove, but it's fairly funky. You really need reservations on weekends.

http://www.photohype.com/Hodads.htm

The kids can eat in the Volkswagen and the rest of the family at one end of the surfboard. Excellent burgers. And close to a nice walk on the OB pier.

Just want to revive the thread for a selfish reason.. any opinions on the Marriott La Jolla? The location seems awful from the map. We're looking for some beach time and access to good, fun restaurants. The Marriott is appealing because we have points.

Would it be better to pay for the Hilton though? Is the Torre Pines Hilton directly on the beach? Thanks!

http://www.juicekaboose.com/Home.htm

Just want to revive the thread for a selfish reason.. any opinions on the Marriott La Jolla? The location seems awful from the map. We're looking for some beach time and access to good, fun restaurants. The Marriott is appealing because we have points.

Would it be better to pay for the Hilton though? Is the Torre Pines Hilton directly on the beach? Thanks!

The Marriott La Jolla isn't close to the beach, but it is very convenient for freeway access in any direction (including to all north/south beaches). They also just closed for two weeks around the new year for a remodel, but I don't know what was upgraded during that time. There are great restaurants right around the Marriott, but not many that are totally kid friendly.

The Hilton Torrey isn't on the beach and as per my other thread is completely removed from everything, save the golf course and hospital. If you are going to pay and want to stay in that area, the Lodge at Torrey is a more interesting choice.

The Marriott La Jolla isn't close to the beach, but it is very convenient for freeway access in any direction (including to all north/south beaches). They also just closed for two weeks around the new year for a remodel, but I don't know what was upgraded during that time. There are great restaurants right around the Marriott, but not many that are totally kid friendly.

The Hilton Torrey isn't on the beach and as per my other thread is completely removed from everything, save the golf course and hospital. If you are going to pay and want to stay in that area, the Lodge at Torrey is a more interesting choice.

If Marriott points are the main draw and you dont mind driving 10-20 mins to the beach (Pacific or Mission Beaches) I'd recomend the Marriott Gaslamp or Marriott downtown. Both are very close to shopping/restaurants action downtown and a few blocks from the ballpark. You can even access Amtrak easy for a ride up the coast if you wanted...

Alot of good suggestions, SAN is home so I'll try to add some other fun things the previous posts haven't covered.

Wild Animal Park & Zoo -

If you go in June be aware of the temperatures at both of these attractions. The Wild Animal Park is well outside of the coastal influence and can get very hot.

San Diego Padres -

Baseball season will be in play and we have a great new (4th year) stadium. You can get some family seats in the outfield that will allow the kids to play in the giant sandbox behind the center field wall while you enjoy the game.

Food -

Georges is a great place, especially if on the terrace for sunset. Also try the fish tacos at World Famous on PB. They cannot be beat and the people watching is the best.

If in La Jolla, try Harry's Coffee Shop for a great breakfast experience. Another fun place with great food is the Hash House a Go Go in Hillcrest. Unbelievable portions on great food.

Gaslamp area is a great place to have a nice meal and drinks and you could easily tie it into a Baseball game.

If you like Steaks then you have a couple of options. Morten's, Ruth Chris, Palm are chains, but good. Local houses include Island Prime (great), Donovan's (UTC - Great) and Rainwaters on Kettner (Also very good)

In the latter part of your window will be the San Diego County Fair at Del Mar. That's always a good time if you like the fair and deep fried twinkies.

Activities -

Sea World is great
Legoland - I have never been
Disneyland - It's Disneyland
Zoo & Wild Animal Park - Awesome
Balboa Park - All of the Museums are great. Pipe Organ concerts on Sunday afternoons.

USS Midway - Very cool
Harbor Cruise - Alot of fun, especially if the fleet carriers are in town. 2 were in port when I left last week.

Have fun!

Jim

http://www.cottagelajolla.com/

Anyone here ever been hot-air ballooning near San Diego? Looking for something romantic yet different in San Diego..