acinchus

We are visiting America's Finest City from Texas during Spring break coming up for 4.5 days from March 11th (2pm) to 16th (11am)

Traveling party is two families 4 adults and 4 kids (ages 7,9,11,13).

We will be staying at the Country Inn in Sorrento Valley/Mira Mesa area. Getting 2 free nights there with Club Carlson Visa.

NOT planning for these popular attractions - SeaWorld, Legoland since we have covered those in other places.Also ruling out traveling to Mexico - Tijuana does not have much, section of road to Ensenada recently broke, long wait times to get back to US

We desire to visit unique spots (outdoors preferable) around San Diego.

Shortlist so far, need to build a day by day itinerary

• Pacific beach (sand castle building with a pro)
• Which are other kids friendly beach spots or must dos?
• Coronado Island ... what spots to go and how much time to plan?
• Balboa park (which gardens and museums)
• San Diego Zoo (while this zoo is best, we have visited few good ones, wondering if we should commit a whole day)
• Downtown .... so far have not found any spots to visit
• Old Town San Diego ... will kids enjoy this?
• USS Midway Museum
• Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
• Cabrillo monument (how is whale watching there?)
• Torry Pines State Reserve (Hiking and Glider plane viewing)
• Coaster train rider along coast (which are best start/end stations)
• Any farms with fruit/strawberry picking in the area?

SWCPHX

Consider Birch Aquarium, Zoo Safari Park, and La Jolla Cove (potential to see seals since they tend to take over the beach).

I've heard that the Museum of Man is good in Balboa Park and if the kids are boys they would probably enjoy The Model Train Museum.

I always enjoy Little Italy.

Coaster to San Juan Capistrano from the downtown Santa Fe station, see the mission while you're there and grab a snack, easy walk between mission and train station.

SanDiego1K

Whale watching season is about over, but Cabrillo is still a great place to visit.

Harbor cruise is great. There are one and two hour cruises. I like the two hour one with the additional sightseeing that it offers.

In the same area is the Maritime Museum with an array of boats. It's interesting to see the ferry that used to go north to San Francisco.

There is a ferry that goes to Coronado Island where you can rent bikes and bike around the island.

The Del Mar Beach is broad and sandy. I like the cove at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. However, it's too chilly in March to go in the water unless you have a wet suit.

I prefer Wild Animal Park to the zoo. It's been renamed Zoo Safari Park. You see the animals much more naturally, on the hills as they would be in their home countries.

Useful reading:

New York Times: 36 hours in San Diego

United Airlines Hemisphere Magazine: 3 Perfect Days in San Diego

acinchus

Appreciate the thoughtful responses.

Kids are 3 boys 7,9,11 and one 13yr girl. Someone else recommended museum of Man, will have to read about it and the other museums.

I thought I read somewhere whales are migrating/visible till April. I guess we may have to stick to Harbor cruises, any recommended operators?

Where does the ferry to Coronado depart from? From the sounds of it, ferry, biking around Coronado sounds fun. But wondering if we should take car to the island to explore more of it?

We are planning to get a mini-van to fit both the families. How is the parking situation for attractions closer to downtown?

Ruling out Safari park (have visited similar but smaller type here in DFW area called Fossil Rim). Still debating if zoo is worth committing a whole day for.

Will kids find Old Town interesting? Also should we consider taking the Coaster train from Old Town station if the parking is favorable compared to Santa Fe station?

SWCPHX

Given where you're staying, flyingleathernecks.org.

acinchus

Thanks for the pointer. Saw some pics and its a place that the kids could enjoy as well.

acinchus

Found a strawberry picking farm "Carlsbad Strawberry Company" http://www.carlsbadstrawberrycompany.com/index.htm and they have a U Pick option. Thinking of combining this with our desire to take in the scenery with the Coaster train ride.

So plan for One of the days, would be to take the Coaster train from Sorrento Valley station to Carlsbad Village, with one of the adults driving instead of taking the train. Spend time in Carlsbad Village and drive to the strawberry farm. From there visit Torrey Pines State Reserve on way back to the hotel area.

Are there any beach spots with bonfires to enjoy and relax during the evening hours?

aptravel

Re: bonfires... I know that at least some of the City of San Diego's beaches around Mission Bay have them. (In recent years, the City wanted to dump them due to their cost and budget deficits, but local philanthropies stepped in to fund them.) Try searching city's website under park and recreation dept for info.

Re: Balboa Park, if you think at least a few museums are on your list, consider one of these passes, which covers almost all of them. No doubt, you'd save money over each museum's respective entries. The annual pass may be perfect given your family size, but there are other options catering to visitors.

http://www.balboapark.org/explorer

Personally, my 4yo son and I enjoy model railroad museum and air and space. The Nat has a pirate exhibit right now, which your kids might like (haven't seen it yet myself.)

Old Town... should be enjoyable for the kids, it does cater to them somewhat. You could take Coaster train from there, too. Good amount of free parking for train and OT. OT and surrounding area also has lots of restaurant options, mostly catering to tourists.

Coronado... you can cover it fully in one or half day with the ferry and bike ride. Probably wouldn't need a second trip to see more. Also a very family-friendly, large public beach, with famous Hotel Del coronado on one end. Could probably rent the bikes on the Coronado side near the ferry terminal... but you should research ahead of time to be sure.

Enjoy!

wrp96

The zoo is one of those things that I would budget as much time as possible for and then if you see interests dragging, you could leave and then go visit something else in Balboa Park. Note I loved visiting it as a kid and even as an adult when I go to San Diego I usually go back at least once every few trips.

pqflyer

Balboa Park: I think the most interesting museum for kids is the Reuben H. Fleet Science Museum. Lots of hands-on exhibits. The Nat keeps trying to be cool, but it has yet to really succeed. It's pretty fun to just walk around the park -- Spanish Village, interesting buskers, trails, bridges, etc. The Timken is classic art and not so interesting for kids, but it's free and convenient to duck in for a few minutes for a little culture. Zoo is amazing, but if interest flags, there are other attractions close by.

Old Town: Best if you're here on a weekend when they have special events, often with music, activities, etc.

Coronado: The ferry is fun, but it's also fun to drive over the spectacular bridge. Great beach. Walking around will be more interesting for adults than for kids.

Harbor Cruise: Overrated, in my opinion.

La Jolla: Yes, you can always see (and smell) seals. Also up-scale shopping. La Jolla Shores is a popular beach.

Have a great time. San Diego is a wonderful place to visit and live.

pqflyer

Here's a link to some of the events/activities in Old Town.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/663/fi...rev2.19.13.pdf
Tours are good. Usually old-time demonstrations, activities.

And if you're in Old Town, consider a visit to the Mormon Battalion Historic Site. It's always free and includes an interactive history tour, old-time photos, panning for "gold." All free. Here are some reviews: http://www.yelp.com/biz/mormon-batta...site-san-diego

acinchus

Thanks for your replies and the links, this is very useful information.

At Torrey Pines State Park, which trails are recommended? Would like the scenic views with easier hiking downhill and uphill with kids. And some directions orientation on where to park will help. I have read about upper lot, lower lot, closer to beach etc so not sure where all these are located, relative to the recommended trails.

We are also considering going for a tandem hang gliding activity at the Gliderport. Even if we do not end up gliding ourselves, we plan to go to the Cliff Hanger cafe to watch the gliders. How far is the cafe away from the trails and what is recommended first vs later in the day, hiking trails or the gliding activity?

mlshanks

Except that the Coaster doesn't reach San Juan Capistrano...
...it only goes as far as Oceanside. You would need to take either Amtrak...or change trains for Metrolink at Oceanside.


Check w/ the gliderport before you go out, it is *very* weather dependent, some days will see lots of gliders....some none, depending upon the winds. (...says the UCSD alumni who used to study out there...)

Torey Pines State Beach is a great beach, especially if the dolphins have come out to play in the surf (they do occasionally, more in mid-late-summer). Unfortunately, Spring break is really early to be going in the water... California is "blessed" with the Humboldt Current, that brings *cold* water down from Alaska. Our local beaches have serious cold water....figure 57-60 degrees when you're going to be visiting, which doesn't sound that bad as an air temp, but is pretty darn chilly for bathing.

SWCPHX

My error, I should have just said train.

SanDiego1K

Take Amtrak from Solana Beach to Capistrano. It's much easier parking there than downtown, and is easier access from your hotel.

Somone upthread mentioned firepits. Moonlight Beach in Encinitas has several. You have to bring your own wood.