What’s fun in San Diego?
February 29th, 2008 by Treena ShapiroAfter yesterday’s discussion about Tijuana, we’ve decided to stay put in San Diego and have been trying to whittle down the list of things we want to do.
The San Diego Zoo, wildlife park and SeaWorld top the list. We have time to do more than that, though. The question is what should we do with it?
I’m guessing the kids wouldn’t be into shopping, shopping and more shopping, so…
How fun is Legoland?
What’s the best stuff to see at Balboa Park?
Are there any other attractions that we need to see?
February 29th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Hey legoland is a blast. it’s amazing how everything is made out of lego pieces. other than that, San diego isn’t really know for sight seeing. I belive it was the Germans who discovered it and named it San Diago which when translated means “a womans (bleep).” man I love that movie, Anchorman with Will Ferrel. I just thought that might give you some San Diego tips. IDK really.
February 29th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Go check out the gaslamp district. Restaurants and shops. Also, there’s one area with a bunch of Mexican restaurants, the name which I can’t remember. Old town or something like that. If you wnat to see something you can’t see in Hawaii go to the race track and watch a couple of horse races (Del Mar…I think). There’s also the Hotel Coronado….an old hotel with a lot of history.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:52 am
try the tour to ensenada with gray line…they’ll take care of the transportation, and food, that way you can do whatever you please =)
February 29th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Went to visit San Diego about 13 years ago but lately I’ve been hearing a lot about Legoland, a relatively new attraction…sounds like the place to go, especially with kids and yes, do take the kids to the zoo and SeaWorld…make sure the kids get enough rest in between. And I do remember the good mexican food and a drive over to Hotel Coronado was nice too. I recall the drive over the bridge to Coronado island more than the hotel itself.
February 29th, 2008 at 11:31 am
I think you nailed all the family fun places, Tree. How many days will you be here in Cali? The places you named will really tire you out (esp SeaWorld). You might not see everything in one day.
Legoland is really fun. Huge gigantic lego pieces everywhere.
I know you said no shopping but does mommy get to have a fun day? There is an outlet mall that’s nice and huge…it also has a view of the mexican border.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
the out-of-the-way park (Wild Qnimal?) run by San Diego zoo is worth cost and effort. Seaworld is a B plus.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Treena,
Legoland is fun!
I just went yesterday, Thursday. I flew home today.
Its fun for adults too, as there are some really impressive things they’ve built. its split into different areas. castle & knights, dinosaurs, safari, fun city, mini-land…
Make sure your kids have stuff to get wet in though. bring towels too, as there’s a bunch of wet’n'wild areas with water. you might get wet too.
there’s some small roller coasters and other rides too.
i rushed through it in 4 hours because i was by myself. you could easily spend all day there though. it wasn’t too crowded yesterday, but i’m pretty sure on a nice weekend, it might get packed.
didn’t have a chance to go to seaworld. maybe next time.
i have pictures, but i haven’t uploaded them yet. hope you guys get to go!
March 1st, 2008 at 3:41 am
Go to Point Loma and check out Cabrillo National Monument for the view.
La Jolla Cove to see the seals and the new pups hanging out at the soon-to-be-dredged Children’s Pool.
Seaport Village is somewhat of a tourist trap, but there is the historic carousel.
The Boardwalk in the Mission Beach/ Pacific Area.
If you have time and like sugar. I’d hit Gelato Vero Cafe (Washington Exit off I-5). Try going off-peak as it’s street parking only.
If you like spending time in the car, there’s the drive to Julian (old mining town). Julian Pie Company had the best apple pies of the places I tried in town. No time? You can get their pies at various locations in the county.
http://www.julianpie.com/index.html
Go to ST’s blog and ask for Garret as he is Mr. San Diego, has two kids and is a Legoland expert.
March 1st, 2008 at 7:00 am
Jason e-mailed me to check out this topic. It looks like everyone touched on the main areas.
Legoland is awesome and has been adding a new area every year or two so it is quite different than before. Last year they opened the Pirate Shore area, with 4 new rides and a huge water play area. In 8 days they will open a huge new area with an Egypt theme with 4 new rides and tons of exhibits. We will go to Legoland today (as a makeup for how my kids missed Legoland last Sunday with chawan_cut) and we will be there next Sunday for the grand opening of the Egypt area.
Sea Life Legoland is going to open this summer, which will have lots of interactive areas and huge aquariums, etc. That will be next to Legoland but will require a separate entry ticket.
The Wild Animal Park is also undergoing changes, with the old train ride discontinued last year and a new tram system started. My kids love to feed the deer, birds, and ducks…my wife and I mainly like the train rides to see the animals (tons of babies all of the time) in the wild. It would take more than a full day to see everything here, as there are tons of walking trails where you can see animals in various habitats (condor ridge, etc.)…you could easily walk around for 5+ hours without seeing everything. Plus, there are several animal shows to see.
The Zoo is one of the best in the world and we like it too, but we take visitors to the Wild Animal Park because it is so different than the Zoos that exist elsewhere.
Tons of places to eat in San Diego…it all depends on what you like. The above suggestions are good ones.
Balboa park is amazing, but what is “best” depends on the person. There are 15 museums there, plus other stuff to do there. My family likes to go during the special Holiday events when they have tons of live entertainment provided and *every* museum is free! That is a great way to check out the museums. My brother-in-law and nephew spend a full day at Balboa Park each time they visit San Diego and they can get through 2 or so museums each time…it will take a long time for them to see all of the ones they are interested in.
Seaworld is good, and the Shamu show is quite different now with amazing huge video screens. Feeding the dolphins is a lot more expensive than before…that priced us out of going there for over a year until my wife won annual passes. They have a new Sesame Street themed play area for kids opening by summer.
Parks are everywhere in San Diego, and they have much nicer playgrounds than you can find in Hawaii–we always look for playgrounds in Hawaii when we visit our family. The real estate developers here pay for the parks and use it to pump up the value of the houses they build, so they really go all out on the parks! The developers also build the schools so they are extremely nice where we live!
There are beaches and golf courses here that are nice, but Hawaii has great ones also.
March 1st, 2008 at 11:25 am
Wow! Thanks for all the tips! It’s going to be hard to pick and choose!
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:45 am
LegoLand is the BEST!!
no trust me…i posted about legoland before, it really is super fun…for kids and adults! plus they have the minitown USA where you can view all these monuments made outta legos!! how cool!! if the weather isn’t too cool when you go, be sure to take a change of clothes because theres one area thats sorta like a mini water park, no slides and stuff, but water cannon type things and water shooting outta the ground…trust me…your kids will love it!
March 4th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
I agree, Legoland is GREAT! I enjoyed it along with the kids - my teenage son and niece enjoyed it right along with my friend’s four year old! Of course, they didn’t all ride the same rides - there are rides for the smaller children as well as the bigger ones - but there was something for everyone.
I have friends who go to Carlsbad/San Diego and only go to Legoland for a few days because their kids prefer it over Disneyland, Sea World and the like! It can get a little crowded depending on when you go, but, the wait time in line isn’t bad for most rides. We did wait in one line for 45 minutes but left for another ride after it looked like it would take us another hour to get to the front.
Most kids love Sea World, too. They love watching the dolphins and sea otters and, of course, Shamu! Just a note - it can get a little chilly at Sea World, even during the summer.