San Diego is such a great place for a vacation with kids and equally enjoyable for parents. There are so many great kid-friendly activities to do plus a lot for parents to enjoy too! We spent 5 full days in San Diego and had the best vacation we had in a LONG time! I would recommend choosing one big event per day. We over-did it on this trip, but we had lots of fun.

Enjoy this list of the best things to do in San Diego with kids, but I also included things that parents can enjoy and kids can join in 🙂 There are lots of family-friendly activities to do in San Diego.

1) BIRCH AQUARIUM AT SCRIPPS

The Birch Aquarium at Scripps is a great little aquarium. The kids really enjoyed it. It is the perfect size for younger kids as spending about 1-2 hours is quite enough time at the aquarium. It is quite a bit cheaper than other aquariums I’ve been to including the one in Atlanta and Baltimore, but it is much smaller and there are no dolphin shows. We honestly didn’t mind it and I thought it was the perfect size for younger kids.

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The kids LOVED the Marine Protected Touch Experience and South Tide Pool Touch Experience. The Preuss Tide Pool Plaza has the most amazing view of La Jolla as well! They had a staff member teaching the kids about the different types of shark teeth including a Megalodon tooth!

• Address: 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla CA 92037
• Advanced tickets are required
• For COVID safety procedures, check their website for more information.

2) SAN DIEGO ZOO OR SAFARI PARK

It’s been many years since we have been to the San Diego Zoo. For this trip, we went to the San Diego Safari Park. If it is your first time visiting San Diego, I would start with the San Diego Zoo.

San Diego Safari Park

• Address: 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Econdido, CA 92027
• Advance tickets required
• Home to over 3,000 animals and 300 species including elephants, giraffes, tigers, gorillas, kangaroos, etc.
• Contains larger enclosers for animals/herds to roam.
• Further from downtown, located in Econdido.
• Check out the wildlife safari for an up-close view of the animals [additional cost].

ZOO TIPS

• Start EARLY, come right when they open as the lines are longer later on to get into the park.
• Bring water, food/snacks for everyone. There are table areas where you can eat.
• There is LOTS of walking. Highly recommended to bring a stroller if your kids are in that age range.
• Make sure you bring hats/sunglasses/sunscreen. We went on a very HOT day and everyone was dying from the heat (back to TIP 1 – GO EARLY!)

Truthfully, we were a bit miserable from the heat so I wouldn’t recommend going in the middle of the day, on the hottest day of your trip (it was in the 90s). But I think if you make better choices, your kids and you will enjoy it! 😀

San Diego Zoo

• Address: 2920 Zoo Drive, San Diego CA 92101
• Advanced tickets required
• Home to over 12,000 animals, and 650 species.
• Located in Downtown San Diego in Balboa Park.

3) LA JOLLA COVE / SHORES

La Jolla is a great area to check out the sea lions and seals, go to the beach and enjoy the beauty of San Diego. The kids absolutely loved seeing the sea lions.

• Address: 1160 Coast Blvd, La Jolla, CA 92037
• Parking: Street Parking
• Check out The Children’s Pool (not an actual children’s pool) & La Jolla Cove, a small cove where you can find sea lions and seals.
• Go to the beach, La Jolla Shores. Great for surfing, kayaking, scuba diving.
• Hang out at Scripps Park.
• Shopping/Restaurants surrounding the area. Check out George’s At The Cove for an amazing ocean view.
• From here, check out Windnsea beach and Sunset Cliffs.

4) SUNSET CLIFFS NATURAL PARK

I absolutely LOVED Sunset Cliffs. We went close to sunset and it was so beautiful. I would highly recommend a stop here. There is a cove you can visit when it is low tide as well. Since we had young kids, we did not venture to the cove.

• Address: 1253 Sunset Cliffs Blvd, San Diego CA 92107
• Parking: Small parking lot right in front with only a few spots. It can fill up quickly, otherwise, look for street parking.

5) TORREY PINES STATE NATURAL RESERVE [COASTAL HIKE / BEACH]

Torrey Pines coastal hike & beach was one of my favorite activities on the trip. You are definitely rewarded with gorgeous views of the water. The hike was not too difficult for my 6-year-old. For younger kids, you may need to bring a carrier if they aren’t able to walk long distances.

We stopped by the beach after the hike. It was high-tide so the beach sand was very rocky, but we had so much fun jumping in the water.

• Address: 12600 N Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla CA 92037
• Parking: There is a parking lot with an entrance fee.
• Trails are NOT stroller friendly, bring a carrier if needed.
• No shade, so make sure to bring sunglasses/sunscreen/hat.

6) DEL MAR BEACH

The Pacific Ocean is basically always freezing cold so keep this in mind when planning a beach vacation to San Diego. I would still highly recommend going to the beach and enjoying the surf, but don’t expect warm Caribbean waters! The water was freezing in April, but I am told year-round the water is that cold. The kids had a lot of fun splashing in the water and building sandcastles.

• Address: 1700 Coast Blvd, Del Mark CA [Google Map – Del Mar Lifeguards] 1660 Coast Blvd, Del Mar CA 92014
• Parking: Find several parking lots around Jake’s Del Mar, which is located right next to the public bathrooms. 1660 Coast Blvd, Del Mark CA 92014
• Bathrooms and public beach showers available

6) CORONADO ISLAND

• Stroll on the beachfront boardwalk.
• Check out the local shops, farmer’s market, and restaurants.
• Take the ferry to the San Diego convention center or Broadway Pier for only $5!
• Check out the Coronado skateboard park.
• Visit Hotel del Coronado, built in 1888, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

7) THE FLOWER FIELDS AT CARLSBAD RANCH

The Carlsbad Flower Fields are indeed pretty, but there are lines to wait for your photo opp. You are not allowed to pick flowers or run through the fields. There are specific stations to take photos.

I’ve been to the Portland Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival, where you could go through rows and rows of gorgeous tulip fields, so this was a little bit of a different experience. It is definitely a very Instagrammy place. There are family-friendly activities such as the playground, wagon rides, and mazes.

I would highly recommend coming on a weekday and at an off-peak time. Since there are several rows of flower photo stations, start with a row that is further away from the entrance to ensure fewer wait times.

• Address: 5704 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad, CA 92008
• Advanced reservations required online
• Open March 1st – May 9th 2021
• Flower photography stations
• Go earlier for blue skies, we caught the marine layer around 4PM
• Stroller Friendly & Kid Friendly
• Wagon Rides, Playground, Mazes
• U-Pick Blueberries

8) CORDIANO WINERY

Parents definitely deserve a winery day. You can drive to Temecula Valley for wine country, or you can stop by Cordiano Winery, which is located in Escondido (not far from the San Diego Safari Park). We enjoyed a delicious pizza lunch at this family-owned and operated winery.

• Address: 15732 Highland Valley Road, Escondido CA 92025
• Reservations Required
• Outdoor tables with winery views
• Children welcome & must remain at the table at all times
• Pets welcome & must be leashed at all times & must be leashed at all times

9) LITTLE ITALY

Little Italy San Diego is a trendy spot with lots of restaurants, a food hall, and waterfront views. There’s a piazza, where you can stroll to the fountain. Don’t forget to find the big red chair and take a photo!

Check out the most Instagram-worthy brunch place, Morning Glory. There is a massive wait though so I would highly recommend coming right when they open! We were quoted a 4 HOUR WAIT on our initial visit, so we went to Ironside Fish & Oyster across the street. It was a cute restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. Get a lobster roll and finish off your Little Italy visit with some ice cream at Salt & Straw.

** SAN DIEGO FOOD GUIDE IN THE WORKS **

WHERE TO STAY IN SAN DIEGO:

I would recommend staying downtown close to Balboa Park, La Jolla, or Mission Bay. My cousin stayed at a nice resort in Mission Bay. It was a family-friendly resort, but she did mention that there was no bathtub, which is definitely a necessity for parents with young kids.

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San Diego Mission Bay Resort

• Address: 1775 E Mission Bay, San Diego CA 92109
• Outdoor resort pool with kiddie wading pool
• Mission Bay Beach Access
• Resort Amenities Fee, book direct for better rate packages

Traveling during the Pandemic

We traveled to San Diego during the ongoing pandemic. It was our first vaccinated flight since October of 2019. We were nervous, but we wore masks and my son was tested for COVID-19 when we got home. Flying during the pandemic is definitely not ideal, but every family will need to make choices within their comfort level and keeping as safe as possible. San Diego is pretty strict with their COVID-19 regulations and only recently opened up indoor dining when we visited in April 2021. Check the CDC guidelines for the most up-to-date regulations and recommendations.

Family-Friendly San Diego Vacation

Hope this guide was helpful for the best things to do with kids in San Diego. There are plenty of things to do, but this is what we did over our trip. San Diego is a great family-friendly vacation for both kids and parents. There are lots of family-friendly activities from the beach to the zoo!

Please PIN this post if you found it helpful!

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