Family Days in San Diego

Tide pools, an aquarium on the bluff, museums in Balboa Park, and a bay with calm water and playgrounds.

With Kids

Beyond the Zoo and SeaWorld

The Zoo and SeaWorld take a full day each and cost accordingly. Most families here fill the rest of the trip with things that take a morning and cost very little. The coast does most of the work. Tide pools, calm bays and lifeguarded beaches are free, and the aquarium and the museums are there for the days when the marine layer does not burn off. Everything below is within about half an hour of the coastal neighborhoods.

Ticketed

Worth the Ticket

La Jolla

Birch Aquarium at Scripps

The public aquarium of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, on the bluff above La Jolla Shores. Smaller and calmer than SeaWorld, with a tide pool plaza, little blue penguins and feedings scheduled through the day. Open 9am to 5pm, last entry at 4pm, and tickets are cheaper booked online.

Central San Diego

Balboa Park

Sixteen museums sit inside the park, from the Fleet Science Center to the Natural History Museum. The gardens, lawns and organ pavilion are free to walk through. The Explorer Pass covers all sixteen over seven days, or four of them in a single day.

Mission Beach

Belmont Park

A beachfront amusement park open since 1925, with the wooden Giant Dipper still running at up to 48 miles an hour. Rides are sold as wristbands or individual tickets, and the Giant Dipper has a 50 inch height minimum.

No Ticket Needed

Free Mornings

Tide Pooling
Cabrillo National Monument and the rocks north of Tourmaline are the two easiest with kids. Timing matters more than the spot, and the Beaches and Outdoors guide covers it.
Children's Pool Seals
Harbor seals haul out on the sand at this small La Jolla beach all year. The beach closes to people from 15 December to 15 May for pupping season, and the seawall above it stays open.
Mission Bay Park
Flat paved paths for bikes and scooters, calm water for paddleboards and kayaks, and playgrounds along the shore. The easiest place in the city for young children.
La Jolla Shores
The gentlest surf in the city, with lifeguards, a wide flat beach and a grass park behind it. Kayak and snorkel trips leave from the same stretch of sand.
Old Town
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is free to walk into, with restored adobes, living history demonstrations, shops and a plaza to run around in.
Farmers Markets
Live music, food stalls and craft vendors. Little Italy and Hillcrest are the two that work best with children. Days and times are on the Eat and Drink page.