1 day in San Diego with kids, where to stay & what to do

[sariana]

I would consider taking the trolley down to the border and/or out to the stadium. Just because--kids like trains.

Belmont Park is a great little place, but it likely will disappoint after DL and Legoland. September is the best month for the beach in SoCal. Balboa Park is a good option. As I mentioned above, there is much more to do there besides the zoo. There often are cultural events going on in addition to the permanent museums and parks.

[bisous]

I was underwhelmed by the zoo and it is so expensive!

I'm on my phone and can't remember the other replies but I'd do Balboa Park and/or La Jolla. The aquarium at UCSD is good and the location rocks.

I love Balboa Park but I also really, really like the SD Zoo. Either one would be a great expedition! My kids do like the beach but live near one and go often. SD beaches are nice but quite similar to our own beaches (farther north but still so cal) so we would probably do something unique to SD.

[Tenasparkl]

Sea world? I know people love the safari park, but I've never been. I love the pandas at the San Diego zoo.

[mom2binsd]

I think after your days at Disney and Legoland I'd do the beach...it'll be a nice breaks from standing in line etc and give you all a chance to unwind.

I agree that LaJolla Shores is great for beach access, but depending on when your flight is getting from La Jolla to the airport would be a pain, whereas staying at Liberty Station is so convenient.

If you want a really nice beach, head over to Coronado, the beach out front of the Hotel Del is awesome. You just need to find street parking which on a weekday is easy, on the weekend it's much trickier. There is subway nearby for lunch/you could pick up to bring or you could go up to the Del and grab a bite-they have a little quick serve place by the pool and it's open to non hotel guests. There are even little water spouts to rinse off feet before going home. You can also use the restroom at the Del....or you could stay at the Del, sometimes they have special deals.

The Del is such a neat place, and they encourage people to come and look around.

http://www.hoteldel.com/about.aspx

[Octobermommy]

How often do your kids get to go to the beach? .

We live near a beach and we have gone to Seaworld a lot. I was thinking of doing the Seal tour (the vehicle that goes in to the water) just b/c we have never done it before. Has anyone done that?

Maybe we will take the ferry to Coronodo. Hmm...too many options.

[Tondi G]

check out this site. www.localwally.com

[Kindra178]

The Wild Animal Park is amazing, but definitely a hike.

[AnnieW625]

I would stay at Liberty Station, but you would still have to drive to the beach. There is a nice set of two playgrounds about a 1/3 of a mile north of the Homewood Suites. There is also a Courtyard by Marriott next to the Homewood Suites. We are dinner at the Homewood Suites twice and it was nice and we didn't need more food. We ate at the Corvette Diner (an old college hang out for me in it's old location) the other night and enjoyed it.

We really like the USS Midway and we have taken kids under 3 and they have fun too. We have been 3 times and still haven't seen it all.

I would think about taking the ferry to Coronado or just driving over the bridge, which is really cool. We still haven't made it there yet, but there is also the Cabrillo Monument in Point Loma (on the same part of the peninsula as Liberty Station).

Almost all of the hotels in Downtown San Diego have pay charges as do some of the ones in Mission Valley.

Both the Zoo and the WAP are okay and I prefer the zoo better, but the Zoo and WAP are definitely a better deal if you can get multiple day or a season pass.

[Octobermommy]

Just wanted to update. We ended up going to the zoo & loved it. My kids loved the polar bear area, it was really neat. It was hilarious watching my dh push a double stroller up those hills! I helped by pushing him up! We all loved the Rio movie. We lucked out b/c it was kids free in October.

The favorite of my boys was Legoland for We were there from open to close & they would have loved more time.

I learned we are a WDW family. We enjoyed DL but I don't think we will be back.

Thanks for the suggestions! We stayed on hotel circle & checked out localwally website.