Things To Do in San Diego – Golden Experiences Beyond Theme Parks for the Whole Family!
San Diego, California is a dreamy destination for the whole family! Hip, gorgeous and packed with opportunities all-ages will enjoy, this area of SoCal is one of our family’s most favourite! Even with three full days spent in San Diego, we still didn’t do everything that interested us (our kids are school-age to teen). We can’t wait to go back! In the meantime, here are 10+ Golden Experiences for the Whole Family to enjoy in San Diego!
**This story has been published on AllWays Traveller**
Panoramic view of La Jolla Shores from Duke’s Restaurant – San Diego
*Disclosure: House of Kerrs earns compensation, hosted travel experiences and/or commissions from travel partner links we use ourselves to facilitate our reviews and keep our travel content flowing. As always, opinions are our own and reflect our authentic experience. Read our Disclosure*
Things To-Do in San Diego With Kids of All-Ages
Sea Lion Encounters
Head to La Jolla Cove & Shores for up-close, awe-inducing encounters with Sea Lions and their pups. We’ve listed this experience first intentionally – one of our most unforgettable on our Cali-cation along the Pacific Coast. NOTE: there is no cost to watch the sea lions, although paid parking lines the cove area if you’re driving. As the signs lining the perimeter say, though, keep a safe distance from the wild life. Spring to Fall is pup season – Sea Lioness mamas will do what they’ve gotta do to protect their precious pups.
Watching the sea lions are free – the memories…priceless! La Jolla Shores, San Diego, CA
Beautiful Beach-Hopping
Your family won’t have trouble finding a blue-tiful beach to dive into. Mission Beach – family-focused with lots of amenities close by, including Belmont Park for old fashioned amusement park fun. Pacific Beach – for hipsters and beach lovers (popular with the college crowd). Coronado Beach – set in front of the iconic Hotel del Coronado, this was one of our top picks for classy beaching. More of the best beaches for families in SoCal HERE.
Mission Beach, San Diego – steps from shops, snack bars and Belmont Park
Tacos por favor!
SoCal has some of the tastiest tacos you’ll ever inhale, and some of the best spot to get them are located in San Diego. The Taco Stand was a collective family fave, or try some of these other recos from the Southern California Taco Tour!
San Diego has some of the best stops along the SoCal Taco Tour!
Pause in Palm Tree Paradise
Take a drive down palm-tree dotted avenues for a very Beverly Hills Cop movie scene-inducing memory, or just pause in front of the sky-high wonders lining the beach core for a moment of palm calm.
Palm-dotted avenues – a signature of San Diego. Feels like you’re in the scene of a movie!
Try Trendy Treats
Vegan spins on gelato at Bobboi, a freshly made churro haul from The Taco Stand, or a slice of Hula Pie heaven from Duke’s, San Diego is a sweet lovers paradise with lots of twists on traditional treats to indulge in!
Refreshing Vegan Gelato at Bobboi – off Gerard Street in La Jolla
Come for the tacos, stay for the churros at The Taco Stand – voted among ‘the best in San Diego’
Amusement for All-ages Beyond Theme Parks
While theme parks are a big draw for families in and just outside of San Diego (Disneyland among them), parents looking for amusement minus massive theme park visits may find other creative ways to get maximum enjoyment. Lego mavens, for instance, will love the interactive, imagine-and-build stations at Fashion Valley Mall’s LEGO store. Parents may love not having to visit Legoland 😉 If you’re looking for old-fashioned fun, visit Belmont Park at Mission Beach before/after your oceanside adventures. What you may find, as we did, is there are SO many things to-do in San Diego beyond theme parks!
The interactive LEGO store at Fashion Valley Mall was a hit (*even the teens got busy creating!*)
Tastes of Italy Family Tour
Visit Little Italy SD, grab a slice of the best pizza pie in town and/or visit one of San Diego’s top authentic Italian restaurants. Finish your Italian-inspired adventure with a family gondola ride around Coronado Bay. Check out this ‘San Diego Amore: Tastes of Italy Family Adventure in SoCal’ for all our top suggestions – most of them in one of our favourite spot sin San Diego…Coronado Island!
Find Your Favourite Film Locations
Top Gun, Thor, Some Like it Hot, and other blockbuster hits were filmed in and around San Diego. We share some of those set-jetting locations as well as tons of others around SoCal HERE.
Classy beaching and tours of the historic Hotel del Coronado at Coronado Beach – where Hollywood legends stayed and Some Like It Hot starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis was filmed!
History-rich Leisure
Balboa Park, Coronado Island, Old Town State Historic Park, Seaport Village & the USS Midway Museum – all edu-taining spots to visit with the family to learn fun historic facts about San Diego’s most visited spots. See “Best Way to See The Top Family Sights in San Diego” below.
Balboa Park is a beauty and loaded with free and for-fee edu-taining family leisure – museums, gardens, theatres, fountains and the iconic San Diego Zoo
A visit to the USS Midway Museum at Downtown San Diego’s Naval Pier is consistently ranked one of the top things to do as a family in SD! (*Kids under 5 are FREE!*)
Shop in One of San Diego’s Hot Spots
From outlets to high-fashion, artisan to ultra-luxe, San Diego is a mecca for shoppers of all tastes. Our favourite spots to window shop and grab some unique finds were the open-air locations: 1) The Shops at La Jolla Village and along La Jolla’s Prospect Street with views of the ocean; 2) Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego’s Mission Valley district; and Seaport Village – a 14-acre waterfront shopping, dining and entertainment complex along San Diego Bay (*and one of the stops on the Old Towne Trolley!*)
Seaport Village is a waterside family shopping, dining & entertainment hub! Stop D on the Old Town Trolley Tour.
Soak in Spectacular Sunsets
Radiant and firey-red, no matter what you get up to during the day, plunk your family down at night near a coastal spot to soak in one of these gorgeous balls of beauty. The sunsets in San Diego will pierce your heart and soul and are among some of the most magnificent I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Finishing each day with soaking in a San Diego sunset – soul-fuel!
Best Way to See The Top Family Sights in San Diego and Save Your Stamina
There’s only so much parent fuel to go around and family travel is a true test of family stamina. If you like the idea of seeing San Diego’s top family-focused sites with less stress and energy exertion, as well as a go at your own pace itinerary, hopping on the Old Town Trolley is an excellent way to roam and explore all of San Diego’s bests. Buy your 1 or 2-day tickets in advance ONLINE to save some bucks!
Old Town State Park & Old Town Market – Stop A on the Old Town Trolley Tour – the best tour in San Diego for families!
Best Way to Save Some Money on Unique Family Activities in SD
If you like the idea of taking your own mode of transportation around San Diego with the fam and building your own itinerary of unique experiences, the GoCity San Diego Pass is THE WAY to bundle some of the best, carefully selected, adventure-filled family experiences in San Diego while also saving you some hard-earned money – up to 50% discount compared to buying multiple family admissions individually!
Belmont Park Ride & Play passes, USS Midway Museum admission (*note – while the Old Town Trolley takes you to this location, admission is extra and would be covered with your GoCity Pass!), the San Diego Zoo & Safari, among lots of others are accessible with your GoCity San Diego Pass.
Your GoCity pass gets you discounted admission to some of San Diego’s best attractions, including those near Seaport Village.
Why Families Will Appreciate the GoCity Pass
You can choose from (2) pass options: 1) All-Inclusive Pass – Best for if you want to see and experience as much of sunny San Diego as possible; 2) Explorer Pass – Best for if you want to tick off a few firm favorites from your bucket list! Passes can be bought in 1 – 7 day increments to suit your family vacation needs and you’ll have 30 – 60 days to use your passes depending on the type purchased starting from the date of activation. One of the best parts is the convenient GoCity app you can download to your phone for ease of digital-scan admission to the spots you pick – no need for multiple tickets/paper passes to lug around while you wander. Another fam-tastic perk: family travel plans can change and non-activated passes are FULLY-REFUNDABLE within 90 days from your purchase date.
Hands all the way up for unforgettable experiences & bundle deals for family savings!
San Diego stole our hearts and a return ticket is on the vision board. Until then, if you have any questions on what to do in San Diego with kids of all ages, drop a comment below or email me your questions. There is SO much for families of all-ages to do in this fabulous area of SoCal.
More California Family Resources
The Best Family Beaches in SoCal – your family travel guide to beach hopping the West Coast that will save you HOURS of time and includes intel from a long-time local (and beloved family member)!
California Dreamin’ Veggie Burgers – a Cali-cation not in the cards this year? Travel with your taste buds!
Keep well, travel safely,
PIN this Family Travel Guide to San Diego for later!
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