Celebrating DD birthday in San Diego - suggestions!

[monkeyman200]

We will be celebrating my daughter's 9th birthday during our trip and I would like to make it extra special. I have arranged for a local bakery to bring a cake to the Zoo for our dessert at Alberts. What other things can we do that would help make a memorable birthday?
Thanks everyone!

 

[Darkbeer1]

Where are you staying, and what does she like to do?

Balboa Park, home of the San Diego Zoo has plenty of other venues to check out that might match up with her likes.

http://www.balboapark.org/

Fashion Valley is a nice upscale Mall near Hotel Circle, maybe a shopping trip...

http://www.simon.com/mall/fashion-valley

So that is a start, the more we know, the better suggestions we can give. (I am a native San Diegan).

Have a great trip!

 

[DLfan4]

i have never been to the zoo, but i thought you can get behind the scenes tours, feed the animals , etc ? (or something like that)

 

[Darkbeer1]

i have never been to the zoo, but i thought you can get behind the scenes tours, feed the animals , etc ? (or something like that)

Yes, plenty of "add-ons" at the San Diego Zoo....

http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/content/experiences

 

[monkeyman200]

We will be staying at the Courtyard Downtown (an old bank, restored to a hotel - how cool?!) and we have 2 day passes to the Zoo. I have the Early Morning with Pandas booked for the same day as our Alberts lunch. She is a big animal lover so it seemed Very appropriate to have her birthday cake at the Zoo. We have 3 days in San Diego, so looking to find something else for our after Zoo hours and our spare day. We will not have a car. Thank you everyone for your help! We have never been to San Diego before (with the exception of a Grayline tour to SeaWorld the last time we were at Disneyland) and would like to experience it as best we can, given our limited time.

 

[Darkbeer1]

OK, you have good access to the San Diego Trolley, so let's focus on things on the line that you can go to easily.

https://www.sdmts.com/schedules-real-time-maps-and-routes/trolley

I like the Old Town State Park area, which is on the green line, and also Fashion Valley mentioned earlier.

http://www.oldtownsandiego.org/

The beach area, take the Green Line to the Old Town Station and transfer to the bus system (MTS).

MTS Route 8 will take you to Belmont Park, which is a classic fun area and then the Pacific Beach Pier.

Also MTS Route 30 from Old Town will take you to La Jolla and the Birch Aquarium (Scripps) .

Something unique, but something your DD would like or not like, is the USS Midway Museum, which is a retired aircraft carrier downtown. Also nearby is the Maritime Museum, close to your Hotel.

Seaport Village is a touristy shopping area downtown that she might like near your Hotel.

That is a good set of easy access and varied things to do.

 

[monkeyman200]

Thank you very much. Love the insider view!!

 

[Darkbeer1]

Just thought of another option, the San Diego Trolley Tours and Seal Tour.

This isn't to be confused by the public transit Trolley I mentioned earlier.

This for profit tour company is designed for tourists, and will take you to a lot of places without needing a vehicle.

https://www.trolleytours.com/san-diego#schedule-section

DD might like the La Jolla tour as it does have some good wildlife stops.

But it is a good way to see a lot in a day.

 

[cruisehopeful]

If she likes legos, she is the right age for Legoland. I am not sure how close you can get by taking the train. Perhaps an Uber will be needed after the train to get to it.

Since she likes animals, maybe Sea World. There is a bus that goes to Sea World from Old Town San Diego. I haven't been to Sea World in a few years, but grew up walking distance from there and I know I loved it as a kid.

 

[monkeyman200]

Thank you, darkbeer 1! I will definitely look further into those! Being from San Diego, can you also tell me the easiest way for us to go back and forth from the hotel to Zoo? We are a party of 8.

Thanks, cruisehopeful, we are moving on to stay at the Legoland Hotel after we leave San Diego.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Let's see, there is the option of the Trolley to the City College Station, and then the MTS Route 7 bus. Not a long trip.

I would say look at a taxi or Uber/Lyft, but that would require two separate vehicles each way.

 

[monkeyman200]

Thanks. I was wondering about Supershuttle so we could all travel together, but we have never used that company before. They seem to be reputable, based on reviews for airport transport, but not sure on around city transport.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Thanks. I was wondering about Supershuttle so we could all travel together, but we have never used that company before. They seem to be reputable, based on reviews for airport transport, but not sure on around city transport.

I've only used them from the airport to home and they have been great. If you can use them for a ride from your hotel to the zoo, that will be a nice option. They do expect tips, so figure that in when you compare prices for that vs. a couple Ubers vs. public transport. It is a very short bus ride from City College to the Zoo. Even if the bus is standing room only, it's for a very short time and if the schedule works out, that is what I'd do (unless Supershuttle costs the same or less).

I just looked at the hotel you are using downtown. There are lots of things to do within walking distance for a few hours here and there. Horton Plaza is a shopping mall very close and has recently been remodeled to include a nice outdoor park plaza with some snacks. There is a movie theater in the mall.

You can walk down to the harbor to see the stuff that Darkbeer1 mentioned. Even if you don't opt to purchase tickets for the Maritime Museum, it's nice to walk along the harbor there. That will take you to Seaport Village which has the iconic merry-go-round and tourist shops. Seaport Village is supposed to be removed "soon" and replaced with something else. There's a Cheesecake Factory near there (and tons of other places to eat) that is fun to dine outside and watch all the people, some pretty crazy, walk by. It's a very busy corner and can be quite entertaining.

 

[Darkbeer1]

I mentioned the Seal Tour, but there are also the Boat Tours that are based between the USS Midway and the SD Maritime Museum. You can get a combo ticket that would included one of them and a boat trip (whale watching in season).

http://sdmaritime.reservesandiego.com/

Also, there is a famous Anthony's Fish Grotto, where I have spent plenty a meal at. It was the location I picked to tell my parents I got engaged and for them to meet my wife for the first time. Good food, alas lost their 40 year lease, and closes January 2017.

 

[SMD]

You're kind of in the middle of the bar scene at that location. If your non-zoo day falls on a weekend or during a baseball game, I'd consider renting a car and avoid the trolley. There's peddle boats and paddle boarding in Coronado and probably at other area beaches. If you go that route of course visit Hotel del Coronado and you could drive the silver strand. There's also Cabrillo National Monument and the lighthouse at Point Loma. Also depending on when you go, whale watching from Dana Point would be a bit of a drive, but you could also do San Juan Capistrano or something in between.