La Jolla Children's Pool

[sas_mk]

I am going to be staying in Oceanside, CA with my family in June. Is the La Jolla Children's Pool a "must see" beach? I have heard about it and had it recommended to me, but I would love to hear some other reviews or perspectives.

Does anybody know how far it would be from Oceanside?

Are there a lot of "save the seal" activists? It sounds like at some point there were a lot of vocal activists there and I am not sure if I need to take my family to see the seals if I am going to be confronted or witness a lot of yelling.

Anyone with some firsthand experience with this beach?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Stephanie218]

Depending on traffic (and finding parking!) it's about 45 minutes - 1 hour from Oceanside. I think it's really neat to go and see the seals. There are always activists there, but I have been quite a few times and only seen yelling once. It's usually quite calm. When I first moved here, you weren't able to go on the beach at all with the seals - the regulations have since changed, but I wouldn't suggest getting close at all. If you just want a nice beach to lay out at, Moonlight Beach or Swami's Beach in Encinitas are both nice and a lot closer to Oceanside.

 

[LukenDC]

The La Jolla Cove is one of the most gorgeous places in the US and well worth a visit. The Children's Beach is just one part of the park. It is neat to see the seals. I've never seen activists at the beach, but my father, who grew up in La Jolla, is passionate about the presence of seals on the beach. He has gone on TV to advocate the clubbing to death of the seals and their removal from the beach because "it belongs to the people and we were there first."

 

[sonnyjane]

Children's Pool is the name of the area where the seals live. It's called that because it was intended to be a children's pool, but then seals took over. It's a cool place to visit to see the seals, but it's not a beach where you will be swimming or laying on the sand. In fact there are signs prohibiting you from going down to the water. There are other places in La Jolla where you can wade in the water and play in the sand, but Children's Pool specifically won't be the one. It's worth checking out if you'll be in the area for a while - maybe make a point of eating lunch in the area and exploring other beaches too.

 

[sas_mk]

Thank you all for your replies!

 

[pezaddict231]

we went a few years ago and it is a nice place to visit. It was amazing how many seals were there. We didn't see any activists and didn't go on the beach, we were above it and there is a walkway where you can take pictures and see the seals.

We also planned a kayaking / snorkel trip that morning in La Jolla which was fun, then walked down to see the seals and afterwards walked into town and had dinner. It was a really nice day.