San Diego

[Krista72]

Due to budget concerns, we must switch plans for WDW to San Diego to visit family and California. We are planning on doing Knotts Berry Farms (spelling?), San Diego Zoo and Mission Beach. We will actually be staying in Coronado. Any must see or do activities while out there...other than Disneyland. Any ideas or advice would be great to hear

 

[dayzemair]

well you didn't mention seaworld so I am assuming that you have decided not to go there, but we just went recently with my daughter (3) and she LOVED it - if you have little ones, they have an all new play area just for kids thats a lot of fun and my daughter really really liked feeding the dolphins and manta rays. One of my favorite moments of the whole trip was her reaction to the shamu show - she was mesmerized!

There is also a great deal that you can get through costco that includes sea world, san diego zoo and the wild animal park for a decent discount - supposedly the wild animal park is awesome, though we didn't make it out to it last trip.

Balboa park is supposed to be a really cool day trip type thing too - lots of neat museums and they just opened an all new children's museum in san diego also.

Good luck planning and have fun!

 

[Sandi S]

I was just in San Diego for a convention last month - took the kids to the zoo and wild animal park - get the combo ticket and you have unlimited access to both for 5 days.

Be sure to visit Seaport Village (just off Harbor Blvd) - it's lovely and fun to shop even you are just browsing. Knotts is very close to Disney - I haven't been there, but we did get to DCA/Disneyland and that was awesome!

 

[pixiewings71]

My girls love the Wild Animal Park, the Zoo was really nice and of course Sea World. You should head on down to the DL boards at the bottom of the forum, there is a So Cal discussion board down there, you might find some good ideas there.

 

[MelAnderson]

Depending on the ages of your children, I would suggest Legoland - very fun, we stayed an entire day.

 

[traveljunkie2]

We're from San Diego, and so we're lucky to get to visit almost every year.

I hate to admit that my kids (ages 4 and 18 mos. at the time) had more fun at LegoLand than Disneyland I think Legoland is best for kids under about 8. I think Costco sells tickets for about $15 less than regular admission. If you go when it's hot, bring swimsuits and towels for their water park area (within Legoland).

I recommend the Reuben H. Fleet science center in Balboa park. The Gaslamp District in downtown for great restaurants (The Field Irish Pub on 5th Ave). SeaWorld is great and you can buy a FunCard for $10 more than a single day and go back again. Coronado has great beaches, and you can take the ferry over to Downtown and walk to Seaport Village. Hotel Del Coronado is a sight unto itself. They have an AMAZING brunch (but it's about $70!!!) There is a fun miniature train that runs near the zoo. At the zoo, get tickets for the bus hopper, especially if you have kids.

Old Town is fun, too. La Jolla is beautiful and has some nice spots for swimming for kids (La Jolla Shores, La Jolla Cove). They have concerts at the Cove during summer (on Sundays?)

If you are going before Nov., look into getting an Entertainment book and using it for alot of discounts all over San Diego.

Have a great trip!

 

[Krista72]

I guess I should have put the ages of the kids: DD14 and DS 11, we will have 5 full days there the first week of November. How's the weather then? Trying to decide if we will do SeaWorld and/or Legoland. Wish we had a few more days, but my DD is starting high school and can't miss too many days of school. Thanks for all the suggestions so far...Seaport Village will definitely be on the agenda!

 

[traveljunkie2]

The weather's ALWAYS nice in San Diego! It generally rains mostly in Jan-March, but there's always a chance of showers. It will probably be overcast in the morning, burning off around 10 am, then around 65-70 most days. It will get cool in the evening, so make sure you have a sweatshirt, especially if you will be at the beach.

I would skip Legoland. Your kids will enjoy Knott's much more. If you are willing to drive a little further, and your kids like roller coasters, Six Flags Magic Mountain just north of LA (in Valencia) is so much fun. And you can buy tickets for $27 online ($54 at the gate). They used to have a deal where you can buy a "twicket" inside the park and get in the next day for $2.00. But Magic Mountain is about 3 hrs from San Diego. Otherwise Knott's has some great rides and is about 2 hrs away.
I think the kids would enjoy SeaWorld, too.

For souveneirs, most of the WalMarts have a section where you can get keychains, snowglobes, etc. for much cheaper than the souveneir shops. Seaport Village has a great shop for purchasing shells, too.

 

[dis-happy]

They have an AMAZING brunch (but it's about $70!!!)

OMG!!! I couldn't believe it and had to google this information and you are right....$72.50 for Sunday brunch!! When I was in college we used to go to Sunday brunch at the Hotel Del for....get this....$10.!!!!

 

[1stvisit0909]

We were there in July for a conference. We didn't really get to do anything but SeaWorld, and it was a BLAST! Now, here's a tip...we found coupons at subway for one day admission for $49.99 for adults and $39.99 for kids.

 

[jjenniboo]

My husband, DD6, and I went to San Diego about 3 years ago. We purchased the go usa card for san diego. You buy it for the number of days you're planning on sightseeing. The only thing to know is that it starts the day you use it and lasts that number of days so you can't spread out a 4 day ticket over a week. You would have to use it 4 days in a row. We weny to the san diego zoo, wild animal park, legoland, a bus tour to mexico, a whale watch, and a bunch of museums that were free just for purchasing the card. It was great. Have fun !!

 

[Planogirl]

We loved San Diego and we really LOVED the beach in front of the Hotel Del. What a gorgeous hotel!

The San Diego Zoo was great but huge. We only saw a small part of it because we were tired and it's so massive.

How adventurous are your kids? Did you know that one of the supposedly most haunted houses in America is there? I got a kick out of some kids around that age who were really excited when I toured the Whaley House. It's in Old Town San Diego.

Personally, I think that going to San Diego is a pretty cool trade.

 

[kissy]

Old Town, Balboa Park, Seaport Village, Mission Beach. Outside of the zoo is a merry go round and there used to be a train you could ride. Also on 5th ave (I believe) there's a coffee house that has the most amazing desserts. Its called extraordinary desserts. Also, you can drive up to Julian. It's a great little town in the mtns. I haven't been since I was kid but I remember it was winter and it was so cold but my mom got my brother and I some hot Apple cider and a little store they had there and some lemon drops.

 

[gshumaker]

Also, you can drive up to Julian. It's a great little town in the mtns. I haven't been since I was kid but I remember it was winter and it was so cold but my mom got my brother and I some hot Apple cider and a little store they had there and some lemon drops.

Julian is a must - some of the best Apple Pie ever!!

 

[amandamims1]

I actually live in San Diego, and some of the things I recommend are...

Museums in Balboa Park, some of them are free on certain days
Old Town/Presidio Park/Whaley House .. All in the same spot
Mission Beach
La Jolla Shores/Cove
Whale Watching
Julian/Mount Laguna
Point Loma/Cabrillo National Monument


There's soo many things to do here, most of them just costing gas and/or a small entrance fee. If you have any other questions, just feel free to ask.

 

[DawnM]

How old are your kids? My kids would be screaming to get to Legoland!

Dawn

 

[SarahKate]

Seaport Village is a must - we LOVED it there and went 2-3x....lots of cool little shops and good restaurants.

Old Town - this is a really neat place. Some great mexican restaurants and neat shops as well. Some of the stuff is touristy, but it's still fun.

Zoo - this is a fantastic zoo but it is SO very big. It's so big they have "conveyer belts"!

LaJolla - beautiful area, the seal bay is great to take kids too.

 

[AustinTink]

We just got back from Coronado last week! It's one of our favorite little towns in the the world, so full of charm. You've gotten some great suggestions from previous posters. I'll add a couple.

Sunday brunch... try the Loews Coronado Bay resort. Delicious food, lovely setting and not $72 like the Del. We've stayed there the last four summers, we love it!

Mootime creamery... you can't miss the big Elvis standing outside on Orange ave. Great ice cream and good people watching.

Day trip... We like to drive up the PCH and stop at all the beach towns between San Diego and L.A.

As far as parks go... we always do DL and Legoland. We sometimes throw in Sea World and the zoo.

If you're there on a Friday night the Padres have fireworks after the game. We were the two Fridays ago and it was a blast.

Restaurants we go to every year include Old Town Mexican Restaurant in Old Town and Beach'n Diner in Coronado and the In and Out burger near Legoland. Have a great time!!

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Lived in San Diego for 6 years. If I went back for 5 days, I would spend 1 day whale watching, 2 days in the Zoo, 1 day at Sea World and 1 day at the beach...

 

[marthachick]

If you go to the zoo, be sure to check to see if the pandas will be on display only part of the day and if so, go there first. We went 8 years ago and the pandas were only out until about 2 and we didn't realize it so we missed them. I still gripe about that! So be sure to see them first!!!