San Diego, California is one of our family’s favorite places to visit. With its warm climate all year round, and amazing family-friendly things to do, it is no wonder that it was the best US travel destination and over 34 million people visit the city each year.
Why our Family Loves A San Diego Holiday
When I think of San Diego with kids, I think of relaxation, sunny weather, beautiful beaches, endless places to eat and fun activities!
1. A Place to Relax
While the San Diego beaches have to be our number one choice for a relaxing afternoon, we also love the accommodation options such as the Welk Resort in neighboring Escondido. While I lounge on a lawn chair in the sun, the kids can play in the many pools, enjoy the spray park or the water slides, get out of the sun in the rec rooms or even play golf!
If you happen to be visiting in the spring, take a drive out to the Anza Borrego State Park between February and April to see some of the best spring views in California.
Looking for a great price on a Hotel in San Diego, we start here!
If you want to read more information check out this post on Awesome Resorts in San Diego
2. Sunny Weather
Sunshine and Blue skies come to mind when I think about why we love San Diego with kids! No need to pack the rain gear, just a sweater for cool autumn and winter mornings and head out and enjoy your day. When the dreary wet weather hits and fall has arrived in places like Vancouver, my first choice is to hop on a plane to the beaches in San Diego with family!
Need some beach packing tips for your upcoming San Diego Holiday? Click here for our list of family-friendly beach necessities!
3. Beautiful Beaches
I mentioned my favorite place to relax in San Diego is the beach. But there is not just one, San Diego is full of beautiful sandy beaches, where you can swim in the waves, watch the sea lions in La Jolla or bask in the sun. The kids love building sand castles and playing in the calm water, while I am happy to stroll alongside them, as they hunt for treasures in the sand.
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4. Eat, Eat, Eat!
San Diego is a hot-spot for culinary masterpieces and craft beer! While browsing the shops on Pacific Beach, my kids (ok my hubby too) spied The Baked Bear Ice Cream! The concept is, that you choose a cookie, choose your ice cream, and enjoy the best ice-cream sandwich on the planet! We were NOT disappointed! It is these little experiences that really make moments for us. I’m sure everyone has a special spot, or a cool shop, that they have found on their travels. For us it was the shops and eateries at Pacific Beach!
Travel Tip: Consider Bringing a Stroller for the full day outings, even if your kids do not usually use them! Preschoolers and young children get tired legs after walking all day, and it also provides a great place to sit and enjoy a snack! If you don’t have one, don’t despair, most parks have them for rental.
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5. Endless Fun Activities
What Is a family vacation in San Diego without mentioning the various attractions in the area. Bring comfortable walking shoes because the San Diego area boasts Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo, Seaward, Legoland, and the San Diego Safari Park as its most well-known attractions! Can you imagine getting up and close to a one horned rhino! If you want some more ideas about things to do in San Diego, including visiting Potato Chip Rock, click here
If you are a festival lover, check out the CRSSD Festival.
Travel Tip: Consider a Car Rental so you can easily get around to places like Legoland in Carlsbad or La Jolla! If you are planning on visiting Legoland, check out this post on How to Get into Legoland for Free!
How we spent 5 days in San Diego
With so much to do in San Diego, a rough itinerary when you have kids is a must. We knew there were a few things we wanted to do, so we scheduled those in first, and then worked our days around those activities. We spent the morning of Day 2 at Legoland, and then the afternoon at the beach before heading back to the Welk Resort. Day 3 found us at the San Diego Zoo for the day, which you really need a whole day for! There was still some time for shopping after the zoo, as a Canadian, we at least want to browse a Target each time we come to the States. Day 4 we wandered our way along the coast, hitting Pacific Beach for food, shopping, beach time and a playground for the kids.… Day 5 was our last day in San Diego, we planned on a Sea World day as it was near the San Diego Airport for our evening flight! The day went great, because we had to check out in the morning anyways, and we did not spend the day waiting around for our flight.
A San Diego vacation with kids is the kind of holiday where there is something for everyone. Whether it be beaches, attractions, shopping, outdoor activities, or relaxation, making it ideal for young families, couples, families with teens, or multigenerational travel!
Looking where else to visit? Check out Buena Park with Kids (home to Knott’s Berry Farm) and Santa Ana (the heart of OC) with Kids!
La Jolla Beach by… Lukasz Lech…
Lindsay Nieminen hails from Vancouver, Canada and shares her love of travel on this website. She is passionate about showing others that they should not put off traveling the world just because they have young children or are single parents. She aims to encourage them to seek out adventure, whether it is at home or abroad by providing information on how just about everywhere can be a destination to explore as a family.
Amanda Keeley-Thurman
Tuesday 11th of April 2017
San Diego is great. We live in Orange County and we often spend weekends in San Diego. One of our favorite places to stay is Mission Bay RV Resort. It has a lot of activities for the kids, it is on the bay and it close to all those great San Diego attractions.
Lindsay Nieminen
Saturday 15th of April 2017
awesome thanks for the tip! we will have to check it out!