30 Top things to do in San Diego with kids: Unmissable attractions & gems!
San Diego is a true playground by the Pacific. It promises both relaxation and adventure, and for families, it’s where you can let your child’s curiosity run as wild as the lions at the world-famous San Diego Zoo.
From hiking along the coastal cliffs to riding roller coasters to discovering that “tide pooling” really means treasure hunting, there are so many things to do in San Diego with kids besides hitting all the big ticket attractions.
San Diego has a knack for turning everyday moments into memory-making magic — whether it’s going for a bike ride, finding the perfect taco, or realizing your kids have just discovered a new favorite destination in the USA.
So if it’s your first visit to San Diego with your family, and you’re ready to start exploring, here is what to do in a city where the forecast is always sunny with a chance of memories.
If you plan on visiting several San Diego attractions, get yourself a San Diego Go Attraction Pass. You can build your own based on what you want to see and do. It will save you money!
Table Of Contents
- 1. Bike ride along the promenade at Pacific Beach
- 2. Eat nachos and drink craft beer at South Draft Mission
- 3. Stand up paddle boarding and kayaking on Mission Bay
- 4. Get retro at the Corvette Diner
- 5. Watch the sunset at Pacific Beach Pier
- 6. Grab an ice cream from Hammond’s Gourmet Ice Cream
- 7. Experience the culture at Balboa Park
- 8. Learn at the Spanish Village Art Center
- 9. Get educated at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
- 10. Admire the Botanical Building
- 11. Relax in the Japanese Friendship Garden
- 11. Explore Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
- 12. Have a beach day at Ocean Beach, San Diego
- 13. Eat lunch with amazing views at Wonderland Ocean Pub
- 14. Visit Ocean Beach Farmers Market
- 15. Enjoy the sunset at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
- 16. See the seals at La Jolla Cove
- 17. Go on a coastal hike at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
- 18. Eat fish tacos at Oscars Mexican Seafood, a local fav!
- 19. Splash around at the Waterfront Park
- 20. Spend a day exploring San Diego's Museums
- 21. Go whale watching
- 22. Learn about marine life at Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- 23. Go tide pooling at Cabrillo National Monument
- 24. Visit the world-famous San Diego Zoo
- 25. Take a day trip to Legoland in Carlsbad
- 26. Go to the beachfront amusement park, Belmont Park
- 27. Take the Old Town Trolley to Coronado Island
- 28. Go shopping in Seaport Village
- 29. Watch a baseball game at Petco Park Baseball Stadium
- 30. Hike the Annie's Canyon Trail
- Where to stay in San Diego
- Is San Diego a good, family-friendly beach destination?
- Final thoughts
- More California Travel Tips
- More Road Trip Ideas
1. Bike ride along the promenade at Pacific Beach
First on our list of things to do was to jump on a couple of bikes we rented from Action Sport Rentals at Bahia, and cycle the bike path behind the beach at Pacific Beach.
We had a stressful time flying to San Diego, and we found this an amazingly cathartic first activity to do in the city. The tension released a little more with each new peddle and breath of fresh salty air. It’s amazing how much nature and getting active with it can change your psyche, which is why we do so many outdoor activities with our kids and will choose it first over any museum or attraction.
We followed the bike path around to Mission Bay, which is the quieter area for water activities, boating, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding. The bike path wasn’t as busy and filled with joggers and walkers as the beach path.
At the top of the bay, we cut west to hit the bike path and into the San Diego energetic vibe for our first taste of the beaches, Pacific Beach and Mission Beach.
This ride ended up being one of favorite things we did in San Diego with the kids. We enjoyed bike dodging between all the characters sharing the path with us. It also became my morning running path – a great way to start the San Diego day!
We cycled past Lahaina Beach House in Pacific Beach, which brought back memories of San Diego in 2006 before kids and having beers on the deck watching the incredible sunsets.
2. Eat nachos and drink craft beer at South Draft Mission
San Diego is known to have one of the best craft brewery scenes in the country. One of our favorite places to sample beer by local craft breweries we discovered was South Draft Mission, which has a front porch overlooking the ocean. They serve plenty of local brews, and a plate of ginormous shredded beef nachos. The nachos here are one to remember – full of flavor without being too heavy.
As for beer, we had the Coconut Contender from the local Duck Foot Brewery – the founder has celiac disease, so all beers are gluten-free, so we could indulge!
For the kids, order them a Mexican soda, which is all the rage in San Diego. Its soda made from pure cane sugar and nicer tasting than that other stuff. We tried Squirt, the grapefruit flavor, which became Kalyra’s favorite.
3. Stand up paddle boarding and kayaking on Mission Bay
You may know by now that one of our favorite family activities is stand-up paddle boarding. I love the stillness and serenity of just me being out there on the water with the salty breeze on my back. I slip into true Tao spirit on a SUP.
I’m balanced, strong, and focused, yet humble, relaxed, and in flow. I love to paddle with Kalyra and watch her perform handstands, jumps, and cartwheels.
I was immensely proud of her as we were paddling around Mission Bay. She stopped and fell behind me and when I turned to see what she was doing. I saw her maneuvering her board and paddle, so she could pick up a plastic water bottle she passed floating in the water. My heart swelled. These are the moments that make all the challenges and sacrifices of this full-time family travel life worthwhile.
Savannah is water cautious, so she doesn’t often embrace supping. However, she loves kayaking, so we jumped in the tandem kayak together to explore the bay.
You can hire paddle boards and kayak rentals from Action Sport Rentals near The Bahia Resort. They also have other locations in the Mission Bay area.
4. Get retro at the Corvette Diner
The Corvette Diner is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s a diner that pays homage to every era time has gone by since diners were a thing.
From a brightly colored 50s retro diner with a milk bar and vintage care behind the hostess to the train room with a black and white film showing above each booth, to a modern red room dedicated to corvette car lovers.
A radio DJ booth pumps out Frank Sinatra, New York, New York, and other classic tunes like Wild Thing, which matches the 70s groove room we dined in.
The black walls are painted with Fluro signs reminding us to Make Love Not War; appreciate Peace, Love, and Music; and embrace Woodstock as our therapy. Look up and you’ll continue the messaging with psychedelic posters on the ceiling. How did they know this was my vibe?
Waitstaff wear rainbow-colored scrunchies and black dresses with Fluro trim. Our energetic waitress stops to decorate the girls’ hair with multi-colored popsicle sticks and gives the girls flashlights to draw on the table with.
They soon break into a Mashed Potato pom-pom dance and gather around those having a birthday to sing to them. The Corvette Diner is like a nightclub for families. I promise you before the night is through, you’ll be singing at the top of your lungs with the DJ – “Let’s hear it for the boys!”
When the kids are done with their hair, a bit of table art, and their dinner, they can head out to the arcade out back for some good old-fashioned games – more fun things to do with kids in San Diego! Be sure to high-five a few of the greats along the wall when you do. Hello Elvis, you fine thing you!
5. Watch the sunset at Pacific Beach Pier
Sunset in San Diego can’t be missed! You can enjoy the sunset from any of the beaches in San Diego. No matter where you stand you’ll see a giant orange orb dip below the ocean’s horizon. And because summer rarely sees rain in California, you’ve got great odds for a terrific nightly show.
Our girls were happy cartwheeling and playing on the sand on Pacific Beach next to the pier while we watched the sun go down. The sunsets are one of the most beautiful things to see in San Diego, and there’s only one thing to do after such a pretty close out to the day…celebrate with ice cream!
6. Grab an ice cream from Hammond’s Gourmet Ice Cream
Speaking of sunny weather, if you’re craving ice cream, head to Garnet Road, the main street leading to the pier at Pacific Beach. Tucked in between a lot of great restaurants and casual cafes is local ice cream favorite, Hammond’s Gourmet ice cream.
Not sure which flavor to buy? You can taste test. Or try one of their waffle cone flights. Ice cream is always a highlight for our girls! They had a mint choc chip and Craig had his usual favorite, butter pecan. Whilst we didn’t get it anywhere else, it would be hard to beat as the best ice cream in San Diego.
7. Experience the culture at Balboa Park
Balboa Park is a cultural playground for children and adults. Balboa Park is America’s largest urban cultural park, is ranked as one of the best parks in the world. You could spend a full day here! It has everything to suit all ages and your family’s preferences:
- art galleries
- historic buildings
- New Children’s Museum San Diego
- science centers
- performing arts centers
- Museum of man
- San Diego Botanic Garden
- and even one of America’s best zoos, the San Diego Zoo!
Even just wandering around and appreciating the stunning Spanish Renaissance and Southwest architecture and beautiful gardens is enjoyable. We only managed to spend a few hours at Balboa Park, and out of the 17 Balboa Park museums and endless lush and landscaped gardens, here is what we experienced.
You might want to consider this San Diego Walking Tour: Balboa Park with a Local Guide
8. Learn at the Spanish Village Art Center
Pop into the Spanish Village Art Center so your kids can get a look at a working artist’s studio in a charming Spanish town square. Small adobe studios painted with blue walls and yellow trims host a variety of artists and even offer art classes, glass-blowing lessons, and even more to explore your creative side.
From the studios to the flowers, this place bursts with color and reflective energy. Kids will love hopscotching and cartwheeling over the rainbow chalky colored stone tiles.
9. Get educated at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
The Science Center is an interactive educational playground for the kids. These are the kind of places we look for to check off a few of our homeschooling boxes.
The girls learned more about the water cycle, energy and motion, and different knots. We had a blast in the special exhibit (extra fee), which at the time was all about Mythbusters. We didn’t even know it was a TV show until going inside the Science Center.
We had fun trying out the different myth-busting experiments like getting changed into a superhero costume in a phone booth as fast as you can and testing how wet we’d get walking and then running under a rain shower!
There are over 100 hands-on exhibits in the Fleet Science Center at Balboa Park. Admission also includes an IMAX film. Unfortunately, we just missed the film and didn’t have time to stay for the next showing.
10. Admire the Botanical Building
The Botanical Building houses more than 2,000 tropical plants. Capturing the wood structure with the lily pond in front is one of the most photographed sections of Balboa Park.
11. Relax in the Japanese Friendship Garden
There is an extra fee to ente
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