Last Updated on March 26, 2026 by Adrienne
San Diego has a reputation as one of the most kid-friendly cities in the US, with many different museums and nature areas to entertain the family. My daughter and I recently spent a few days there exploring the city, and had a great time. Read on for my recommendations on family-friendly activities, restaurants and hotels in San Diego.
Note that October is “kids free” month in San Diego, so children will get in free to many of the attractions listed below with a paid adult!
Things to Do in San Diego with Kids
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo is going to be pretty much tops on any list of kid-friendly things to do in San Diego, and while it is massive – bigger than Disneyland! – I’m not really sure it’s worth the steep cost of admission (around $75 for adults when we visited), especially if you’re coming from a city with a decent zoo. There are several things that set the San Diego zoo apart: they’re one of only a couple zoos in the US with giant pandas, they have a large aerial tram “Skyfari” (included with zoo admission), and they offer free guided bus tours of the zoo. Unfortunately when we visited there were very long (hour+) lines for all of these things during peak hours, so it felt more like a theme park where you spend more time waiting in line than actually doing things. I did really enjoy the guided bus tour. After a long day walking around the zoo, it was great to rest our feet for a bit, and our guide was funny and engaging.
USS Midway Museum
While I enjoy visiting natural history, science and children’s museums a lot on our travels (particularly when we get in free with our ASTC passport) they can offer blur together a bit, and don’t always feel very unique to the local area. The USS Midway aircraft carrier museum is an exception to that – this is a museum that feels very distinctly San Diego. The city has a long history as a US naval base and was the home to the Navy’s TOPGUN fighter pilot school for decades, and the USS Midway is the perfect way to learn a little about that history in a fun, approachable way. You can go below deck and see how sailors live in close quarters or go up on the flight deck and climb in the cockpit of various kinds of planes. They also have a fun, interactive kids program.
Balboa Park and Museums
Balboa Park is home to many of San Diego’s most kid-friendly attractions. In addition to the zoo, this massive park is home to more than a dozen museums, Japanese gardens and a carousel. If you’re visiting San Diego with kids you could almost spend your entire vacation just in this park. We visited the Fleet Science Center and the San Diego Natural History Museum, which are both free for ASTC Passport holders, and my daughter loved both of them, especially the Fleet’s famous ball pool.
Coronado Island
Coronado Island just off the coast of San Diego is a great place to visit with kids, especially in nice weather. You can hang out at the beach, rent bikes to explore or ride the ferry for a great view of San Diego Bay and the Midway. Glorietta Bay Park beach is a great place to go if you have young kids and are looking for a calmer beach.
La Jolla Sea Lions and Tidepools
Charming La Jolla (home to the University of California-San Diego) is well worth a visit for the pretty coastal scenery and wildlife. It’s perhaps best known for its sea lions, which can almost always be seen in La Jolla Cove. Other wildlife in the area includes harbor seals and pelicans, which we spotted on our walk to the sea lions. Tidepooling is also a big thing in La Jolla, especially at very low (negative) tides, and is a great activity to do with young kids.
Birch Aquarium
The Birch Aquarium at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in La Jolla is small (and cheap) but excellent, and was really a highlight of our visit to San Diego. The aquarium has touch tanks with all kinds of cool sea life, penguins (we caught a feeding), string rays and more, and we found the staff really engaging and informative. Because of the small size it was easy to get really great views of the animals as well. I highly recommend including this in a day spent in and around La Jolla.
Torrey Pines State Nature Reserve
If you have outdoorsy kids who love getting out into nature, Torrey Pines State Nature Reserve is a great place to explore. Just 20 minutes north of downtown San Diego, Torrey Pines feels much farther removed from the city and offers sweeping coastal views and an abundance of wildlife. During whale migration season, you may be able to spot whales from the cliffs here.
Day Trips from San Diego: Legoland, Disneyland, and Orange County
San Diego is well-positioned within southern California for day trips to lots of interesting spots. Legoland is just 30 minutes north of San Diego up I-5 and is a great place for kids, particularly preschoolers and elementary schoolers. (While I haven’t personally been to Legoland California, we’ve visited and loved the Florida theme park.) Many of Orange County’s posh beach towns, such as Laguna Beach, Dana Point and Newport Beach, are also easy day-tripping distance from San Diego and offer pretty scenery and nice restaurants. Finally, there’s Disneyland, which makes for the most memorable day with kiddos. While I think doing Disneyland in a day trip from San Diego might be tough with younger ones (and we opted to stay overnight at a hotel in Anaheim before our Disney park day), it is doable, particularly if you can drive at off-peak times.
Where to Eat in San Diego with Kids
Ristorante Illando
It’s hard to get more kid-friendly than Italian food, and we had a nice meal of pizza and homemade pasta at Ristorante Illando in Little Italy.
Farmer’s Bottega
We fueled up for a long day exploring Balboa Park and its museums and zoo at Farmer’s Bottega in the Mission Hills neighborhood. The omelette hit the spot and although it seemed like kind of a scene-y brunch place, they could not have been nicer to my little one.
Snooze an A.M. Eatery
My love for Snooze is well-documented here (we’ve eaten at their locations in Denver and Phoenix as well) but even though it’s a small chain I never pass up the opportunity to eat there when I visit a city that has one. They’re especially known for their creative pancakes and their pancake flights, which let you sample multiple different flavors in one order, and have never disappointed me.
Sugar and Scribe (La Jolla)
We came to this adorable brunch spot before our morning in La Jolla. It’s cute and cozy, and the food was really tasty. I especially enjoyed my lobster eggs Benedict, which came with yummy thin-sliced potatoes.
Salt ‘n Straw
My favorite ice cream spot from our trip to Portland, Oregon has expanded and now has locations all over California, so naturally we had to stop here on our trip. Their Little Italy location is cute and the perfect spot to try their inventive flavors like strawberry balsamic and pear and blue cheese (they have more classic flavors available too).
Pappelecco
On our way out of San Diego we stopped at gelato shop/cafe Pappalecco to grab a treat for the road and it really hit the spot.
In-N-Out
In-N-Out is iconic California even though it now has lots of locations across the western half of the US. It’s pretty much always my first stop after landing in the Golden State, and in visits to dozens of locations, the burgers have never let me down – the consistency really is remarkable, even by fast food standards. If you need a recommendation for what to order, you can’t go wrong with a “double-double animal style,” a double meat and cheese burger with their secret sauce and grilled onions. Make sure to ask what they have for kids – in the past I’ve gotten free stickers and coloring pages, in addition to their signature hats.
Where to Stay in San Diego with Kids
- Hotel Del Coronado is popular with families looking for a luxury stay and has beachfront property on adorable Coronado Island and family-friendly amenities like a kids club (in the summers) and nightly s’mores. As a travel advisor, I can get you awesome perks at this property including a daily breakfast credit, $100 food & beverage credit, and upgrades and early check-in/late check-out pending availability – reach out to me today at adrienne.miller@fora.travel to book!
- Embassy Suites is always a great option for family travel, with its separate bedrooms and signature free breakfast, and the San Diego location of the chain has a great spot right near the USS Midway and Gaslamp Quarter.
- If Legoland will be a big part of your trip and you want to stay closer to there, the Park Hyatt Aviara receives rave reviews from families and has a world-class golf course. If you book through me, I can add Hyatt Prive perks to your booking, which are some of the best around and include a welcome gift, $100 resort credit, daily breakfast for two, and confirmed room upgrades before arrival.
- On this trip, we stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Airport/Liberty Station, which had a great pool, pretty sunset views over the channel, and was located within a reasonable drive of everything we wanted to see.
Looking for more US cities that make great long weekend destinations for families with kids? Check out my recaps of our trips to Phoenix-Scottsdale, Denver, Oklahoma City, Madison, Cincinnati, Woodstock Vermont and Atlanta.
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