Kids Free San Diego

   

Over the the girls' Winter break from school last year we left the gloomy Bay Area weather behind for a week and headed to the sunshine in Southern California. Our main destination was San Diego, a city that Kim and I had visited in the past before the kids were born.

Before our trip I went online and did a little research about places to take the kids. I knew that San Diego and its surrounds were home to Seaworld, Legoland and the world famous San Diego Zoo, but I hadn't realized just how many other amazing places to take the kids there were. The more I researched, the more it looked like our five days in San Diego were not going to be enough!

With so many fun places to visit in San Diego, but with limited time there, we decided to narrow our list down to one of each sort of activity. We spent one day at San Diego Zoo, another on board the USS Midway, a day at Point Loma and Cabrillo National Monument, a very full day at Legoland, and, it being San Diego, a day at the beach. We dedicated one day to each location so we could take it easy and not have to rush. This made for the perfect family vacation!

The girls had an absolute blast at Legoland. They enjoyed the many rides they went on, and loved seeing all of the Lego creations on display. I must admit that it was a major highlight for me too as I've been wanting to visit since I was a kid.

San Diego Zoo was also a highlight for the girls. They enjoyed seeing the animals - both the real ones in the enclosures and the fake ones that they could play on - and they couldn't get enough of riding the Skyfari Aerial Tram which affords amazing views over the zoo.

The USS Midway Museum had been at the top of Kim's wishlist for years so he was pretty pleased to finally visit. The girls enjoyed all of the hands on fun at the museum. So many knobs to turn and buttons to press!

Our trips to the beach and Cabrillo National Monument gave us the chance to get outside and explore nature. It wasn't quite warm enough to swim at the beach while we were in San Diego but the girls still loved visiting the beach. We took Lola's metal detector and tried our luck at finding treasure. We didn't find any, but we did find a fun day out!

San Diego was the perfect location for a Winter getaway for us, but it's just as great a destination at any time of year due to its warm and sunny climate. October is an especially great time to visit San Diego thanks to the Kids Free San Diego promotion. 

Throughout the month of October, kids can eat, stay and play for free at over one hundred participating partners. How amazing is that? Want to go to San Diego Zoo? Your kids get in for free! Feel like checking out a little history on board USS Midway? Your kids get in for free! Want to get up close to dolphins and beluga whales at Seaworld? Your kids get in for free! Time for a harbor cruise? You guessed it, your kids can go for free! I'm starting to see a pattern here.

Have you visited San Diego before? It really is such a fun city for the whole family. My girls asked if we could move there after our visit! They loved the laid back atmosphere and the warm weather. It may not look particularly warm in my photos (it was Winter after all) but it was definitely warmer than home at the time.

We will definitely be heading back to San Diego for another visit at some point - maybe even this October to take advantage of the Kids Free San Diego promotion! My girls are keen to visit Seaworld, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Balboa Park and to spend more time at the beach. Sounds like the makings for another sweet family vacation in San Diego - especially with all those freebie promotions!

For more information about the Kids Free San Diego promotion and to start planning your trip click here.

If you like to see more from our trip to San Diego just click the links below:
San Diego Zoo
Legoland
USS Midway