Things To Do With Toddlers In San Diego

You should visit San Diego with your toddlers between March to May and September to November. Spring and Fall have the best weather and temperature for exploring the city.

To say the least, there is never a wrong time to visit San Diego. Summer, which lasts from June to August, is suitable for spending time at one of the many beaches located within the city.

On the other hand, Fall has pleasant weather for hanging out at a beach without having to worry about getting sunburnt. October is the month of Kids Free San Diego; it is when kids can visit places like museums, theme parks, and restaurants free of charge.

You can go to San Diego with your toddler through San Diego International Airport. Take a train to the Pacific Surfliner route or drive through Intersection 5 if you don’t want to fly.

As the busiest airport in the world with a single runway, San Diego International Airport has over 500 flights in a single day. You can take a direct flight to the airport from over 80 domestic and overseas locations like Las Vegas, New York, Vancouver, Montreal, and Munich.

Likewise, you can also get to San Diego by road. If you’re traveling from Los Angeles, take the Intersection-5 and drive through the coastal road. Then, take Exit 103 at Santa Ana and drive through Newport Coast Road, State Route 73, and CA-55 South until you reach Highway 1.

Alternatively, you can also take a train to the Californian city. Catch a train that travels through the Pacific Surfliner route and exit at Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner station.

San Diego offers a wide choice of toddler-friendly hotels and resorts. The Bahia Resort Hotel and Grand Pacific Palisades provide accommodations for a reasonable budget.

As a hotspot for tourists all year round, you can find plenty of hotels in San Diego for a reasonable budget. December and March are considered the off-season months for hotels in the city, so you will find the cheapest hotel rooms during these months.

Some of the best San Diego hotels and resorts for families with young kids include:

• Bahia Resort Hotel [Mission Bay Drive]
• Catamaran Resort and Spa [Mission Boulevard]
• Paradise Point Resort & Spa [1404 Vacation Road]
• Fairmont Grand Del Mar [Carmel Valley]
• Park Hyatt Aviara Resort & Spa [Aviana]
• La Jolla Shores Hotel [La Jolla]
• Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara [North San Diego]

Not everyone can afford to spend thousands of dollars on a trip. Fortunately, San Diego is one of the few cities that offers several free fun activities to kids.

From Kids Free Month to several free parks, the Californian city is one of the most children-friendly locations in all of the US. The famous quote, “It’s better when it’s free” is an accurate analysis of the situation as the authorities have not compromised with the quality of service despite not charging anything for the fun activities participated in by the kids.

Here are some of the kid-friendly things to do while you are in San Diego.

• Take a hike at the Torrey Pines Natural Reserve
• Stroll around the Long Seaport Village
• Visit the La Jolla secret swings
• Visit the Belmont Park
• Explore the University of San Diego Art Gallery
• Visit the Waterfront Park

Good food and a cozy place to dine are necessities wherever you go and San Diego is no exception. Some of the best-served dishes in the city include fish tacos, oysters, clam chowder, sushi burritos, sea urchins, and more.

Due to its proximity to the North Pacific Ocean, San Diego is a hub for exotic sea foods. Additionally, the city’s food culture is also influenced by American culture, Mexican cuisine, and Italian food.

Considered one of the top foodie cities in the US, the Pacific Coast region has many diners and restaurants for getting a bite to eat. If you are on a tight budget, you may want to avoid restaurants in expensive locations like Del Mar, Coronado, Rancho Sante Fe, La Jolla, and Solana Beach. However, you can still find affordable restaurants in places like Chula Vista, Poway, Mira Mesa, and El Cajon.

Some of the best kid-friendly restaurants in San Diego are listed below:

• Crab Hut [Kearny Mesa, Downtown San Diego]
• Haldilao Hotpot San Diego [La Jolla]
• Cesarina [Voltaire Street]
• The Crack Shack [Encinitas Boulevard]
• True Food Kitchen [Friars Road Suite]
• Panama 66 [El Prado]
• Underbelly North Park [3000 Upas Street]

Fun day at a beach can turn disastrous if you fail to plan activities to do during your outing. Toddlers are more prone to this trait as they lack patience and get bored easily.

Although beaches are a fun place to hang out with your kids, you should always have a few activities planned in advance. From building sand castles and searching for lost coins with a metal detector to sunbathing, there are plenty of recreational beach activities for kids and adults to participate in.

As a coastal city, San Diego is home to many beautiful beaches. Some of the cleanest and kid-friendly beaches located in the city include La Jolla Shores Beach. Moonlight Beach, Torrey Pines State Beach, Coronado Central Beach, Mission Beach, and Tamarack Beach.

While taking a toddler on an eventful day at the beach, you should consider several factors like transport availability, food, and weather. However, the most important factor is keeping the kids busy so that they don’t ruin your peaceful time at the beach.

Consider the list below before planning activities for kids to do at a beach in San Diego:

• Collect sea shells, sea glass, and stones for a seascape notebook
• Build a sand castle
• Swin in the shallow water
• Play games like sand skee ball and beach bowling
• Construct a sundial
• Collect lost coins and metals with a metal detector
• Fly a kite

San Diego gets mildly hot during summer due to its coastal geography. So, water parks are useful for cooling down and shedding off the summer heat.

The Californian city has an average temperature of 27 °C, or 80 °F, during summer. Although San Diego doesn’t attain the same level of heat as other cities like Tucson, Phoenix, Miami, and Orlando, it is moderately warm throughout the year.

Spending a day at a local water park is not only beneficial for strengthening the relationship between a parent and a child, but it is also an ideal pastime for summer.

Here are a few San Diego water parks best suited for toddlers and young kids:

• Sweetwater Summit Splashpad [3219 Summit Meadow Road]
• Waterfront Park Downtown [1600 Pacific Highway]
• Poway Community Swim Center [13094 Civic Center Drive]
• Mountain Hawk Park [1475 Lake Hawk Drive]
• Horton Plaza Park [900 4th Avenue]
• Hilton Head County Park [16005 Hilton Head Road]
• Maruta Gardner Playground [Bonita Cove Park]
• Plunge San Diego [Ocean Front Walk]

San Diego is home to some of the most biologically diverse zoos, including the San Diego Zoo, Zoological Society, and more. The San Diego Zoo alone has over 650 species of animals within an area of 100 acres.

San Diego is a hotspot of bio-diversity with thousands of species of plants and animals found within its 372 sq. miles territory. The city is home to several endangered species of animals and birds, including short-tailed albatross, desert pupfish, Riverside fairy shrimp, Pacific pocket mouse, Peninsular bighorn sheep, and three-spined stickleback.

Similarly, zoos in the city feature multiple exotic animals like polar bears, okapis, koalas, pygmy hippos, elephants, African penguins, hamadryas baboons, and more.

These non-native animals are mostly sheltered at one of the many child-friendly zoos in San Diego, including

• San Diego Zoo
• Elephant Odyssey
• Northern Frontier
• Zoofari Party Area
• Polar Bear Plunge
• Birch Aquarium at Scripps
• SeaWorld
• Children’s Zoo

Regular educational activities are essential for a toddler’s healthy mental health and intellectual development. San Diego provides a variety of infotainment activities that keep toddlers from getting bored easily.

For instance, at the Birch Aquarium, kids get to know over 60 species of marine life and have fun exploring the biodiversity. Likewise, the city also offers multiple opportunities for toddlers to learn life lessons and have fun at the same time.

Take a look at some of the best educational activities available for kids in San Diego.

• Visit the Fleet Science Center located in Balboa Park
• Take a tour of the San Diego Natural History Museum
• Explore the San Diego Botanic Garden
• Learn aviation history at the USS Midway Museum
• Take part in the Junior Ranger Programs
• Sail aboard historic steamboats inside the Maritime Museum