Your comprehensive guide to a 4-day trip to San Diego with babies and toddlers in tow! Featuring kid-friendly museums and parks, beaches, fuss-free dining, and our favorite place to stay with walkable playgrounds. With gorgeous not-too-hot weather and lots of sunshine, San Diego shines as a kid-friendly vacation destination!
We did it--our first trip with two kids! They say traveling with two kids is parenting in another state and boy is that the truth. It's not a vacation by any stretch, but it's truly magical exploring the world through your kiddos' eyes.
It wasn't easy (flight delays/issues both ways, naturally) but we're so glad we got to enjoy one of our favorite places with our 3 ½ year old toddler and 1 year old baby.
We kept the trip relatively short, flying in Wednesday afternoon and leaving Sunday afternoon. For us, it was the perfect amount of time!
When to visit
The best part about San Diego is its predictable sunny, not overly hot weather. We actually went in early June this year and sadly it overcast and a little rainy. "June Gloom" is very real!
I'd advise visiting March through May and September through November, which are popular times for dry, sunny weather.
Where to stay
We absolutely adored our lovely AirBnB perched on a quiet, pretty street in the Hilcrest/Banker's Hill Area.
The location was perfect--super close to the Zoo, Sea World, and Balboa Park plus walkable to coffee shops and playgrounds. It's also 10 minutes from the airport and Little Italy.
The hosts really were intentional about making it feel like home, from fresh local bread and wine upon arrival to a fridge stocked with drinks, fruit and condiments.
They even had a high chair and pack n' play, which is so convenient for us. I had diapers and groceries delivered to the house through Prime when we arrived that worked out so well.
We like to rent a Turo for the week and there was plenty of easy parking, too.
Kid-friendly activities
We squeezed a lot of stuff into our trip! Since we only spent a couple hours at each place (that's our kids' max), it felt very manageable. We way prefer being out and about versus home so it worked well for us to stay busy in between naps!
We'd typically do playground or exploring with Max in the morning with one of us while the other stayed home to let Charlie nap (he can't nap on the go and him being rested made the trip way easier).
Regarding tickets, I can't recommend purchasing a San Diego CityPASS enough! If you're planning to go to LEGOLAND and/or Sea World, it is completely worth it. Admissions are not cheap, so it's nice knowing you can save up to 42%.
You get admission to both those attractions plus one time admission to three or more attractions, including the Zoo or Safari Park, USS Midway Museum, City Cruises, Birch Aquarium, Old Town Trolley Tours, and Maritime Museum.
The tickets are right there on your phone and the process couldn't have been more seamless!
The San Diego Zoo
I cannot rave enough about how fabulous this zoo is. I kept telling Jeff I felt like we were walking through a botanic garden!
Imagine a hundred acres of exotic plants and wildlife plus 3,700 rare and endangered animals all in one place. It was really special to experience their animal care and conservation efforts, too!
We'd love to go to Safari Park next time!
LegoLand
We adored this impressive theme park (bonus that it's beautiful and very clean!). Even though Max isn't into legos yet, there are so many fun play areas to explore (even without going on the rides since my toddler can't do lines yet).
We barely scratched the surface and can't wait to go back. You could spend days here!
Hot tip: grab lunch at The Windmill Food Hall after, just a couple minutes outside of the park. Explore the adorable town of Carlsbad after if time allows!
USS Midway Museum
This was Max's favorite attraction. What little boy doesn't want to roam around a gigantic battle ship with planes everywhere you turn?!
Located at Navy Pier, the USS Midway was the longest-serving aircraft carrier in the 20th century.
Afterwards, hit up Waterfront Park Playground down the street!
Sea World
What's not to love about this magical world of marine life? We had a Sea World in our town growing up so it was really amazing getting to experience it with Max. He only tolerated 10 minutes of the dolphin show (LOL) but still worth it.
For a smaller, easier sea life experience, check out Birch Aquarium in La Jolla.
Coronado Beach
A quick 20 minute drive from San Diego, we love spending an afternoon at this lovely beach strolling, playing in the sand, or waddling in the waves. You can also check out the iconic Hotel Del Coronado!
Afterward, check out nearby Spreckles Park, an stellar playground for the kiddos to run around! Grab ice cream at Salt and Straw on the way back to San Diego.
La Jolla Seals
We love taking the 25 minute scenic drive to La Jolla Cove to watch the seals barking, explore caves, and soak in epic sea views. Birch Aquarium is nearby, too.
We always like to do some shopping (and people watching!) around La Jolla after. Grab tacos at Puesto if time allows!
Where to chow down
We're still exploring the food scene and honestly we do pretty much all takeout when we travel with our kids at this age. Below is what we love thus far!
Bird Rock Coffee: We hit up this favorite local coffee shop in Little Italy each morning. Great pastries, too. James & Co is another great local coffee shop walkable from our AirB&B.
Puesto: Definitely our favorite taco spot in San Diego with a few different locations. The griddled cheese is just everything!
Lola55 Tacos: A new to us downtown taco spot that I found when googling Bib Gourmand restaurants in the area. Easily some of the best tacos we had there! Don't skip the baja local fish and smoked carnitas tacos.
What the Health Thai: Absolutely scrumptious Thai takeout that's veggie-forward and clearly made with thoughtful, high-quality ingredients. The pad see ew and green curry were phenomenal.
Bica: A bit more of a drive, but this is great chef-inspired breakfast or casual lunch spot with full service coffee, tartines, sandwiches, and pastries. The lox tartine was delish!
Parakeet Café: With locations all around the neighboring towns, this health-forward restaurant and juicery has delish brunch, power bowls, vibrant smoothies, and coffee galore. We love grabbing food to-go when we're with the kiddos!
Buona Forchetta: Incredible pizza that truly reminded me of what we had in Italy. Simple Italian food done well. Bonus points that they deliver!
Thank you to San Diego CityPASS for providing a pass for our trip. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts are my own.
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