NEVER A DULL MOMENT FOR
KIDS IN SAN DIEGO
San Diego is a perfect destination,
custom-made for kids. With opportunities to sleep with
rhinos, swim with dolphins, eat lunch with Shamu (SeaWorld's
killer whale), test drive a life-size LEGO car, learn to
surf and get an up-close view of a giant panda, it was no
surprise San Diego was rated in 2001 "The most
family-friendly city in the southwest United States" by
readers of Family Fun magazine, for a second
consecutive year. No matter how young or old, San Diego is a
great place for children of all ages.
Following is a sampling of some of San
Diego's kid-friendly activities:
ANIMALS, ANIMALS, ANIMALS!
Kids love animals - especially baby
animals - and the
World-Famous San Diego Zoo has an
abundance of them. With more than 4,000 animals representing
800 species, there's a new baby born at the Zoo nearly every
day. At Horn and Hoof Mesa, two baby giraffes are a sight to see; just 6 months old, the half sisters are
gaining self-confidence through trials and
errors in negotiating their long, lanky legs. Polar Bear
Plunge is home to two polar bear yearlings that romp and
dive in a giant-sized pool chilled to a perfect 55 degrees.
During the summer, Nighttime Zoo provides kids the
opportunity to feed the giraffes, encounter surprise
encounters with animals and their keepers and view a number
of nocturnal animals, such as Indo-Chinese Tigers on the
prowl and snow leopards peering from their rocky outposts.
At the San Diego Wild Animal Park, just 30 miles
north of downtown, kids can see wild animals roam free over
large natural habitats, similar to the animals' native homes
in Africa and Asia. Taking the 50-minute, five-mile,
guide-narrated monorail tour is the best way for children to
view the park's 3,000 animals. During the Park's summer
program, Park in the Dark, kids and their families can bed
down in tents during a campout and pretend they're in Africa
as they go to sleep to the sounds of rhinos, giraffes and
gazelles, which can meander within a few feet of their
tents.
No visit to San Diego is complete without a trip to SeaWorld
San Diego. Starring Shamu, the famous
killer whale,
jumping and splashing at the Shamu Adventure show, SeaWorld
San Diego also features six other major shows and dozens of
state-of-the-art exhibits containing marine life from around
the globe. Kids are fascinated with the popular Wild Arctic,
Penguin Encounter, Shark Encounter, Manatee Rescue and
Pirates 4-D. Kids also enjoy the newest shows, "Pets
Rule," a zany, mischief-filled show where cats, dogs,
birds and even a pet pig leap into the air, weave through
obstacles and pounce around the stage, and "Cirque de
la Mer," a fanciful vision of whimsical, half
human/half sea creatures performing spectacular cirque-style
acts on a beautiful water stage along Mission Bay.
Seaworld San Diego's Trainer for a Day program allows
kids and other guests the opportunity to work with a real
trainer and interact with the animals. Another great way for
an up-close encounter is to dine with Shamu and see
the magnificent killer whales eye-to-eye.
SeaWorld San Diego's exciting water ride, Shipwreck
Rapids is one of the park's most popular attractions, as
well as Shamu's Happy Harbor, a 2-acre play area with net
crawls, slides, a water maze and a two-story fun ship. Older
kids also enjoy the Coco Loco Games and Arcade recreation
area.
Little budding Jacques Cousteaus will enjoy the
state-of-the-art Birch Aquarium at Scripps in
La Jolla, where they can watch science come to life.
In its newest exhibit, kids can join Scripps scientists and
fellow researchers live from their field sites, which are
amid the active volcanoes of Costa Rica, and receive daily,
detailed reports of research findings, including video of
the scientists in action and dramatic photographs of this
spectacular tropical region.
AMUSEMENT PARKS/RIDES
Offering a full day of interactive adventures,
located 30 minutes north of San Diego in Carlsbad, delivers fun,
imagination and entertainment in a country geared for kids
ages 2-12. Offering a "hands-on" experience like
no other, this 128acre theme park features more than 40
interactive attractions and rides that are "kid
powered," where kids push, pull, steer, pedal, squirt,
climb or build their way through a wonderland of activities.
LEGOLAND California's newest ride, LEGO TECHNIC Coaster, is
a wild roller coaster ride featuring dips, turns and top
speeds up to 26 mph. The park is open daily from Memorial
Day to Labor Day and during specific holidays in the spring
and winter. During the remainder of the year, the
park operates on five days a week, closing on Tuesdays and
Wednesdays.
Kids are guaranteed a splashing good time at Knotts
Soak City U.S.A., located in San Diego's South Bay. This
large 32-acre water park features 22 major water rides and
attractions, including 16 tube, body and speed slides;
Coronado Express, a family raft adventure; the
500,000-gallon Balboa Bay wave pool; Sparkletts Sunset
River, and the Gremmie Lagoon kid's water playground. During
the 2002 season, the park is open on the weekends during May
4-27 and September 7-29, and open daily from Memorial Day
(May 27) through Labor Day (September 2).
Located in the heart of the Mission Beach Boardwalk along
one of San Diego's most popular beaches, Belmont Park is
a favorite hang-out for older children, and features the
Giant Dipper roller coaster, a national historic landmark
that is ranked among the best wooden roller coasters in the
country. Other park highlights include the Mission Beach
Plunge, an indoor Olympic-size swimming pool, and the
Pirates Cove Family Playland.
Family Fun Centers, located throughout San Diego
County, offer hours of fun for kids of all ages, with
miniature golf, bumper boats, go-carts, batting cages,
arcade rooms and more.
Balboa Park offers plenty of rides for kids, all
located near the entrance to the World Famous San Diego Zoo.
The Butterfly Rides are for children ages 5 and younger and
feature butterflies and airplanes that move slowly in a
circle. The Carousel, built in 1910, features a menagerie of
animals, hand-carved by European craftsmen. This carousel is
one of the few in the world that still offers
the brass ring game for everyone taking a five-minute ride.
The Miniature Train is a locomotive that holds up to 48
passengers and takes a three-minute, half-mile trip through
four acres of Balboa Park. The train is a model G16 - now a
rare antique with as few as 50 currently remaining.
BEACHES
From swimming and snorkeling to playing volleyball and
building sandcastles, San Diego's 70 miles of beaches offer
a stretch of sand for kids of every age. Wetsuits,
snorkeling gear, surfboards and boogie boards are available
for rent at stands located on most beaches, and bikes and
rollerblades can be rented along the Mission Beach
Boardwalk, as well as other locations throughout the county.
La Jolla Shores, a true jewel of the southern
California coast, is recognized as one of the most
family-friendly beaches in San Diego County. The sandy shore
stretches approximately one mile and features a wide
concrete boardwalk that separates the beach from a large
grassy park, ideal for picnicking and volleyball games.
Kayaking is also popular along the shore, as families can
paddle during low tide to the La Jolla Caves to the south
and Scripps Pier to the north. Between the two is the La
Jolla Underwater Park and Ecological Preserve, a popular
recreational area for scuba divers and snorkelers.
Just south of La Jolla Shores is La Jolla Cove, a
popular area for snorkeling. Offering some of the clearest
waters on the California coast, kids can be seen here at any
given time in full snorkeling gear, exploring the waters for
unique sea creatures. Further south is the Children's
Pool, a small picturesque beach partially protected by a
large seawall. The Pool's original intent was to be a
fully-protected swimming area for children, but sand has
filled in much of the area inside the wall. Today, the beach
is popular for numerous sea lions that have made this
beach their home.
The coastal communities of Pacific Beach and Mission
Beach are also popular among families and young,
beach-going crowds. Connected by a three-mile boardwalk,
popular for jogging, biking and rollerblading, Pacific and
Mission Beaches bustle with activity day and night. Both
beaches feature designated areas for surfing and swimming,
and beach bonfires after sunset become the centerpiece for
barbecues and lively gatherings.
Kids who want to learn to surf can contact the San
Diego Surfing Academy, which offers surfing lessons and
surf camp year-round for the entire family.
FUN TRANSPORTATION
A fun way for kids to get around San Diego is by
taking the Coronado Ferry or San Diego Water Ta3d. The Coronado Ferry leaves from
the Broadway Pier commercial boat area in downtown and
travels to the Ferry Landing Marketplace in Coronado. The
Water Taxi offers scheduled service to and from Seaport
Village, the Ferry Landing Marketplace, Coronado Island
Marriott Resort and the Glorietta Bay Marina, across from
the Hotel del Coronado.
Kids will love Old Town Trolley Tour's Seal - Sea and
Land Adventures tour, an amphibious experience offering
a 90-minute land and water adventure. The amphibious
vehicles, measuring approximately 40-feet long and the
height of a double-decker bus, splash down into both San
Diego's Big Bay and Mission Bay and feature fun sights of
Coronado's North Island Naval Air Station, Point Loma,
SeaWorld San Diego and the picturesque San Diego skyline.
The red San Diego Trolley is another great way to
get around town. The trolley travels quickly, reliably and
safely to destinations around San Diego County, including
the international border, Center City, Mission Valley and
Fashion Valley shopping, the harbor and historic
attractions, as well as other stops along the way. Kids who
like train rides are sure to enjoy the Coaster, an
express rail train that travels from Oceanside to downtown.
Also, the Amtrak Surfliner is a great way for
families to escape busy freeways between southern California
cities.
With so many activities and attractions, children
will never have a dull moment in San Diego.
For Hotels and Resorts in California go to
California Hotels and
Resorts
For Family Attractions in California go to
California Family
Attractions
Article and pictures courtesy of the San Diego
Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Seaworld picture courtesy of Seaworld
San Diego
Legoland picture by M.J. Goldstein
San Diego Zoo picture courtesy of San
Diego Zoo
Balboa Park picture by Brett Shoaf
San Diego Wild Animal Park picture
courtesy of Zoological Society of San Diego
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There is no shortage of
San Diego
entertainment options for your kids, from its many amusement parks
to its wonderful zoos.
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