Surf and Sun in San Diego
Since our school is closed this week, we decided it was time for a quick trip south to San Diego. Our son is almost at the age when Legoland will not longer be interesting, and both my husband and I went to college at the University of California, San Diego. That, and the generally good weather in San Diego year-round, helped us decide on this quick family vacation.
We drove down from the Bay Area (a wonderful 9 hour trip in the car with two small kids!) and stayed at the Pacific Terrace Inn in Pacific Beach, and visited Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. Both places are excellent for families, and the American Automobile Association (AAA) is even running a special for Sea World! My kids loved Sea World, my daughter commenting to me that she was surprised that Shamu could jump so high.
After a day of visiting Sea World, and another day spent on the beach (we could see the Pacific Ocean from our hotel room), we drove north, visiting UCSD on our way to Legoland. U.S. News and World Report ranks UCSD as the 7th best public university in the nation, and 32nd among the nation’s top 50 universities. Clearly, this all happened after I graduated, but I still looked forward to visiting the place where participation in the Overseas Travel Program in my junior year helped me discover my desire to explore the world through travel.
Following our morning visit, we headed up to Legoland in Carlsbad. Our friends have told us great things about this park, and my 7 year old son and 5 year old daughter certainly found much to entertain them. My daughter loved the fact that she was tall enough to ride any ride she wanted. My son, of course, wanted to spend all his time on the Knights Joust. However, both kids were slightly disappointed in Legoland, after our action packed Disneyland experiences. Legoland is great for a first-time amusement park visit and is also perfect for the toddler set, as many areas of the park are specifically designed for the experience of little kids. That night, we stayed at the West Inn & Suites, which offers a double king room and complimentary breakfast, great for our family of four. And, they provided complimentary shuttle service to the park!
After a second half day at Legoland, we headed back home, taking an easy drive up the coast. All in all, a pleasant trip to San Diego for our family!
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3 Responses
The San Diego Wild Animal Park is our favorite place in San Diego. Very low tech, kind of the polar opposite from Sea World. Something about seeing those giraffes running across the “Serengeti” is amazing…
Great insight on Legoland. I realize now I need to take my kids this year before their interest wanes.
Patricia, I was certainly surprised about my kid’s reaction – I expected them to be totally ecstatic to be there. I think part of it was that we took a wrong turn when entering – to the left are a couple activities just for little kids, and there were parts of the park we completely skipped. On the second day, my son the Lego fanatic ended up in the building place, and that kept him well occupied for 1.5 hours. And both kids really enjoyed Miniland, where they have all these national monuments and recognizable tourist attractions miniaturized in Legos. So, my advice, with slightly older kids, go to the right upon entering the park and let your kids plan the day!
Cheers,