San Diego Travel Forum

Hi everyone,

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to give!

Here is our tentative itinerary -

La Jolla cliffs and Point Loma tide pools, Carlsbad Flower Fields and gem mine, Pine Valley and Mount Laguna, Ocean Beach Weds. night market, North harbor cruise and Midway Museum, L.A. for the day to tour the Kodak Theater (Idol fans).

Possible restaurants - Major's Diner in Pine Valley, Roberto's, looking for others in same price range

We are not looking for theme parks as we live in Orlando and have plenty here.

The girls are 14 and a mature 9 - they are not girly-girls. : ) Thanks again!

If your kids like to hike (even a little walk in the woods) check out Torrey State Pines Reserve - it's a gorgeous reserve on the water where you can see wild dolphins from land. There's beach next door where you can have a picnic before or after. Watch the sunset from here if you want to see a mind-bogglingly beautiful sight!

For inexpensive meals, check out Pizzeria Luigi's (awesome thin crust pizza) and Hodad's for the best burgers around.

If you have the chance cross over the big bridge from San Diego over to Coronado. Going over the bridge itself will give the girls a thrill. In Coronado there are a variety of things to do. Here is the link to there guide.http://www.coronadovisitorcenter.com/

Well...Pine Valley and Mount Laguna sort of throw me.?? Are you going to hike there?? LaJolla is nice and you might want to go to Scripps institute aquarium right along that road. Ocean Beach is a bit run down these days. Your girls might enjoy Encinitas. There is a nice state park called San Elijo with day parking where you can watch some really good surfers and there are a million cute restaurants and shops in Encinitas. There is always a market on Saturday. YOu might consider the surfliner train if you are going all the way to LA to see the Kodak Theatre.It runs along the coast. Old Town San Diego has some really good restaurants and the harbor area down there is nice. The San Diego Zoo is an option...the flower fields will take you as long as it takes you to drive by. Although they are pretty there is really nothing there but some flower fields. There is a big outlet mall by the flower fields if you like to shop. You might want to go to Balboa Park in San Diego. They have houses from every country and museums and your girls may enjoy it there. There are a number of companies that do balloon trips over the area. Just suggestions. have fun!

We just got back from San Diego. I suggest renting bikes on Coronado Island and doing a loop around the island, took about an hour and a half or so, plus you get to see a wide variety of scenery. It's quite safe for kids as the loop takes you on quiet side streets, bike paths, or designated bike lanes. There is a fun little farmer's market at the Ferry Terminal every Tuesday where you can stop and browse plus get some fresh squeezed juice or snacks.

Just ask the concierge at the Hotel Del Coronado for a bike map (we found it to be the most clear and detailed one), and then, walk north up Orange Avenue for a couple of blocks and rent bikes there, much cheaper.

If you want to see the Carlsbad Flower Fields without paying ($10.00 pp and probably not really worth it) there is a nice viewpoint you can drive up to, with benches. The road is called Paseo del Norte and it's near Legoland. Anyone who wants details, please e-mail me.

I'd definitely go to Coronado Island- the hotel itself is interesting to tour. Balboa Park has so many different places- you're sure to find something of interest there. I am not a big fan of zoos, but the San Diego zoo was so well done- and the polar bears are great. I thouroughly enjoyed the Mission Bay area- interesting to walk around.

Your older daughter will probably be thinking about colleges in a couple of years. You might consider taking a walking tour of UC-San Diego in La Jolla -- the campus is beautiful. http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/tours/index.html

I can't believe no one mentioned the San Diego Zoo! Our "kids" are in their 30s and still love it. So do we. Even better if you have transportation is the San Diego Wild Animal Park northeast of San Diego. It features the animals in very natural habitats, i.e. large large large. You will do a lot of walking but it is fun the entire way. They have staff who walk through the Park with "education" animals who are trained to interact with park visitors. This is a thrill to kids of any age, including very old kids like me. You can also go on a safari through the African veldt. The girafes come right up to the truck. It is a huge plain and the animals wander freely. They have edited out the predators who are in separate enclosures but the rest of the animals interact with each other.

Balboa Park in town (easy bus ride) is a definite must-see. There is something for everyone there, including the San Diego Zoo if you prefer that to the Wild Animal Park. It's smaller but still spectacular. Both zoo and park are also botanical gardens. There are museums, art galleries, gardens, a village, the zoo and many other things.

Have fun. It's a great city.

The first member replying did mention the zoo.

I agree, the zoo is fantastic, and a must-see. It's very hilly and there's quite a bit of walking, so don't try to be a saint, take the shuttles and the people movers.

Get there just as the zoo opens if you want to see the koalas and pandas in action, and get to them as fast as you can. They tend to nap a lot later in the day, and are quite active first thing in the morning. A photographer we met at the gate gave us this tip and we were so grateful. If you catch the pandas napping, they tend to nap for a couple of hours at a time, so go back and try again.

Sorry, meant to say "third member"

I have built pages about the areas you've mentioned and will refer them as I go along. It's not clear to me what you will expect from your visit, but I'd like to make a few comments for your consideration.

La Jolla Cliffs are best seen from an ocean view. Kayaking and skin diving is the most popular way of exploring the cliffs and the animals that inhabit them. The Cave Store does have an entrance down to some of the caves and there are tidepools below The Cave Store as well, which might be more feasible for your you and your girls. You might want to call ahead as their hours seem to be rather flexible. I tell about it on my La Jolla page. Next to The Cave Store there is a small hiking trail down along one of the cliffs.

While at the Point Loma tide pools you might also go up further to the Cabrillo National Monument. It is interesting and children love running around to explore. Besides the Old Lighthouse, which you can enter into, there are several historical spots you'll come upon that might spark the imagination. There are awesome views both on the eastside and the westside. There is a nice trail down the eastside of the peninsula that you might enjoy. You can read more about this on my Cabrillo National Monument page.

The Carlsbad Flower Fields are not quite as impressive if you arrive after spring time. While in Carlsbad, you might like to visit "Rancho de los Quiotes " Originally a working ranch and weekend retreat, now a life sized museum of historical Mexican/Early Californian buildings of the area. You can read about this on my Carlsbad page.

Ocean Beach also has a small tidepool area just south of the Pier.

Wow, thank you so much for all of your help! I intend to look at the pages of the helpful poster above.

As to what I hope to accomplish while in San Diego, I do not really have a goal beyond being able to show another side of America to my daughters. We are actually traveling to the city to visit my husband's extended family but they all have jobs during the day. Therefore, we have our days free to just look around and be tourists.

I love all of the ideas about the natural setting of San Diego and we will probably spend most of our time outside. We are leaving on the 28th of this month for a week. Is that still a good time to see the flower fields?

Thanks again!

Yes, I think it is a good time to see the Flower Fields.

If you enjoy outdoor activities, I think you will be please with San Diego.

Almost everything worth seeing is within an hour's drive.

Have a great time!