From Sea World to surfing, here are our favorite ideas on where to go when visiting sunny San Diego. By the way, southern California is a participant in the CityPass Program which includes admission to five popular attractions, with the added perks of no waiting in line plus a 29% savings off individual tickets for every member of the family. For general information on San Diego, call 619/232-3101 or San Diego Visitor & Convention Bureau.

Great Fun for the Kids

(Toddler to Age 8)

The San Diego Model Railroad Museum
1649 El Prado (in Balboa Park)
San Diego, California 92101
619/696-0199
With one of the largest collections of mini-gauge railroads in the world, some kids find this museum so terrific they never want to leave. Exhibits include the Pacific Desert Lines, with miniature trains 1/160 actual size, and the Toy Train Gallery which includes a 3 Rail and interactive models for children.

Rubin H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center
1875 El Prado (in Balboa Park)
San Diego, California 92101
619/238-1233
This museum has an the world's first and San Diego's only IMAX Dome theater where they show various educational movies and light shows about the world. Your kids will also find the more than 60 hands-on exhibits delightful, including Origins in Space, Aging for all Ages, Kid City and Gallery of Illusions and Perceptions.

LEGOLAND California
1 LEGOLAND Drive
Carlsbad, California 92008
760/918-5346 or 877/LEGOLAND
Legoland California is fashioned after its 30-year-old European namesake and the first of its kind in the U.S. The 128-acre complex was built using more than 130 million Lego blocks, and features 50 rides and eight themed areas. In reality, the park activities will interest kids 2-12 years, but visitors of all ages will enjoy the fantastic Lego constructions that adorn the park and the detailed artistry of their builders. In 2011, Star Wars Miniland became the newest addition to the park.  Seven scenes from the epic saga are constructed with 1.5 million Lego bricks.  There are life-sized models of Star Wars characters and interactive buttons for children to animate the models throughout the miniland.  Also new is the Water Park which features a 45-foot tower, 20 lego models and 2 wade pools, as well as retail shops and snack carts.

SeaWorld
500 SeaWorld Drive
San Diego, California 92109
800/25-SHAMU
Great marine exhibits and Shamu the whale shows make SeaWorld must-see entertainment for everyone. Make sure to reserve tickets for the Shamu Show by calling in advance during high seasons; it is very popular and sells out quickly. "Sesame Street Bay of Play" is a two-acre Sesame Street-themed interactive play area that includes Elmo's Flying Fish, Abby's Sea Star Spin and Oscar's Rocking Eel rides. You can rest your feet in the "Big Bird's Beach Party" show and the movie "Sesame Street Presents Lights, Camera, Imagination in 4-D." Call ahead to book Breakfast with Elmo and Friends.

Children's Museum/Museo de los Ninos
211 Maple Street
San Diego, California 92103
619/795-1419
This is an ambitious, "please touch" museum where kids and parents alike are invited to create their own art, experience virtual reality simulations and learn with both hands-on and "minds-on" activities. The museum reopened after a major expansion in May 2008, and features a dramatic three story atrium, a concrete entrance bridge and a glass-enclosed elevator.  The new, environmentally green facility features expanded galleries for hands-on art experimentation, a 250-seat-theater, and an indoor/outdoor café. Museum planners have included more handicapped access, stroller parking and diaper-changing facilties in the design. Parents will appreciate the one-acre Museum Park, located across the street, that boasts three shade-covered play spaces, open days and evenings.

The Old Globe
1363 Old Globe Way (in Balboa Park)
San Diego, California 92101
619/234-5623
This theater offers both indoor and outdoor performances and stages an outdoor summer Shakespeare festival that's a great opportunity for introducing the kids to the great playwright. Also performed are more contemporary plays which have included Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Damn Yankees, The Full Monty and Into the Woods.

Fun for Older Children

(Up to Age 18)

Learn To Surf
San Diego's Mission and Pacific Beaches provide great opportunities for beginners to acquire surfing skills. You can ask your hotel concierge where to find surfboard or sailboard rentals and lessons, or check out these top surfing schools:

Surf Diva- a premier surf school for women, Surf Diva is located on La Jolla Shores. Open year round, they offer lessons for men, women, and children, providing an overnight camp for teens. The La Jolla Shores provide an excellent landscape for beginners.
Ocean Experience- this program takes place at Ocean Beach and offers 3-hour lessons year round for all ages. Covering all areas of surfing from water safety and balance training, to paddling progression and catching waves this school is great for beginners. Ocean Beach has a welcoming atmosphere, and is known as a great beach to bring your dogs to. 
Pacific Surf School- lessons at this school are provided by a 22-year surf veteran, and take place on the calmer waves of Mission Beach. With year round surfing, Mission Beach is a great spot, especially for beginning surfers.
San Diego Surfing Academy- South Carlsbad State Beach is home to the San Diego Surfing Academy, which boasts expert instructors teaching students how to paddle, ride their board, and select the right wave. This beach is great for beginner and intermediate level surfers.

On rainy or low tide days, check out Wave House on the Mission Boardwalk, which offers the only FlowRide in San Diego, a simulated surf platform allowing expert surfers to improve their skills with non-stop waves.

Mission Bay Park
Follow 1-8 to Mission Bay Dr. or Ingraham St., or 1-5 to Mission Bay exits.
San Diego, California
619/276-8200
Unsatisfied by miles of beautiful natural coastline, the city transformed a swamp into a 4,235-acre aquatic sports center open year-round. It is the largest man-made aquatic center. Here the family can swim, sail, windsurf, kayak, waterski, and fish, mostly in areas designated for one sport only. On land there are picnic areas, playgrounds and plenty of open spaces, and boats and equipment are available for rent at several marinas.

Timken Museum of Art
1500 El Prado (in Balboa Park)
San Diego, California 92101
619/239-5548
This privately-owned museum is free of charge. Bring the kids here and expose them to some wonderful American, Russian and Western European art. Also, the Putnam Foundation Collection features San Diego's only painting by the famous Rembrandt.

Embarcadero Marina Park North
End of Kettner Boulevard, beyond Seaport Village
San Diego, California
This park has breathtaking views of the harbor, and is a great place to have a picnic, rollerblade, fly kites, or just relax and take in the fresh air. To purchase your picnic, kite or blades, take a stroll through busy Seaport Village, the type of lifestyle mall southern California is famous for.

Aerospace Museum
2001 Pan American Plaza (Balboa Park)
San Diego, California 92101
619/234-8291
The history of aviation and famous aviators is presented through colorful displays and exhibits. The museum is also responsible for the restoration of various engines, such as one from U.S. Army Air Corps Boeing P-26, which are then put on display in the Theodore Gildred Flight Rotunda. The exhibits track the history of flight from the Wright Flyer, to World Wars I & II to the Jet Age. Also, great for kids, there is a 360 Interactive Simulator Ride that gives riders the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of F-22 Raptor.

San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum
2131 Pan American Plaza (in Balboa Park)
San Diego, California 92101
619/234-2544
San Diego's greatest athletes are commemorated at this museum which exhibits posters, photographs, uniforms and memorabilia. Permanet exhibits for baseball and football will keep sports fans satisfied. However, less traditional sports, such as surfing, horse racing and fencing have recently been featured.

Fun for the Family

Balboa Park
Visitors Center at 1549 El Prado
San Diego, California 92101
619/239-0512
This park is a top choice for any family visiting San Diego. Besides the San Diego Zoo and 14 museums, the 1,400-acre park includes five theaters, three playgrounds, well-maintained gardens and acres of open grass for playing and picnicking. El Prado, the main thoroughfare, is lined with Moorish-style museums and theaters, some dating as far back as 1915.

San Diego Zoo
Zoo Drive (in Balboa Park)
San Diego, California 92101
619/231-1515
Not visiting this world-class zoo with some of the most innovative wildlife displays and imaginative activities around, is like not visiting The Louvre while in Paris. It is a simple must-see, that all nature lovers (regardless of age) will enjoy. Opened in 2009 is their fantastic new, interactive Elephant Odyssey exhibit that emphasizes ecology and African wildlife. In the spring of 2010, the renovated Polar Bear Plunge exhibit, borne of research in conservation and polar bear behavior, shows what is happening to the bears due to climate change in their native habitat, and allows guests to follow in their footsteps.  The ability to interact with these amazing creatures, learn more about their food sources, explore a snow den and other hands-on activiites will encourage adults and kids to "be green" and protect the earth for the polar bears and all other creatures.  The San Diego Zoo's Safari Park is at 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road in Escondido, 35 miles north of the zoo, is a wildlife preserve dedicated to protecting endangered species.

The Shops at Las Americas
4211 Camino de la Plaza
San Diego, California 92173
619/934-8400
Located on the border between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, The Shops at Las Americas is only 20 minutes from downtown San Diego is the country's largest outlet mall. This open-air outlet center houses over 125 stores, including an Old Navy outlet, Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole and California's only Neiman Marcus Last Call. And if the stores are not enough, the location contains decorative esplanades, courtyards and public plazas that are authentic to the Mexican culture.

Hotel Del Coronado
1500 Orange Avenue
Coronado, California 92118
800/468-3533
You and your family can tour this National Historic Landmark on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday afternoon, then go for a beach walk. Tastefully decorated, this gingerbread Victorian hotel is quite enchanting, and as worthy of a quick look as a week-long stay.

Old Town State Historic Park
North of downtown at Juan St., near intersections 1-5 and 1-8
San Diego, California
619/220-5422
View many restored historical sites such as colonial homes and early mansions. This area was California's first European settlement, and has retained that magnificent old-world-charm.

The Gaslamp Quarter
Bounded by 4th Avenue, 6th Avenue, L Street and Broadway
San Diego, California
619/233-5227
A wide variety of shops, over 200 quality restaurants, bars, nightclubs and lounges, as well as renovated Victorian-era architecture await visitors of this 16 1/2-block historic downtown district. A great locale for an evening stroll, there is great live entertainment at various pubs and eateries.

San Diego Trolley
San Diego, California
619/238-0100
These red train cars circle through downtown once every 15 minutes each day and connect Old Town and the eastern suburbs, passing through the Gaslamp Quarter, to finally arrive at Tijuana, Mexico. Fares range from $1.25 to $3.00 a ride, depending on distance traveled or for only $5 you can purchase the Day Tripper pass for unlimited usage.