Mentioned by TravelMamas.com
15 Best San Diego Attractions for Kids | Family Activities in San Diego
"You’ll keep returning to this 1,200-acre urban park for its world-class zoo, restful cultivated areas, museums in refined Spanish Revival buildings and live shows. There’s a tapestry of gardens around the park, planted with more than 350 plant species hand-selected at the turn of the 20th century by the botanist Kate Sessions, the “Mother of Balboa Park”. An emblem for the park and San Diego is the Botanical Building, one of many splendid holdovers from the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition."
"The area that Balboa Park sits on used to be home to the indigenous Kumeyaay village, which soon became an 1835 Spanish park, and then an American city park in 1870. It was named after the first European to cross Central America, Vasco Núñez de Balboa."
"Balboa Park is one of the largest urban cultural parks in the United States. It has been home to a pair of world's fairs, and many of the buildings here were built for these expositions.[Learn more]"
"This award-winning children’s museum encourages children to think, play, and create with over 50,000 square feet of child-centered art installations, studios, and interactive spaces. From free play to guided workshops, this modern museum has a wide range of activities and events for creative kids. Young visitors are free to interact with working artists, design something in the Innovators LAB under the guidance local professionals, or explore the museum’s indoor and outdoor spaces with their families."
"This one, you guessed it, is the epicenter of best activities for kids in San Diego. Balboa Park in Gaslamp Quarter has 17 museums that alone will keep the whole family busy for a whole day, at least. Activities like Sketch Aquarium and Reconnecting to Home have age restrictions."
"If you haven't tried Taiwanese shaved snow, put Iceskimo on your list. They have six core snows (original, strawberry, green tea, lychee, black sesame and salted caramel) in addition to special, seasonal flavors. After choosing a flavor and watching the machine shave it into melt-in-your-mouth, thinner-than-paper slices, customers can head to the DIY toppings bar with items ranging from fresh fruit to mochi to boba."
"Starting out as a pop-up shop back in the summer of 2014, ICESKIMO has since grown to become one of the best boba providers in San Diego. Here, you’ll find Asian-inspired desserts like Taiwanese shaved snow, a delectable dessert that is perfect for hot summer days. Their bubble tea is made fresh to order, with traditional flavors like black, green, Thai or Early Grey, as well as matcha and coffee."
"Taiwanese “snow” is shaved off large cylinders in ribbons so pretty they resemble peonies. Flavor choices include lychee, Stumptown coffee and matcha and toppings include everything from cheesecake and panna cotta to popping boba. The folks at Iceskimo offer this pro ordering tip: "request condensed milk layered in the middle for extra sweetness and creaminess."
"Located in Balboa Park, this place deserves its own spot on my list of Instagrammable places in San Diego!. Cacti are super photo-worthy, and that San Diego sunshine will give you the perfect lighting for an epic photo. (PS. Check out this post on how to pose for Instagram photos!)"
"One of San Diego’s oldest monuments, this lighthouse was raised in 1855 just five years after San Diego’s admission to the Union. Its life as a beacon for ships navigating San Diego Bay was quite short and it was deactivated when the new lighthouse was built by the water, 120 metres down the cliffs in 1891. After the foundation of the Cabrillo Monument in the 1930s the complex was restored and is now a prominent landmark and museum."
"It commemorates the landing of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542; first time that a European expedition had set foot on what later became the west coast of the United States. The lighthouse, which is often used to depict San Diego, dates from 1855 and was decommissioned in 1891. Both are part of the National Park Service."
"Located in Cabrillo National Monument, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse has an iconic spiral staircase that everyone loves to photograph. In Point Loma, you’ll also get a great view of the San Diego skyline over the bay. More: Tide pooling at Cabrillo National Monument + Secret Sea Cave"
"San Diego does not have a central arts district — instead a number of influential galleries are spread throughout the city. Quint Gallery, one the premier venues for contemporary art, is an excellent example of this sprawling philosophy. Located just off Interstate 5 in Bay Ho, it’s adjacent to a surf and skateboard shop along with a host of warehouse companies."