See San Diego on $100 a Day!
Vacationing can be a lot more fun and adventurous when you discover family friendly activities for less!
Note: Pricing is estimated and subject to change. Please confirm pricing with attractions prior to visit.
A three-mile boardwalk popular with inline skaters, skateboarders, runners and bicyclists connects Pacific Beach and Mission Beach. Both beaches feature designated areas for surfing and swimming for the entire family.
Cost: Free
Mission Beach's Belmont Park, features its vintage "Giant Dipper" roller coaster, carnival games and amusement arcades that provide fun for the whole family.
Cost: Unlimited ride wristband $19.95 per person over 50 inches, $12.95 under 50 inches
Fly a kite along the grassy field in the Tecolote Shores of Mission Bay Park, a 4,600-acre aquatic park. Here, away from trees and overhead wires, colorful kites are free to soar into the high-flying bayside breezes.
Cost: Free
Take a short drive to Point Loma and explore the tidepools when the tide is low and the pools are visible to see some of the magnificent creatures of the sea. Point Loma tidepools are located just short of the tip of Cabrillo Point, where you can also visit Cabrillo Monument.
Cost: Free
Gather your family and firewood and have a cozy beach bonfire at one of the select beaches around San Diego County, including Coronado Beach, La Jolla Shores and Mission Beach.
Cost: Free
Contemporary art can be enjoyed by all ages, and admission for children and teens is always free at Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego located downtown.
Cost: $10 per adult, 25 years and under free
You and your kids can think, play and create at The New Children's Museum, an interactive arts destination and San Diego's first public "green" project.
Cost: $10 per person
Make your way to the waterfront Embarcadero, where you will find the Maritime Museum. This museum's impressive fleet includes the world's oldest active ship Star of India, H.M.S. Surprise from the Academy Award winning film "Master and Commander," and the B-39 soviet-era Russian attack submarine to name a few.
Cost: $18 per adult, $8 per child
Flowers are in bloom at the beautiful San Diego Botanic Gardens in Encinitas where you can play at the Hamilton's Children's Garden, the West Coast's first interactive children's garden.
Cost: $10 per person
Oceanside is home to the longest municipal wooden pier on the U.S. West coast California Surf Museum where visitors can browse a permanent collection of historic boards and photographs.
Cost: $3 per adult
See the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside, which was the largest and richest of all 21 California missions and is often called the "King of the Missions."
Cost: $6 per adult, $4 children up to 18 years
Cruise along San Diego's 59-mile scenic drive through popular neighborhoods and scenic lookouts, including picturesque La Jolla and Cabrillo National Monument with its spectacular views of San Diego Bay, downtown San Diego and Coronado.
Cost: Free
Get your shop on in Ocean Beach. With hundreds of antique dealers in six malls, the Ocean Beach Antique District offers the largest concentration of antique and collectible dealers in San Diego County. The district offers shoppers an array of unique, eclectic retail settings and features one-of-a-kind antiques, mid-century modern furniture, fine estate, vintage jewelry, and specialty memorabilia.
Cost: Window shopping is free, antique prices vary
Rollerblade, skateboard or bicycle along the Mission Beach Boardwalk, a scenic 3-mile boardwalk along picturesque Mission and Pacific Beaches.
Cost: Rollerblade rentals $10+ for half day
Learn to surf at the Wave House on the FlowRider. The thrills of riding a wave with the safety of padding if you fall.
Cost: $20 per hour plus a $10 one-time registration fee
Downtown San Diego is a shopper's dream. The 16.5-block historic Gaslamp Quarter boasts more than 75 boutiques including hip favorites like Urban Outfitters and Lucky Jeans; skate and surf gear, home furnishings and luxury brands.
Cost: Free
Take a GPS guided GoCar tour around the city that Balboa Park, Petco Park, the Gaslamp, Seaport Village, and the Zoo and offers interesting hidden gems as well.
Cost: $42 per hour
Spend your afternoon at the world-famous San Diego Zoo, a 100-acre tropical garden that houses 4,000 animals of 800 rare and exotic species.
Cost: $37 per person
With seven galleries of hands-on science exhibits, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center is an educational, entertaining experience for visitors of all ages. Enjoy a unique movie experience at the the IMAX Dome Theater, the first of its kind in the world, presents IMAX films and lively planetarium shows.
Cost: $14.50 per person
Take a scenic, one-hour drive to Mt. Laguna for a hike, bike or picnic while enjoying the fresh mountain air whispering through the pines. Learn more...
Cost: Free
Or, begin your day in the Anza Borrego Desert. From here, make the drive from the deep canyons of the desert to the top of the mountains to sightsee in Julian, a century-old gold mining town.
Cost: Free
Take a one-hour guided tour on horseback through the lush environment of Julian.
Cost: $55 per person
If you need a little excitement after this relaxing day, throw the dice all night at Barona Casino. Choose from 2,000 slots, video poker and video keno machines, as well as 70 table games, including blackjack, Super Fun 21, progressive Pai Gow poker and more.There's also a poker room, off-track betting parlor and bingo hall.
Cost: Free Admission
Sometimes called the "Rodeo Drive" of San Diego, La Jolla's Prospect Street overlooks the Pacific Ocean and is lined with small specialty shops, boutiques, antique emporiums and art galleries. Spend an afternoon window shopping at elegant, designer fashions in sophisticated apparel shops as well as exquisite and original fine jewelry of magnificent and brilliant gems.
Spend hours snorkeling off San Diego's shores to see spectacular creatures of the sea. La Jolla Shores and Cove offers some of the clearest waters on the California coast, as well as miles of protected underwater preserve to explore.
Cost: Mask and snorkel rental $7 per person
Enjoy the sunset together as you paddle from La Jolla Shores into the sunset. Tour the La Jolla Coves during a Sunset Kayak Tour from Hike Bike Kayak and watch the sun dip while creating a magnificent view.
Cost: $40 per person in tandem kayaks
Take a bird watching tour of burrowing owls and varied bird species at the Chula Vista Nature Center, located on the Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in South Bay.
Link:
Cost: $11 per person
Tour the 16½-block Gaslamp Quarter , founded in 1867, and filled with beautiful, historic Victorian buildings that now house a thriving dining and shopping scene.
Cost: Free
Spend your evening enjoying live music in vibrant downtown San Diego. Music venues such as House of Blues, and Croce's let you dance the night away while watching some swinging live acts
Enjoy the scenic drive to Temecula, which is among the finest varietal grape-growing regions in the western United States. The region boasts a variety of vineyards, from larger wineries that feature guided tours and full gift shops to small family-run places, where visitors can elbow up to the oak bar to taste a fume blanc and petite sirah, and get a "tour" by simply turning around and glancing at huge tanks, vats and machinery just behind them.
Relax and enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of a winery ending a with private wine and food pairing at South Coast Winery Resort & Spa.
Cost: $25 a person
Hope that lady luck is on your side while playing slots and table games at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, which features 2,000 slot machines, a non-smoking 27-table poker room and 60 game tables, including blackjack, Pai Gow, Let it Ride and more.
Cost: Free admission
Start the day with a San Diego Harbor Excursion, which provides leisurely daily excursions on a variety of boats and offers professionally narrated tours of San Diego Bay.
Cost: $20 per person
Explore the sights at the waterfront Seaport Village. The 14-acre shopping center blends rustic touches with sophisticated art galleries, an antique merry-go-round, raucous amusement arcade, scenic bay views, picnic facilities, more than a dozen restaurants, and 60 theme shops.
Cost: Free
Take a tour of the USS Midway Museum. Berthed along San Diego Bay, highlights include access to the mess desk; berthing spaces; hanger deck; flight deck; Mach Combat F-8 and F-4 phantom flight simulators and flight stations and interactive, story-telling docents.
Cost: $18 per person
Watch the sun set while sipping drinks on the rooftop deck of Stingaree nightclub. Dance the rest of the night away while the DJ plays at this hip, downtown venue.
Cost: $20 per person
Take an early morning hike at Mission Trails Regional Park, which offers miles of hiking and biking trails that meander along the San Diego River. The park's Cowles Mountain (1591 ft.) offers an impressive hike to the top.
Cost: Free
Visit the Heritage of the Americas Museum, a history museum of the americas focusing on natural history, archaeology, anthropology, art, and education located in El Cajon.
Cost: Adults $18, Seniors $2
Spend your evening perusing the outlet shops and then win big at Viejas Casino & Outlet Center.
Cost: Free Admission
Take a two-hour harbor tour on Hornblower Cruises to start the day off with gorgeous views of the city.
Cost: $25 per person
Part of the charm of visiting Coronado is just getting there in the first place. The Coronado Ferry leaves from downtown San Diego at the Broadway Pier and travels to and from the Ferry Landing Marketplace.
Cost: $7 per person
Savor the delicious flavors of wine, fine cheeses and gourmet chocolate at ENO wine bar at the Hotel del Coronado.
Cost: $10 per person and up
See the sights of Coronado on board your own two-wheeler. Bikes and Beyond offers bike rentals, perfect for taking your own scenic tour around town.
Cost: $7 per person
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