Must-See California Theme Parks & Attractions

San Diego is packed with great things to see and do including these top theme parks and attractions.

SeaWorld San Diego

Spread across 190 acres on beautiful Mission Bay Park, SeaWorld is known for its amazing animals, interactive attractions, aquariums, rides, beautiful landscaping and education programs for all ages.

SeaWorld will celebrate Independence Day with a 15-minute display of fireworks set to a musical soundtrack, starting at 9:40 PM on July 4. Park hours on the Fourth will be 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

All summer long, SeaWorld lights up with Electric Ocean™, a summer nighttime extravaganza that transforms the park into an underwater world of colorful luminescence. Electric Ocean immerses guests in a glowing sea of wonder with bioluminescent-like lighting, an electrifying dance club with a world-class DJ and and your favorite SeaWorld attractions like never before. Electric Ocean kicks off June 16 and runs on select dates through Sept. 3.

Stay after dark and help us celebrate summer during Nighttime Zoo! Come “rock and roar” every day this summer with live music, fun shows, and special animal encounters. The fun begins before the sun goes down with an amazing trampoline act, Dr. Zoolittle’s special performances, and African-themed entertainment for the whole family. Musicians will serenade and engage guests with tunes ranging from classic rock riffs to jaunty brass band sounds to sweet beats from throughout Africa. A procession of larger-than-life animal puppets headline and end-of-the-evening performance that is sure to wow viewers of all ages.

There’s so much to do, see, and hear at Nighttime Zoo—it’s a good thing summer hours are longer!

Kick off your summer weekends in style every Friday evening at Balboa Park’s hottest after-hours event. Visitors of all ages can enjoy live entertainment while eating gourmet dishes from a rotating selection of more than a dozen food trucks parked on the Plaza de Panama and El Prado walkway. Free crafts and activities for kids.

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Summer Safari brought to you by Groupon opens up a world of exciting entertainment and foods from around the globe, including Africa, Thailand, India, the Pacific Islands, and Mexico.From the moment guests enter the Park they are immersed in an exciting adventure that includes our new Walkabout Australia experience, with a walk-through kangaroo habitat, viewing of cassorwaries, tree-kangaroos, and other Australian wildlife—to sound of a talented didgeridoo musician. The Park is filled with fun things to do and up-close encounters with spectacular animals like tigers at Tiger Trail, lemurs at Lemur Walk, unique and amazing birds at the Frequent Flyers bird show, and so much more.