Families Enjoy Special Deals at San Diego Hotels, Attractions, Restaurants, Arts and Culture Venues and More
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During the entire month of October 2012, families with children can enjoy special deals at more than 105 San Diego hotels, restaurants, attractions, museums and transportation companies during "Kids Free San Diego" Month. Providing families an opportunity to save during budget-conscious times, "Kids Free San Diego" Month offers a variety of "kids free" incentives, ranging from complimentary meals, attraction admission and Amtrak rides to welcome amenities at area hotels and much more.
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Consistently rated one of the top family destinations in North America, San Diego is home to world-class family attractions, abundant arts and culture, family fun eateries and hotels and popular activities likes surfing, whale watching and golf. As the summer beach crowds diminish, visitors to San Diego in October can relish in the region's sunny weather and warm temperatures and enjoy a number of fun-filled fall activities. Below are highlights of the first-ever, annual "Kids Free San Diego" month.
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Kids Ride Free on Amtrak and Local Sightseeing Tours

Parents don't have to worry about transportation expenses with the following money-saving offers:

• Amtrak is offering one child, ages 2-15, free rides per one paid adult rail fare aboard the Pacific Surfliner route, servicing San Luis Obispo to San Diego. Stops en route include the Santa Ynez Valley, Carpinteria, Ventura, Oxnard, Van Nuys, Burbank, Glendale, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Orange, Santa Ana, Irvine, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente and more.
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• Hornblower Cruises & Events is offering two kids free with each paid adult and Flagship Cruises & Events is offering one kid free with each paid adult, ages 12 and under, on their popular 1- and 2-hour harbor tours along picturesque San Diego Bay. 
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• One child, age 12 or under, rides free per one paid adult on the entertaining, on- and off-boarding Old Town Trolley Tours of America and the thrilling San Diego SEAL Tours Sea and Land Adventures. 
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• With one paid adult admission, kids, ages 17 and under, can search for blue and grey whales on a 2.5-hour whale watching excursion with Newport Landing Whale Watching. 

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Save Big on World-Class Family Attractions

Home to the world-famous San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, SeaWorld San Diego and LEGOLAND® California Resort, San Diego is offering substantial savings this October with free kids' admission to more than 30 local attractions. 

• All kids, ages 11 and younger, are admitted free into the San Diego Zoo, home to 3,700 rare and endangered birds, mammals and reptiles, and the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo Safari Park, where animals roam free over vast expanses as they would in their native habitats of Africa and Asia. 
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• SeaWorld San Diego on picturesque Mission Bay is offering one child, ages 3 to 9, free admission with one full-paid adult admission. The same offer is valid at Dine with Shamu, and kids, ages 10 to 12, can participate for free in SeaWorld's Dolphin Encounter and Dolphin and Beluga Interaction Programs with one paid adult participation (kids must be at least 48" tall to participate). 
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• LEGOLAND® California Resort, featuring 128 acres of LEGO-themed fun and more than 50 interactive attractions, and SEA LIFE™ Carlsbad Aquarium, with 36,000 sq. ft. of play zones and marine exhibits, are offering a free one-day Child Hopper Ticket for one kid, ages 12 and under, with purchase of a full-price one-day Adult Hopper Ticket.

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Hotels Roll Out the Welcome Mat for Kids

Located throughout the San Diego region, more than 30 hotels, ranging from budget to luxury, are rolling out the welcome mat this October for kids. Kids eat free at many hotels or receive special welcome gifts upon arrival at others.

• Kids can eat free at a number of family friendly properties, including the Catamaran Resort & Spa on Mission Bay, the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego in downtown and the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa, located next to LEGOLAND California Resort. 
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• In addition to free dining, kids staying at the Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa on Mission Bay can enjoy Kids S'mores Night on Wednesdays, Kids Night Out with popcorn and hot cocoa on Fridays and opportunities to feed the resort's colorful koi fish on Saturdays. 
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• The luxurious, historic Hotel del Coronado on the "island" of Coronado is offering a cuddly plush, blue octopus to welcome all kids upon check in to the hotel.

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Kids Feast at San Diego's Restaurants

After a day at the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld San Diego or popular museum, parents can enjoy a fine meal while kids dine free at fun family restaurants.

• Kids can chomp down on cheese pizza and classic pasta combinations while parents enjoy the relaxed yet elegant ambience at Vigilucci's Ristorante Coronado. 
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• The Ben & Jerry's hot fudge sundaes and milk shakes will keep the kids smiling at downtown's Hard Rock Café San Diego, while the rock 'n' roll memorabilia provides entertainment for adults. Also located downtown, kids can dine free at another restaurant known for showcasing rock 'n' roll history, Croce's Restaurant & Jazz Bar.

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Kids Learn and Have Fun at San Diego's Diverse Arts and Culture Venues

Kids have endless options to learn and have fun at more than 30 San Diego museums countywide that are offering free admission to all kids, ages 12 and under, in October. Here are just a few of San Diego's many kids-friendly museums to discover:

• Located in Balboa Park, which is often called the Smithsonian of the West, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center is an educational, entertaining experience for guests of all ages with seven galleries of hands-on science exhibits. Its IMAX Dome Theater, the first of its kind in the world, presents IMAX films and lively planetarium shows.
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• The New Children's Museum in downtown San Diego is an interactive arts destination for families that encourages children to think, play and create with innovative, hands-on art opportunities, classes and first-rate exhibitions designed by emerging and established contemporary artists.
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• Kids can explore maritime history aboard the USS Midway Museum and the Martime Museum of San Diego, docked along San Diego Bay. Families can marvel at the helicopters and fighter jets aboard the flight deck of the Midway or step back in time aboard the Maritime Museum's San Salvador, a living-history exhibit offering a historically accurate reconstruction of the ship that first breached the San Diego harbor in 1542. 
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• At the Birch Aquarium at Scripps in La Jolla, kids can find an oceanographic museum with more than 3,000 fish on exhibit. The aquarium presents undersea creatures in realistic habitats and allows visitors to experience the frontiers of marine science through interactive museum exhibits and participation in exciting educational activities.

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Throughout the month of October, arts enthusiasts of all ages can also enjoy special promotions and deals at more than 45 San Diego arts and culture organizations, including theater, music and dance, during Fall for the Arts 2012, a month-long spotlight on the region's vibrant arts and cultural offerings. Highlights include:

• All kids, aged 6 and under, can enjoy for free the one-of-a-kind Trolley Dances 2012, performed by the Jean Isaacs San Diego Dance Theatre. During the weekend of October 6-7, guests ride the light-rail San Diego Trolley and travel to six stops where site-specific dance is performed by 50 of San Diego's most adventurous dancers. 
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• Kids of all ages can attend for free the opening concert of the Art of Elan's 6th Season. Held on October 7, Art of Elan presents innovative, one-hour chamber music performances that draw inspiration from the word elan, which represents momentum, vigor and spirit, and aim to expose new audiences to classical music.

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Kids Can Hang 10 and Learn to Golf

During October, kids can enjoy a variety of free activities from learning to surf to perfecting their golf swing and following in the footsteps of local championship golfer Phil Milkelson.

• With a purchase of one adult lesson, one child, ages 5-12, receives a complimentary lesson from the Surf Diva Surf School in La Jolla, the world's first all-woman surf school.
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• At the San Vicente Golf Resort in San Diego's East County, one child, aged under 12, receives a free round of golf with one paid adult round.

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For a complete listing of "Kids Free San Diego" Month participants and their special offers, visit SanDiego.org/KidsFree. All offers are valid Oct. 1-31, 2012, and age limits and other restrictions vary by venue and activity.
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Happiness is calling in San Diego. For more information on San Diego's offerings, including exciting vacation packages and valuable coupons for attractions, restaurants and more, visit the San Diego Tourism Authority's website at www.sandiego.org or call 619-236-1212.

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