Families Enjoy Special Deals at San Diego Hotels, Attractions, Restaurants, Arts and Culture Venues and More

During the entire month of October 2013, families with children can enjoy special deals at more than 100 San Diego hotels, restaurants, attractions, museums and transportation companies during "Kids Free San Diego." Providing families an opportunity to save during budget-conscious times, "Kids Free San Diego" offers a variety of "kids free" incentives, ranging from complimentary attraction admission, meals and Amtrak rides to welcome amenities at area hotels and much more.

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. In October after the summer beach crowds diminish, visitors to San Diego 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 2nd annual "Kids Free San Diego" month.

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.
• Hornblower Cruises & Events and Flagship Cruises & Events are offering kids, ages 12 and under, a free ride on their popular 1- and 2-hour harbor tours along picturesque San Diego Bay. Hornblower's offer is good for two kids per each full-price paid adult admission, while Flagship offers one child per paid adult.
• 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.

Save Big at World-Class Family Attractions

Home to the world-famous attractions like the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, SeaWorld San Diego and more, San Diego is offering substantial savings this October with free kids' admission to 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.
• 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 13, 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).
• Belmont Park, a turn-of-the-century-style seaside boardwalk and amusement park in Mission Beach, is offering kids, ages 12 and under, free swimming, meals and more. Kids can ride for free on the park's 11 ticketed rides, including the National Historic Landmark "Giant Dipper," one of only two remaining beachfront wooden roller coasters on the U.S. west coast.

Located throughout San Diego, more than 40 hotels, ranging from budget to luxury, are rolling out the welcome mat this October for kids. Kids can 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 luxurious Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego along San Diego Bay and the historic Hotel del Coronado on the "island" of Coronado.
• Families staying at the Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa and the Bahia Resort Hotel along scenic Mission Bay can enjoy free rides for kids, ages 12 and under, aboard the Bahia Belle, an 1860s-era sternwheeler that tours the bay and offers transport between the two resorts. Kids must be accompanied by a paid adult hotel guest.
• Kids staying at the Tower23 Hotel, located just off the boardwalk in Pacific Beach, can enjoy a complimentary milk and cookies amenity as well as a free movie rental. The offer is valid for two children per paid adult guest.
• At the family friendly Paradise Point Resort & Spa on Mission Bay, families will receive up to two free kids' breakfasts daily during their stay, plus a $50 "Island Allowance" credit to spend on any resort amenity the kids desire, ranging from bicycle rentals to an "Ice Cream Pedicure" at the resort's signature spa.

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.
• At downtown's Hard Rock Café San Diego, the Ben & Jerry's hot fudge sundaes and milk shakes can keep the kids smiling, while the rock 'n' roll memorabilia provides entertainment for adults.
• After exploring the historic sites of Old Town San Diego, parents can unwind with a margarita and some classic Mexican fare at Barra Barra Saloon, while kids enjoy a free entrée with every paid adult entrée.

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 35 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:

• Planes, trains and automobiles can all be enjoyed in the many museums of Balboa Park, which is often called the Smithsonian of the West. The San Diego Air & Space Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate, presents aviation history from first flights to space travel, while the San Diego Automotive Museum displays classic automobiles and motorcycles from yesteryear. Lovers of toy trains can see the largest indoor model railroad display in the world at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum.
• Also located in Balboa Park, 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.
• Kids can explore U.S. Naval history aboard the USS Midway Museum, docked along San Diego Bay. Families can marvel at the helicopters and fighter jets aboard the flight deck of the decommissioned aircraft carrier or step below deck to see what life was like for the 200,000 sailors that lived aboard the ship during the Vietnam and Persian Gulf Wars.
• 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.

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

• With a purchase of one adult surfing lesson or session, one child, ages 5-12, receives a complimentary surfing session or lesson from the Surf Diva Surf School in La Jolla, the world's first all-woman surf school.
• At the Maderas Golf Club in San Diego's North County, junior golfers, ages 15 and under, can enjoy free golf after 3 p.m. when playing with a paid adult, plus free Callaway club rentals throughout the day.

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, 2013, and age limits and other restrictions vary by venue and activity.

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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