Dive Into San Diego's Water Parks

The largest man-made aquatic park in the country, Mission Bay is all about family fun. Its 27 miles of shoreline offers golden beaches for sand castles, sunbathing and shell collecting. Water adventures include sailing, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, windsurfing, water skiing and fishing. On shore, the park features miles of bike paths, playgrounds, grassy picnic areas, volleyball nets and more. Boats and bikes can be rented from many of the resort hotels and aquatic centers that line the bay. There are also two boat launch ramps at Ski Beach and South Shores. The park regularly hosts exciting events such as the San Diego Crew Classic and the summer Over the Line Tournament. And when the sun goes down, a number of park beaches feature bonfire rings, where making memories is only a s'more away.

San Diego’s newest theme park is full of watery wonders, with 11 aquatic attractions to complement its generous collection of “dry” rides. The 17-acre Sesame Place – the only “Sesame Street”-themed park on the West Coast — invites visitors to try out such splashy, family-minded rides and slides as Bert’s Topsy Turvy Tunnels, Snuffy’s Spaghetti Slides and Oscar’s Rotten Rafts, as well as Big Bird’s Beach, a 500,000-gallon wave pool surrounded by a sandy beach. The park, operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment and now open year-round in San Diego’s South Bay community, is also a Certified Autism Center.

The LEGOLAND Water Park, tucked inside LEGOLAND California Resort in the North County Coastal community of Carlsbad, combines water play with LEGO creativity. It’s a perfect spot for toddlers and tweens, particularly LEGO aficionados, as it features more than 20 LEGO models, including a 45-foot-tall tower with multiple slides and a shallow wading pool, two sandy beach wading areas, a splash zoo for little tikes and a lazy river, complete with giant LEGOs that allow you to customize your own raft. Admission to LEGOLAND is required for use of the water park and is an additional fee. The water park is seasonal, open May through October (and only on weekends in May, September and October).

The Wave water park is the perfect place to cool off when you're in the City of Vista in San Diego's North County Inland region. This aqua-playground has plenty of pools and waterslides including the Slide Tower, featuring four exciting slides—the Salsa Twist, the Tubulation, the Flash Flood and the Slam Dunk. Try the Flow Rider, a simulated wave machine for body boarding, or relax on the lazy river while tubing. Little ones love Rippity's Rainforest, a two-story play structure with tunnels, bridges, slides and more for kids under 48 inches. Children under 3 years old are free, as is parking. The park is open from late May through mid-September.