San Diego Summer Fun (No Sun Required)
It’s summer in San Diego…but it sure doesn’t feel like it yet! If you are chomping at the bit waiting for the sun to come out so your kids (and you) can really experience a San Diego summer, don’t despair. There are some great things you can do here in San Diego that don’t require beach weather.
Theme Parks: This weather is actually great for a theme park visit, and we have a few to choose from. Sea World and Legoland are both fantastic, sun or no sun.
The San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park: Again, no sun is needed to visit the animals. While you likely WILL find sun at the Animal Park the cooler temperatures will make it more comfortable than normal at this time of the year.
Balboa Park: I actually visited with my kids a few days ago and we had a blast. With so many museums, exhibits, ponds, wonderful kids’ play area and the IMAX theater you can’t go wrong…there is something for everyone. You can bring a picnic lunch or enjoy lunch at the tea house or the Prado, or grab a sandwich from several museum cafes. It is a great way to spend the entire day or just a few hours.
Old Town: Turn your summer day into a historical and delicious one! Old Town is a great place to stroll around. You can learn about the history of San Diego and California, do some shopping and have a scrumptious lunch at one of the many restaurants (personally I recommend one that has homemade tortillas).
Coronado: This is a great place to spend the day. You can walk or bike around the island and spend time shopping the quaint shops on Orange Avenue. There are numerous restaurants to choose from, or you can picnic on the beach or in the park. Better yet, you can take the Coaster to the downtown station, walk to the harbor and take the ferry over to the island to make it an adventure.
Downtown San Diego: If you haven’t been downtown in a while you are really missing out. Shopping, dining, theater, trolley rides, the fabulous and improved San Diego Children’s Museum and Seaport Village, just to name a few things.
Take a Hike or Walk: With so many great trails throughout the county you have a lot of choices for a beautiful hike. My favorites are Torrey Pines, the Cabrillo National Monument trails and the Batiquitos Lagoon trails in Carlsbad.
Ride a Bike: Again, no sun is required and there are so many choices! Mission Bay is great because there is no traffic, but other wonderful places like Coronado and Oceanside have nice trails for riders of all ages.
La Jolla: Spend the day in La Jolla and you will feel like you are a million miles away. You can bike, kayak, beach it, visit a museum or galleries, shop, dine, fly a kite…the list is endless.
I could write a much longer post because there are SO many fun and exciting things to do here in San Diego, no matter the weather. Hopefully you have some ideas to help you forget about the absence of the sun…and even when the sun DOES come out all the above are still great ways to spend the summer. So get out there and have fun!
