Family vacation advice: (So Cal)

[RankRam]

Hello all,



I sure could use some advice about a trip my wife and 11 year old son and I are planning. She wants to go to Universal Studios Hollywood, she thinks it will be alot of fun, I sure hope she is right!:-laf



So after a day of fun and excitement, there we are traveling to the San Diego Zoo, I have to admit I have always wanted to go there, I think it will be alot of fun, I sure hope I'm right!:-laf



If anyone has any advice about where to stay or not stay please let us know.



Also if you know of any other attractions we should see, please let us know.



Thanks!

 

[daytripper63]

Hello all,



I sure could use some advice about a trip my wife and 11 year old son and I are planning. She wants to go to Universal Studios Hollywood, she thinks it will be alot of fun, I sure hope she is right!:-laf



So after a day of fun and excitement, there we are traveling to the San Diego Zoo, I have to admit I have always wanted to go there, I think it will be alot of fun, I sure hope I'm right!:-laf



If anyone has any advice about where to stay or not stay please let us know.



Also if you know of any other attractions we should see, please let us know.



Thanks!

Last time the family and I took that trip we stopped by LEGOLAND on the way down to San Diego (it is right off the freeway) I have to say entertainment wise it was o. k. but if you look at it from a engineering / creative view it is incredible what was built with the same Lego's I played with as a kid. plus they have a few roller coasters etc too.

As for Sea World, we have been a couple times on our trips that direction, we have always had a good time there and at Universal Studios but you better get to Universal Studios when they open cause you can easily spend a full day there, and be ready for the food court when you get hungry, it will put a dent in your BOMBING funds :-laf

 

[RandyHamilton]

What DayTripper said

Universal studios is a fun time. Sea World is a good time as well. As for the SD Zoo, if you are not prepared to do a lot of walking up and down hills think about taking the bus tour... Last time I went 5 hours walking wasn't enough time to see everything,,, of course we spent a lot of time just watching the Gorillas!!!



If you are looking for a nice spot to take some photos, there is a lighthouse at the end of Point Loma that is a nice spot for that. . If you are into nature or hiking, the Cleveland National Forest is about 30 miles east of San Diego, just take Interstate 8 till you see the sign. . There is a quaint littlel town up there called Julian that has some nice (pricey, at least to me) antique shops. Here is a link to the towns website with more info.



http://www.julianca.com/

 

[AKAMAC]

If you have the time, the Six Flags park in Castiac is on the way down. The 11YO will get a kick out of the coasters. SD zoo is a 2 day thing and you will need walking shoes. If you are RVing you can stay at Torry Pines pull out for free. I have a house there so can't help with hotels but have heard good things about the new downtown metroplex. Balboa park is close to the zoo and a nice place to have a picnic. Have fun! Mike

 

[RandyHamilton]

If you have the time, the Six Flags park in Castiac is on the way down. The 11YO will get a kick out of the coasters. SD zoo is a 2 day thing and you will need walking shoes. If you are RVing you can stay at Torry Pines pull out for free. I have a house there so can't help with hotels but have heard good things about the new downtown metroplex. Balboa park is close to the zoo and a nice place to have a picnic. Have fun! Mike

I think the Zoo is actually IN Balboa Park. And there is an aerospace museum in Balboa park as well. There is also an outdoor ampitheater in Balboa park right by the Aerospace museum. They do live theater there as well as live concerts. It is directly under final approach to SD Airport and when a plane comes over during a play all actors FREEZE in place and pick up after the plane has passed so that nobody misses anything. It's a pretty neat thing to experience.



The downtown area of SD is also not to be missed. LOTS of outdoor cafe's, resturants, etc. Croce's resturant, run by the widow of Jim is there. LIve music nightly (Jazz). It is a "fine dining" establishment so will not be cheap.

Dinner and drinks for two will run you $100 or more at todays prices.

 

[RankRam]

Thanks so much for the reply's, we are staying in motels and we have never been to this area.



If anyone has any more info, please let us know!



We usually go to places that are much less populated, such as Utah and Idaho.



Now get this, I have decided to take the wifes car, after reading about all the Ram thefts down near the border.



Thanks!

 

[RandyHamilton]

Tijuanna would perhaps be a worthwile day trip. If you decde to go, take the trolly to the border and walk across the border. Downtown SD is only about 15 miles from the border.

 

[jwilliams3]

La Brea Tar pits in L. A. is good place to check out. Right near Hollywood.

Also, if you like art L. A. Museum of Art is there also. The Getty Center is also another good place for art (and free).

 

[surfbeetle]

I am born, raised and still living in San Diego. For starters, as for a place to stay, there is Hotel Circle, it is on I-8 between I-5 and state route 163. It is pretty much centralized in the City of San Diego. If you want to spend more, there is always the Hotel del Coronado in Coronado Island. No its not really and island, rather its a peninsula. Also there are hotels along the beach in Pacific Beach and La Jolla.



You didn't say when you were coming down, but last week, snow chains were required to get to Julian.



The zoo by itself is only a one day affair, make sure to take the bus tour, if you add Balboa Park, you can add one or two more days to that. Balboa Park has a lot museums to see, everything from aerospace, autos, to art. Also in Escondido (north SD County) there is the Wild Animal Park, which is part of the Zoo organization, is another day spent.



As mentioned before, there is Legoland, its good for younger children, my oldest is six, she loves it. They get less interested as they get older. Sea World is also another day, but it can get pricey. If you like Budweiser, it has a beer garden and the horses as well.



In downtown, there is the gaslamp quarter, lots of shops and restaurants. You can also see the Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum in downtown at the foot of B street, just south of the Star of India. Seaport Village is south of the Midway.



In the beach area, there is La Jolla, pronounced La Hoya, remember lots of things around here are spanish named. Scripps Institute of Oceanography and Aquarium is in La Jolla.



If you are game, you can go down to Mexico, see Tiajuana, Rosarito, Puerto Nuevo as well as Ensenada which is about 70 miles south of the border. If you don't want to go to Mexico, you can see Old Town San Diego, its the original San Diego Settlement with shops and lots of Mexican tradition.



In Mission Beach, there is Belmont Park and the Little Dipper Roller Coaster, built in the 1920's and restored in the '90s. There is even a wave park there.



I hope I have given you some food for thought. Enjoy your trip.

 

[Greenleaf]

Don't forget to check out Santa Anita Park and take a picture of the life sized bronze "buscuit" for me. Lota history there at that place. Rt 66 is close by too!!!