tips on visiting SD with kids

Gonna take two days in San Diego. Have never been. Planning on Sea World and Lego Land.

Three little kids.

What area to stay?
And apart from a cheesecake factory, where perhaps to eat something tasty despite three kids.

When you wrote SD I thought you meant South Dakota and I thought you were nutz. Legoland is good for young kids, seaworld has something for everyone. I would suggest the Wild Animal park too but there is lots of hilly walking. My kids liked it better than the zoo which of course is another idea. Drive out to Pt Loma get some fish go exploring, go to the children’s pool in La Jolla and see the seals. I don’t know what your budget is but we used embassy suites because it gives you more room. The hilton on the harbor by seaworld has some amazing rates sometimes.

George

I nice place that my family and I went to was a place called Paradise Point. Nice pool for kids and if they can stay up they have movie night at the pool on Wednesday. Real close to Sea World and doing ajoining rooms is a possiblity if not necessary. On a side note the John and Kate kids stayed there. Have fun

We went recently with our 2 kids (7 & 0.5) and we stayed at the Sheraton Suites, just a hair north of the Gaslamp.

The suite was great with the kids, the hotel was well priced and they have a breakfast buffet that worked for the family. You can then walk to the Gaslamp for dinner. We also liked Indigo in little Italy and the best was George’s Terrace in La Jolla.

Yeah, imagine some idiot taking his kids to Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Badlands, Black Hills or Custer State Park.

We’ll find out what we need to know about those places when Sarah Palin visits them.

Chris. Do you have kids?

George

Yes

Brian,

Not sure about your budget or the age of your kids, but there is a hotel in North county, (near Legoland) in La Costa with multiple pools and a water slide… Lots o’ fun. Otherwise, there are a couple of fun/nice places in Mission Bay, or even on the beach in PB. The hotel del Coronado was also running a nice mid-week special you could check out, and they have a GREAT beach.

I would recommend a day at the Wild Animal Park, and dinner reservations at the Stone Brewery for on the way home. They have a nice menu, and even a nice children’s menu. The restaurant has a great outdoor patio, and a great, ling list of beers. My kids enjoy the food there.

PM me if you have any other questions.

Howard

Did the Black Hills with the family last summer. I wouldn’t knock it, amazing places with too many things to do in one week. Highlights included spelunking in Wind Cave National Park, the Badlands, climbing granite spires, and getting stopped on the road for 30 minutes by a herd of 300 Bison.

Howard

I wasn’t knocking the tourism value of South Dakota. I am sure there are some great historical things to see. I just had a picture in my head of dragging little kids through 100s of miles of South Dakota in the family truckster. Not my idea of a relaxing vacation.

George

I dunno. When I was a kid, family truckster driving vacations were a huge part of growing up. From MN, we drove to FL a few times, Civil War Battlefields, out the the Canadian Rockies, DC, and the best was a loop up through MI into Canada, down through ME and back across the Midwest.

We fly a lot more than my parents, but last Summer’s trip out to Custer with our son was a blast. From RST, it is doable in one long drove or an easy stopover in Rapid City. It was straight out of 1975…Wall Drug, Reptile Gardens, Badlands, Rushmore, Deadwood, Bison Herds, Ghost Towns, Gold Panning. We rented a house and had a great time. Actually extended our stay a couple extra days.

SAN DIEGO:With kids:
Legoland is great for kids under 8 and ok for kids up to maybe 10 or 11. Older kids will be bored.
The Midway Aircraft Carrier is very cool especially if you have boys. I would say its a must see.
The zoo is one of the best, but its a zoo. Our kid has seen a ton of zoos and in his eyes it was not enough better. The Polar Bear pool was closed for remodeling last year, and that is very cool so that may have bumped it up a notch in his mind.
We drove up to La Jolla and we enjoyed the seals. Some great dining options and public beaches along the way.
Pt Loma http://www.nps.gov/cabr/naturescience/tidepools.htm was really a lot of fun but crazy windy. Dress warmer than you think you will need. Check out a Tide chart so the kids can go wading in the tidal pools.

Lodging: I was there for work so we stayed in the Gas Lamp at a new property…Courtyard by Marriot. Great room, great location, good value. For us, it is worth it to spring for the mini suite type lodging.

No truckster, just a 4 door Alamo rental car… Drove up the week before Sturgis. Somehow the kids never saw all the naked women on the back of Harleys’ on the drive. I actually wish I had not seen it either.

The Midway is a great idea, but kids should probably be at least in kindergarten, and prepared to walk a few hours.

This might sound crazy, but tide pooling and playing at the beach are probably enjoyed the most.

Howard

+1

Stayed there this spring with my wife and kids (8 & 11) and they loved it. Therefore I loved it.

This place is not a particularly “nice” place to eat, but they have some great seafood:

http://www.pointlomaseafoods.com/

I would think a fun place to take kids for breakfast or lunch is Hash House A Go Go

[quote][/quote][quote=“Chris Blum”
It was straight out of 1975…Wall Drug, Reptile Gardens, Badlands, Rushmore, Deadwood, Bison Herds, Ghost Towns, Gold Panning.
You forgot The Petrified forest and Mt Rushmore cave. I think we did our trip in late July 1975, driving down from Winnipeg no a/c. We had so many bumper stickers you couldn’t see the bumpers.
I lived that trip.