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Free Things to do in San Diego with Kids

Visiting San Diego with kids can be quite draining on the wallets with the zoos, Legoland and Sea World among the must see attractions. But, take note that America’s Finest City also offers some FREE attractions for the whole family to enjoy.  Here are five fun and Free things to do in San Diego with kids during your visit here.

1. Balboa Park

A visit to America’s largest “urban cultural park” is one attraction that shouldn’t be missed. Located next to the world famous San Diego Zoo. It is very spacious at 1,200 acres with 14 varied museums.

The museums aren’t free but strolling around this expansive park to admire the Spanish architecture, see festivals and street performers, feed the fish, watch the turtles and play in the fountains are free. Sometimes there may even be open exhibitions.

Balboa Park

What is always free is the Botanical Building with the lily pond in front. This beautiful place contains more than 2,100 permanent plants – some exotic with plenty of orchids.

Kids can touch and smell and use their senses. My daughter likes coming here to admire the blooms and smell some of them. The kids will enjoy seeing the venus fly trap.

balboa park botanical building

The Spanish Village Art Center is home to 37 working studios for over 200 artists. You can watch the artist at work in different mediums. My kids favorite part here is playing their own version of hopscoth on the colored tiles.

If you’re a San Diego County resident, the park offers Residents Free Tuesdays.  Admission is Free on Tuesdays for select museums on a rotating basis with valid ID.

2.  Old Town San Diego

Visit an area considered as the birthplace of California. San Diego was the site of the first Spanish mission in 1769 and this hillside was the home of the Presidio.

It’s like walking through a living museum of buildings. There are many original and reconstructed buildings from the 1800s.  Parking is free throughout the area.

Old Town San Diego

The state historic park at the north end is the most visited state park in California and for good reason.  All the museums are free and range from San Diego’s first public school house to the Wells Fargo Museum with an original stagecoach to the first courthouse with an original jail cell.  Don’t miss the Mormon Battalion Historic Site for free interactive exhibits and a cinema tour.

There are plenty of stores selling many colorful items, including toys and pottery, from Mexico. I can spend hours window shopping around Old Town and admiring all the unique items many of the stores sell.

With over restaurants around the area (some with the best Mexican food in town), the hard part is choosing which restaurant to eat at.

Mormon Battalion Old town

Look through the windows of Cousin’s Candy Shop to see them make salt water taffy.  It’s always a hit with the kids.  You may not walk away empty handed if you enter their shop though.

There’s a large park in the middle with low lying trees for kids to play with and old cannons to climb.  Walk further to Fiesta de Reyes which is filled with unique retail shops including an olive oil store with free samples. The courtyard has a stage which usually offers free entertainment during the weekends.

Old Town Fiesta de reyes

3. La Jolla Cove Children’s Pool

If you have kids who are animal lovers, then the children’s pool area in La Jolla is a wonderful place to visit. Many adorable sea lions and harbor seals are usually in the shore area of the protected cove for the kids to see.

My kids are content just watching these creatures in their natural environment. You never know how many are around each time you visit. The area is usually roped off so no one gets too close to the animals.

la Jolla childrens pool

There’s also a seawall to walk around to admire the panoramic ocean views. This was built as a safe area for kids to swim until the animals took over.

It’s not a safe place to swim for kids anymore with warnings of fecal bacteria and seals nearby. Although, we have seen this area filled with people swimming recently which is quite disturbing.  Be aware that there is a fishy smell in the areas as expected.

After the beach, go and walk around the quaint and affluent town of La Jolla. The Ellen Browning Scripps Park is a large and popular spot for families, weddings and picnics overlooking the ocean near the Children’s Pool. There is a scenic walkway to watch for animals and admire the scenery.

La Jolla Seal rock

4. Coronado Island

Even before hitting the popular island getaway from San Diego, kids will love crossing the expansive Coronado bridge. Looking to the left, one can see aircraft carriers and military vessels from the naval station and the right side is a display of the city’s skyline.

USS Midway museum view

This beach town offers quaint shops and charming neighborhoods. With a speed limit of 25 miles per hour throughout the island, you can leisurely explore the island along with the numerous cyclists on its streets.

There are 18 parks around the island for the kids to explore which include gazebos and playgrounds like Spreckels in the center area and Tidelands, the island’s largest, at the base of the bridge.

There are plenty of flat paths for activities like biking, rollerblading or jogging.  Bikes can be rented at minimal costs.  Coronado Beach has consistently been ranked as one of the best beaches in America.  That alone is worth a visit to this lovely island.

The island’s most famous landmark is Hotel Del Coronado. It is worth strolling the grounds inside one of the country’s most beautiful beach resorts which exudes luxury and charm. My kids love walking barefoot on their expansive lawn which turns into an ice skating rink during the winter.

Hotel del Coronado

5. The Beaches

San Diego boasts 70-plus miles of beautiful beaches from Oceanside to Imperial Beach and worth visiting for a few hours. Parking is usually free.

There are always activities going on at any one of the beaches and offers something for the whole family to enjoy.  Build sandcastles, sunbathe, have a picnic, play frisbee – the possibilities are endless. Some of the local favorites are Carlsbad, Pacific Beach, La Jolla Shores and Coronado.

La Jolla Shores

*Any other Free things to do in San Diego you’d like to add?

*Need more ideas? Here are 50 Things to do in San Diego with Kids

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25 thoughts on “Free Things to do in San Diego with Kids”

    1. Thanks for stopping by, Mette! The great thing about most of these attractions is that they’re also great for all types of travelers. Hope you visit SD soon!

    1. They’re great no matter what age your kids are, Johanna! Each attraction caters to all ages with varied interests which make it wonderful for the whole family.

  1. I love your suggestions! We visited San Diego two years ago over the Christmas holidays and stayed at the Hotel del Coronado – loved it! Visited Balboa Park but it was pouring rain the day we went, it was a little cool for the beaches and we ran out of time and didn’t get to Old Town. Clearly I need to return to San Diego and see/do everything that I missed. :)

    1. Thanks Lisa! I remembered you telling me some of your visits. It was too bad it rained on you. Yes, you need to return and you now have a free tour guide (aka me) too the next time you visit.

  2. I am literally reading this in the car on our way to the airport for our San Diego airport. Thanks for the timely, useful info!!! And love the series idea. DC is filled with free things for kids — will try to work up a post for you someday.

    1. You’re welcome, Tara! I hope you had a wonderful visit to San Diego this past weekend. We had great weather :) I would love your post whenever you can send them. I wrote you back on your blog post this week.

    1. Old Town does look like a movie set from the old days. They have preserved many of the wonderful buildings so well so it feels authentic. My kids can’t get enough of visiting La Jolla.

  3. I visited La Jolla Cove without my family and have always dreamed of going back. It was early spring and the pool was empty except for the seals on my visit. I thought it was amazing. It’s definitely on my list of what to see if I make it back to California.

  4. The people swimming in La Jolla Cove is a little disturbing, but everything else seems like a great diversion from the theme parks. Looking forward to reading about other cities. Free is always welcome!

    1. The free attractions are as far from the theme attractions as you can get. They really need to have a warning sign for anyone daring to swim where the animals hang out and do their business during weekdays.

  5. I think any of the beaches would be tops on my list as a kid or an adult. I can’t believe winter in San Diego ushers in a skating rink at the Hotel Coronado. I never think of the temperatures changing by much in the city from month to month.

  6. Thanks Christine! I used to love walking around the UCSD campus but don’t know why we haven’t taken the kids. The library is awesome with the nearby “talking trees”. I’m not sure if they’re still there though.

  7. I was just in San Diego, but not for nearly enough time! We did make it to Pacific Beach, but the rest of the spots on your list will have to wait until next time!

  8. What a great idea! I love the Five Free Family Friday, and as I Dad we’re always looking for ideas for things to do. San Diego is one of our favorite cities.

  9. Who doesn’t love free? What a great way to stretch a travel budget by adding some free things to do! Great tips and I really like the Five Free Family Friday – I’ll definitely be pinning those!

    Thanks for joining our Family Travel Friday blog hop!

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