K I D S

San Diego has beaches for renting boogie boards, surfboards, roller skates, bicycles, and rollerblades. And much, much more:

Mission Bay is the best spot for the younger crowd, but teens love Mission Beach boardwalk where they can skate, or jump on the roller coaster at Belmont Park-a specialty shopping center that features the Plunge (the largest indoor swimming pool in Southern California) and the Giant Dipper (a vintage wooden roller coaster.)

WaterSports/Recreation

White Water Canyon is San Diego County's first recreational water theme park. Located in South Bay, the park is a western gold mining town and features 16 water slides, a wave pool, food, and picnic facilities.

Arco Training Center The country's first warm weather, year-round, multi-sport Olympic training complex is located on the western shore of Lower Otay Reservoir. Visitors can enjoy a six-minute film and a tour of the 150-acre campus, observing world-class athletes as they train.Mission Bay A 4,600 acre aquatic playground that is the largest of its kind in the world, is devoted to boating, fishing, skiing, swimming, board sailing, and public recreation. Here are 27 miles of sun-bleached beaches with six designated swimming areas and lots of public picnic facilities.

San Diego Bay Former home of the America's Cup, San Diego Bay is a venue for giant aircraft carriers, an ever-growing cruise ship industry, large sport-fishing fleet, and pleasure boats-especially sailboats. There are a number of scheduled bay tours, and a stately flotilla of museum ships at the Maritime Museum. The San Diego-Coronado Bay Ferry carries pedestrians and bicycles hourly on a 15-minute trip across the bay to Coronado.

Seaport Village A popular waterfront dining and shopping complex. Located on 14 acres along the Embarcadero, Seaport Village is composed of 76 shops, boutiques, and galleries. It's a short walk from many fine downtown/waterfront hotels.

La Jolla Cove has superb snorkeling-kids can meet face-to-face with a variety of fish and sea life.

San Diego Wild Animal Park An easy 30-mile drive north of downtown, the animal park is a counterpart of the San Diego Zoo. It is located on a 2,200-acre preserve where wild animals roam. Visitors can see the park's 3,000 animals by taking the guided monorail tour. The park's newest exhibit, the "heart of Africa," invites guests to stroll among various animals-such as monkeys, flamingos, cheetahs, and giraffes-in a safari setting.

Sea World of California Sea World is located on Mission Bay. The 150-acre park features five major shows and dozens of fascinating exhibits, including the popular Penguin Encounter and the Shark Encounter. "Wild Arctic," the newest exhibit, features a motion-simulator flight to the Arctic region, where visitors experience up-close encounters with real-life polar bears, beluga whales, walruses, and other marine life. Most famous, of course, is Shamu, the killer whale.

Balboa Park In the heart of San Diego is this beautiful park-1,200 acres with museums, art galleries, theaters, sports facilities, San Diego Zoo, and miles of walking paths.

San Diego Zoo Internationally famous, the San Diego Zoo is the area's most important attraction; this is patronized by locals as well as tourists. Here are 3,900 animals of 800 species, like the giant pandas on long-term loan from China. Exhibits are constructed to fit the animals' natural habitats. A three-mile guided bus tour takes you through the zoo. Small children delight in the petting zoo and baby animal nursery.

Museums/Historic Sites

The Children's Museum of San Diego is a great interactive museum for children ages 2 to 12. The Museum of Man's Annual Indian Fair at Balboa Park is held each June, and includes demonstrations of tribal dances, ethnic cooking and arts and crafts. Also in the park is the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, along with Marie Hitchock's Puppet Theater where the younger set will get a taste of Punch and Judy.

Cabrillo National Monument A favorite spot that commemorates the arrival of Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo on the coast of California in 1542, the monument and the Old Point Loma Lighthouse provide a spectacular panoramic view of San Diego's harbor and coastline-also a great spot to observe the California gray whale during migration season.

Gaslamp Quarter A 16-block historic downtown district filled with restored Victorian buildings. Here are great restaurants, jazz, and antique shops.

San Diego Missions San Diego's Spanish heritage is preserved in its beautiful missions. Padre Junipero Serra's first mission in California, Mission San Diego de Alcala, still holds services daily in the original mission chapel. Three other missions are close by and deserve a visit.

For more information about complete family vacation packages,
visit our KidSmart Vacations section and contact your travel professionals
at Carlson Wagonlit Travel.