LA/San Diego with young children

[Californiatrip]

At pretty short notice, we’ve decided to accompany my husband on a work trip to California later this month. We have two children, 2 and 5. And looking for tips!

We’ll fly into LA and he’ll have the next day off - a Thursday and planning Disneyland and staying in Anaheim, although not booked yet. He’ll work Friday and we’ll probably stay in Anaheim and either hang out at a hotel pool or maybe Disney again?

We’ll then have three days where he’ll be off and we’ll have a car. Anywhere we should go/must dos either in LA or on the way down to San Diego?

Then we’ll have four days in San Diego where husband will be working and will have taken the car.

no accommodation booked anywhere yet, but looking at downtown San Diego as that seems to have the best public transport options. The kids are generally happy with a nice playground or a beach or doing something creative.

any tips/must visits/hotel recommendations would be very welcome!

Legoland is between Anaheim and San Diego.
Aquarium of The Pacific is excellent and a chance to escape the heat, as are the discovery centre in the Natural History Museum and the discovery rooms in the Science Center.
San Diego zoo is consistently voted the best zoo in the world. You can go to SD and not visit it. Balboa Park has a miniature railroad, carousel, lots of place space and children can splash in the water fountain near the Fleet Science Center.
The best indoor place to go with kids in SD is by far the New Children’s Museum.

I wouldn't do Disney the day after you arrive, you'll be shattered! We did Knotts 2 days after arrival last year and heads were on tables by the end and mine are late teens.

When in august? Towards the end the parks will be quieter as US schools will start to go back.

In SD the zoo is good BUT mine don't want to go back again having done it twice as last year it was very obvious how small some of the areas for the animals were. We might do the safari park this year though, but you do need a car for that.

Balboa park is full of places to have a picnic and wander, the fleet science center would definitely be good for the older one. The railroad museum and the natural history museum might appeal too.

Up in La Jolla there is the aquarium as well as the real seals on the beach.

In terms of beaches/sea for kids, La Jolla is good as it has playgrounds, rock pools. Mission Bay would good with that age as it's not open sea, which can be a bit much here for very young. Coronado beach is gentler too.

TBH we found much of downtown/gaslamp not that nice. Like the centre of many US cities it has suffered with a homeless problem though jt is working hard to improve. (DP is from SD so has seen it change over many years). So I would read Tripadvisor on the hotels closely when choosing.

ZOO!!!!!!

And all the other stuff, but above all the San Diego Zoo.

San Diego Wildlife Park is also good.

Sounds like a good plan! You’ll be fine in Disneyland the next day ! Also if you try and do both parks (if you fancy seeing the castle) then next day you can choose to pop back into Adventure land if you fancy or just relax as you say!

I would recommend the San Diego zoo as well. I would also recommend getting there as early as possible. Although kids head back to school next week so may not be crazy busy. As zoos go it’s definitely one of the better ones for sure. And also the Pandas have just arrived I think as well.

The Aquarium in Long Beach you’d want to do on a day trip from Anaheim. My 6yr old always enjoyed that. It’s not a super long a couple of hours at most.

Definitely swing through La Jolla as suggested. See the seals and hang on a beach. It’s lovely,

You can always take a boat ride - see some dolphins or whales if you’re lucky. But that may be an ask with a 2 yr old!

All good suggestions by others. Also mine enjoyed the USS Midway Museum - historical navy carrier. There is space for the kids to run around too and then your by the waterfront in San Diego,

Thanks all, really helpful. We go Wednesday week and I think some/all US schools will be back by then?

With staying in downtown San Diego/along the bayfront, I thought that seemed like it had the best options for getting to the zoo and Balboa park. We won’t have a car and I will be lugging a 2 year old and 5 year old around on my own, so while some of the beachy suburbs look great, they didn’t seem particularly well connected by public transport to some of the bigger tourist attractions? But do let me know if that isn’t the case? I’ll take a single stroller but the 5 year old will have to walk (although she is generally a good walker).

La Jolla sounds great when my husband is around. I did look at accommodation around there but couldn’t see anything that worked in terms of public transport to tourist sites/easy walk to beach. But I will take another look.

Appreciate what you are saying @PatriciaHolm about not doing Disney the day after we arrive, but it feels like a balancing act between a probably slightly quieter site on Thursday that would be better for the 2 year old or a very busy Saturday there. The children are still young so haven’t seen much Disney, so I’m not sure we’ll need to stay all day or go on any of the bigger rides (although the 5 year old and I do like a theme park). Feels like fantasyland is the best option with the youngest and a lot of the rides with the line-skipping option are too big for her.

anything in LA that we should see? What about the Griffith observatory?

Just wanted to say - I love San Diego!

The Griffith observatory is very kid friendly and amazing views. The TAr pits are good too.

Just be aware that travelling between places in LA can take hours...don't plant too much.

Griffiths Observatory is great but if it’s just you and you kids I wouldn’t schlep from Anaheim to go there. I’m just not sure they’d get enough out of it. If you’re having to wait for overs to pick you up as well. The site is exposed so could be very hot.

You could go to Natural History Museum in LA. The Science Museum and IMAX theatre are on the same compound as well if you need something to do and shade. That would suit both ages of your children.

I would personally stick close to the park (go in over a few days - you can hire a double buggy) and have a hotel with a pool. It looks like it’ll be very hot.

Uber / Lyft will be your friend!

@acapulco Other than the day at Disney, there are three other days where my husband will be around and we’ll have a car. So we can go to LA/SD or anywhere in between during those days. It’s just four days afterwards where I’ll be in SD with the children on my own and without a car during the day!

thanks for the tips re Natural history museum etc. haven’t checked the weather for Anaheim next week but saw SD is lovely at the moment!

Check out what Lonely Planet suggests for dc. They usually have well researched ideas.

Plus La Jolla has very smelly seals if you are down wind. Seals are good fun though. Torrey Pines is nice if you have a car, We thought Balboa was overrated and a bit grubby. Coronado is better. Not sure if dc can do a whale trip. On a big boat they might.

I spent a week in San Diego last month with my partner and 1 year old. For public transport reasons, we stayed Downtown so that's a good bet.

Please be conscious that there are a lot of homeless people and the difference between staying on one block Vs another one along can sometimes be huge. We based ourselves on Broadway at the US Grant Hotel which was fantastic and we upgraded at checkin for 50USD per night and ended up in an enormous suite. Book a basic room direct through Marriott's website, sign up for Convoy, and closer to your stay they have a guy who will email and offer you discount upgrade options too.

From that hotel, and any on Broadway you can get the bus right in front of the hotel to go to Balboa Park which is where San Diego Zoo is. You can also walk safely to Little Italy for dinner. You will make several trips to the park and to Little Italy for sure! Downtown places for breakfast and lunch: Swami's cafe, Corner Bakery Cafe. Balboa Park lunch (and cocktails!) in Panama 66.

Getting to Sea World from Downtown is also straightforward enough, especially if you have a car (but we did it on public transport in less than an hour). Get the all day dining tickets online ahead of time because even though the food is horrific, it's mega expensive to pay as you go! Last orca show is at 6pm and is less busy than the earlier afternoon one. Sit in the shade and take hats.

The New Children's Museum others have mentioned is a must-do also. I've never been in a museum quite like it. Every single child in there looks so happy and inquisitive.

The Fleet Science Centre (Balboa Park) is great too.

Spend a day on Coronado Island. Hire bikes and hit the beach. Again, bus ride, or a bus and a lovely ferry, from the US Midway hotel is very easy.

Always buy tickets for attractions ahead of time and download the Pronto app for public transport purposes. Makes it super easy.

Avoid Gaslamp quarter, especially with children, for meals and accommodation. I saw, for example, a man smoking a crack pipe, leaning against a shop window in broad daylight on the main street on a weekday afternoon.

Great then going and doing stuff like Griffith is easier. I was worried you’d be struggling without a car waiting for Ubers in the blistering sun.

If you want to head fo Santa Monica for a walk I prefer Lifeguard Tower 27 car park over Venice. There are playgrounds nearby, cafes and Restrooms. You can walk toward Santa Monica pier for some classic LA beaches. Stop on the Shutters Hotel for coffee etc. But Venice is classic so …

There is a small children’s Museum - Cayton Children's Museum - in Santa Monica broadway if you need to escape the heat. Good for both the ages of your children.

You can drive to Malibu Pier for Breakfast - that’s always a sweet spot.

Take a drive through a canyon - either through Laurel Canyon or Malibu or even Topanga Canyon and stop at Cafe 27. The Canyon drives are great and gives you a different perspective. But with Topanga drive to the top of Topanga Canyon Road and look over the valley!

Take the Coast Road from Santa Monica / Venice to Manhatten Beach and back to Anaheim that way if you fancy getting off the freeway for a bit - It’s just a lot nicer.

Everything gets easier with a car and aircon. Just depends what you want to see and do. Those would be my favourite things.

LA is an absolute shithole and incredibly dangerous 😳

Plus La Jolla has very smelly seals if you are down wind. Seals are good fun though.

Sea lions, they've got their own beach. Must have been lucky with the wind😂

(I used to go to San Diego on business trips and didn't get to do any of the tourist stuff except see the sea lions )

Yes to all of this.

But do not attempt much the day after you arrive. Your eyes will be out on stalks and you won't be able to remember your name by about 2pm that day.

Avoid downtown areas.

Watch your little ones like a hawk on beaches if you go alone with them. Make them wear sun hats and minimum 50spf sunscreen. Get rash vests for all of you.