When I asked my young boys the question, “If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?”, they consistently answered California. Of course, there are lots of choices as to where to visit in California, but when it came time to plan our family Fall Break trip, I started researching San Diego. I thought we could enjoy the beach, and there are a lot of kid-friendly attractions – Legoland being one of them. My mom friends warned me that there’s a short window as to when to take kids to Legoland because they’ll age out. I felt my window was closing since my oldest had just turned 8.
In addition to the fun family attractions in San Diego, the city promoted free kid admissions with a paid adult for the month of October to more than 50 museums, historic sites, and aquariums, including the San Diego Zoo. During our San Diego trip, we visited the USS Midway Museum, San Diego Zoo, La Jolla, and Legoland. We stayed at Hotel del Coronado and Legoland. If I were to do this trip all over again, the only thing I would change is I would ensure we got a full day enjoying all the amenities at Hotel del Coronado. We had the best time, but because we were off exploring the city, I feel like we missed out on some of the fun at the resort itself.
- Day 1: In-And-Out Burger, USS Midway, Hotel del Coronado
- Day 2: San Diego Zoo, Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, Hodad's
- Day 3: La Jolla, Legoland
- Day 4: Legoland
- Day 5: Travel Home
Day 1
We were San Diego bound from Nashville bright and early on a Wednesday morning. We took a direct Southwest flight and rented a car through Turo. We zipped around SoCal in a nifty little Fiat. My husband said he felt like he was driving a Go Cart, especially since he regularly drives a Chevrolet Tahoe. Also, in renting this car, we didn’t think a lot about trunk space. We were very lucky that our bags fit – barely.
In-N-Out Burger
Once we picked up our rental car, we were off to grab lunch, and our first California adventure was none other than In-N-Out Burger. Not only was this a first In-N-Out Burger experience for my boys, but it was also one for me. Personally, its reputation did not live up to its hype for me, but I’m glad we went, nonetheless.
USS Midway Museum
After eating our burgers and fries, we headed to the USS Midway Museum, the historical, retired naval aircraft carrier. (We took advantage of the free kids October promotion here.) My boys loved the chance of sitting in the cockpits of planes, jets, and helicopters. The flight deck was fun because you got nice views of the city and fresh air, and my boys had the opportunity to run around after being cooped up on the flight from Nashville. We also ventured into the below-deck exhibit, and while this was interesting, it also got long.
Because it’s a ship, the exhibit felt like a labyrinth as we meandered around corners exploring areas like the chow line, sick bay, steam engine room, and more. Once you started walking down hallways, you just had to keep going. There wasn’t an easy way to get to an exit. Therefore, we spent much longer down below than I would have liked, and there wasn’t great air circulation. We finally circled around to an exit, and we made our way back to the hangar deck towards the main entrance.
By this time, we had been on the ship for a couple of hours, and we wanted to make our way towards our hotel. But before we left, we promised the boys we would ride some of the airplane simulators. Let’s just say this was a bad idea. If we were going to do it, we should have done it at the beginning rather than the end because we all got motion sick.
Thankfully, no one barfed, but we were all green afterward. I think it was more from being below deck without fresh air for the previous hour more than anything. So my advice, ride the simulators at the beginning of your self-guided tour.
Hotel del Coronado
We left the USS Midway continuing our journey to our hotel, the historic Hotel del Coronado. I highly recommend staying at the Hotel del Coronado. We stayed in a Views room, which is newer and more contemporary than those in the main iconic red-roofed building.
Upon checking into the hotel, we got settled in our room and changed clothes in preparation for a beachfront bonfire. This experience add-on was my favorite of our entire trip! The resort attendee set us up in our bonfire location with a firepit, chairs, and supplies to make s'mores. The boys loved running all over the beach to the water’s edge. This was the first time for them to see the Pacific Ocean, and they just splashed and played. They’re accustomed to visiting the Florida panhandle, so they were surprised at how cold the water was. The bonfire reservation was for an hour, and we timed it perfectly. We watched the sunset as we roasted our marshmallows and ate our s'mores. Even though this experience was pricey for only being an hour, it was my favorite of the entire trip, and I hope it’s one of those core memories for the boys.
After the bonfire, we continued to explore the resort. By this time, it was dusk, and we walked along the boardwalk. The boys saw other kids playing in a turf common area near restaurants. My boys are like retrievers; if they see a ball, they want to play. They joined in on games of catch and flag football. While my husband supervised, I went to check out the food scene to get a game plan for dinner. I knew it would be hard to pull the boys away from their play, so I wanted to find somewhere I could order take out. There were a lot of tables close to the turf field where we could eat, while we watched the boys play. I stumbled upon a pizzeria, and I was sold.
I got the food, and the evening was incredibly casual. The boys ate when they got hungry in between games, and after a couple of hours, they wanted to go night swimming. I was apprehensive at first, but you know, YOLO. We went back to our hotel room to change into our swimsuits. Thank goodness the pool was heated! We arrived just before they closed. The boys got a good 30 minutes to swim with about 5 minutes in the hot tub. After a day full of travel and activity, they slept very well.
Day 2
San Diego Zoo
We woke up and got out of our hotel around 8:30 a.m. We stopped by the Walgreens down the street from the hotel to get snacks and water. We then made our way in our Fiat to the San Diego Zoo arriving just as it opened. (Again, we took advantage of the free kids admission promotion.)
We had beautiful and warm weather for our day at the zoo. We saw all the animals - giraffes, hippos, lions, cheetahs, koalas, elephants, gorillas, tigers, orangutans, and more! The zoo was so much fun, and the boys really enjoyed it. My husband and I were able to enjoy a beer at lunch, and the restaurant options within the zoo were plentiful. Plus, you could take in your own snacks. We also rode a gondola within the park, and that was fun to see not just the zoo but parts of San Diego from a new perspective. I highly recommend the gondola!
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
We left the zoo around 3:30 p.m., and we went back to the hotel. The boys wanted to do another quick swim once we got back to the hotel before meeting my college bestie and her family for dinner. William, my husband, loves a sunset (don’t we all though?), and we made an event out of watching the sunset. We drove to Sunset Cliffs Natural Park to watch the sun make its descent. Sunset Cliffs Natural Park was an site to see. It was beautiful, but I was also worried about my two rambunctious boys falling off the cliff. They kept wanting to get close to the edge and jump from rock formation to rock formation. Because of their daredevil tendencies and me wanting to prevent them from plummeting to the earth below, we only stayed about 15 minutes.
Hodad’s
We continued our adventure to meet my friend, Mary Cile, at Hodad’s Ocean Beach. She has an 18-month-old boy that doesn’t sit still, which I can definitely relate to. Mine don’t sit still even at 6 and 8 years old. Hodad’s was very kid-friendly. It was a perfect, casual meet up for crazy kiddos. Plus, the burger was delicious! It was much better than In-N-Out in my opinion. The only part of the Hodad’s experience that I could have left out was the walk to the car. Now, we went to the Ocean Beach location, which is very much a surfer community. There are a lot of bars on the same street as Hodad’s, and the vagabonds are out in hordes. This didn’t both me until a screaming man started picking fights with those he passed on the sidewalk. Let’s just say we ran to cross the street as quick as possible to avoid that confrontation. We got safely to our car, and the boys fell asleep as we drove back to Hotel del Coronado.
Sidenote: If you’re in the Ocean Beach area, I highly recommend eating a California burrito from Nico’s Mexican Food. Best damn burrito I’ve ever had in my life! I didn’t get one during this trip, but I ate one after hiking Torrey Pines on a previous trip. I still think about that burrito. Delicious!
Day 3
La Jolla
We woke up to a slow Friday morning. After getting dressed, we found some coffee and strolled along the boardwalk while the boys played tag on the sandy beach. Returning to our room, we packed up and checked out, continuing our journey north with a pit stop in La Jolla to see some seals and have lunch. Finding street parking in the city, we walked to the Children’s Pool. Observing the seals and their pups, we enjoyed watching them swim, play, and bask in the sun on the beach.
After about an hour, we headed to find lunch. Opting for a forgettable restaurant near our parking spot, I chose it based on its OpenTable description of ocean views and French toast for my 8-year-old. In hindsight, I might have preferred the lively Mexican restaurant with sidewalk seating next door.
Sidenote: If you're a hiker, I also recommend Torrey Pines. Although we didn't visit this trip with the kids, I've hiked it previously with Mary Cile, and the views are spectacular!
Legoland
We hopped back into the Fiat and headed towards Carlsbad for the highly anticipated Legoland. While my favorite part of the trip was Hotel del Coronado, it’s safe to say Legoland was the boys’ favorite. Staying at the Legoland Hotel, conveniently located next to the theme park, made it easy to return to the room if needed.
Parents, let me prepare you; Legoland will be an assault on your senses. It's complete sensory overload, essentially kids on overdrive once you step into the resort. Kids are running around, screaming, climbing on equipment with signs saying “do not climb.” It’s total chaos and pandemonium. Lego building stations are everywhere, and I'm just talking about the hotel; I haven't even gotten to the theme park. At least the theme park is open air, making it more manageable.
We arrived before our check-in time, but with a package for a 2-day theme park pass, we walked over to the onsite Aquarium to ease into our Legoland experience. Fun, but if you've been to other notable aquariums, it's nothing special. The best part is if you need a break from being overstimulated – fewer people and darker areas to see the tanks better. The resort created a scavenger hunt throughout the aquarium with Lego character statues in the tanks, a cute touch. The aquarium walk-through took about an hour for us.
After the aquarium, the boys begged us to go into the main park. Since we hadn't received the check-in text yet, we started exploring the park. They discovered the Cars ride, called Driving School, and rode it repeatedly. My husband and I found a spot to watch them ride and purchased beers.
Once we received the check-in text, we pulled the boys away from their car ride to walk back towards the hotel. We checked in, and in our pirate-themed room, 100% for the boys, Legos were everywhere. Lego kits to take home, free play Legos in the room, and bunk beds in their alcove. It was just before my youngest’s 6th birthday, so we bought the Legoland birthday package for him. They showered him with a new Happy Birthday blanket, pillowcase, door sign, and extra Lego kits. He felt very special, and he still prefers his Legoland pillowcase on his bed over any others.
After settling in, it was time for dinner. Legoland has a rule that if you eat at their restaurant, you must have a reservation. So, we booked a reservation at Brick’s restaurant, a buffet. It was good, nothing to rave over, but it had healthy-ish options. Plus, there weren't many dining options on the property. After dinner, the boys wanted to night swim. It was chilly, but the heated pool had foam Lego blocks for the kids to play with.
After swimming and despite being tired, the boys wanted to check out the dance party in the banquet room near the hotel lobby. The resort had a nightly DJ with Lego characters putting on a rave for the kids. Sensory overload again. After about 15 minutes, I made my crew get back to the room for bed.
Day 4
Legoland
Staying at the resort allowed us to enter the park an hour before the general public, a nice perk. Our first ride of the day was Coast Cruise, a boat ride around the property. We saw huge Lego structures representing different cities. It was a fun way to ease into another activity-filled day. This was also the day of a partial solar eclipse, and other park-goers kindly let us borrow their eclipse glasses to see it.
During the boat ride, we learned about trading Lego minifigures and collecting pop-its/buttons from staff. The boys were eager to participate, so we bought minifigures and lanyards. My youngest already had a lanyard from his birthday package, so I got one for my oldest. Both boys relentlessly asked Legoland staff for buttons or minifigures to trade. They even sought a rare button that only three kids received daily, although they didn't find it. Their perseverance was admirable.
For our Legoland adventure, I bought the fast pass, and it was worth it. We did every ride in the park at least once and several rides multiple times. My 8-year-old’s favorite ride was the Lego Technic Coaster. We rode that roller coaster about 20 times that day. The boys continued riding their Car ride (Driving School) several more times. We also stopped at interactive exhibits to build different Lego structures. While Legoland Park doesn't offer as much as Disney's Magic Kingdom, it's enough to enjoy the day.
Since we visited in October, we participated in Legoland’s Trick or Treat event that evening. Before the trip, I bought Ninjago sweatsuits from Amazon for the boys to wear. We continued riding rides into the night until the park closed.
Day 5
We checked out of the Legoland resort on Sunday, making the drive from Carlsbad back to San Diego to catch our flight to Nashville. October is a wonderful time to visit San Diego, and my family had the best trip!