Hellobee Boards

Hi! I live in San Diego and have an 18-month old who we have brought around to various places in SD. Two things before I get into all the activities

1. Will you have a car? I ask because SD is big and public transportation is not that great to get from one part of the city to the next. We live in the suburbs outside downtown and a car is necessary for us to get around. If you will be closer to downtown it is more feasible to take a taxi, the trolley or bus. But even then a car makes things so much easier.

2. Where are you from? If you are from the Midwest or east coast and are used to a traditional "fall" or "winter" you will not find that here. I grew up in Chicago half of my life so no winter here will ever compare to the winters there. I think if you have a cute thick sweater or pea coat with a hood for your LO they will be fine. It does not get any colder than 50 degrees even on a bad day. That said, most of the time it is colder at night than during the day. So if you plan to be out the whole day, bring a jacket for the night time.

Ok, the activities.

Balboa Park is the largest park in SD (comparable to NYC's Central Park). Here's the website for you to look at http://www.balboapark.org/. I highly recommend December Nights which is the first weekend in December (12/5-12/6). All the International Cottages sell cultural food and the park is basically packed to the brim with holiday festivities, vendors, entertainment, etc. Also, after 6pm on one of the days, most of the museums in Balboa Park are free admission. I have to warn you though that this event is highly attended and that parking can be a pain. So I recommend parking at the SD City College and then taking the shuttle from there to the part of the park that has all the festivities.

Along with December Nights in Balboa Park, I recommend the Reuben H. Fleet Museum. (http://www.rhfleet.org/) There is a special section for kids there and they can run around and touch as much science-y stuff as they like!

San Diego Parade of Lights (free)
This is a parade of boats and yachts in SD bay that are decorated with holiday lights. A copy of the schedule can be found here: http://www.sdparadeoflights.org/.

If you like holiday lights there's a whole display of them at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. I tried looking up the dates, but that's still TBD. Here's the website if you want to take a look: http://www.holidayoflights.com.

San Diego Zoo & Wild Animal Park
http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/
They have an event called Jungle Bells that begins in December. I haven't been but I heard kids love it. Here's the website: http://www.sandiego.org/members/attractions/san-diego-zoo/events/jungle-bells-at-the-san-diego-zoo.aspx

Birch Aquarium
http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/
If you are a BofA member you can get in for free every first full weekend of the month.

Seaport Village
http://www.seaportvillage.com/
Beautiful Park with a view of Coronado Bridge and Coronado. Great for sunsets! There are also restaurants and shops in the area that you can window shop in.

I know I am forgetting a lot, but I hope this gets you started! Have fun!

For sure San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park! There is also Sea World, but kind of controversial about whether to go or not.

Maybe we should come down and meet up!

Most of what I was going to say has been covered, but I also recommend the Coronado Beach area!