Balboa Park - Visit lovely Balboa Park, with its beautiful landscaping and architecture, and home to the San Diego Zoo and many interesting museums. This is one of the most popular places in San Diego to bring visitors. Any vacation to San Diego should include a trip to Balboa Park. It's free to walk around and enjoy this treasure, or you can visit one of the San Diego Museums in Balboa Park, such as the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. On Tuesdays several San Diego museums are free on a rotating schedule to San Diego city and county residents, and active military and their families. If you are looking for free activities in San Diego, spend a day in Balboa Park.
Belly Up Tavern - Visit the Belly Up in Solana Beach for live music and fun. Must be 21 or older. Buy your tickets in advance. Next door is the Wild Note Cafe, a bistro-style restaurant.
Bike riding - San Diego Pacific Coast Highway biking is fun along the historic 101 through Del Mar and Torrey Pines. For family biking, try the trails at Mission Bay Park, or the cement boardwalk at Mission Beach CA. If you our visiting North San Diego County Beaches, bring your bicycle to Tamarack Carlsbad State beach to ride on their boardwalk.
Biplane ride - Enjoy the view of San Diego and the Pacific Coast from a biplane, warbird, or other barnstorming airplane.
Botanic gardens - Visit the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas (formerly called Quail botanical Gardens) for a delightful stroll through varied beautiful gardens. My favorite is the bamboo gardens. A new Hamilton Children's garden has just opened here in 2009.
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Camping - Go camping at one of the many California State Park campgrounds in San Diego area.
Coronado ferry - Ride the Coronado ferry and explore beautiful Coronado on bicycle.
Cruise - Enjoy a San Diego cruise or a dinner cruises in San Diego harbor. A San Diego harbor cruise takes 1-2 hours and gives you a delightful tour and view of San Diego.
Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds - Visit an exciting horse race at the Del Mar Racetrack, or the summer San Diego county fair. Many other events are held here throughout the year.
Desert - Visit the deserts east of San Diego, such as Anza Borrego Desert State Park or further north the Joshua Tree National Park. Anza Borrego offers spectacular spring wildflowers, while Joshua Tree offers great rock climbing, boulder scrambling, and interesting "Dr. Seuss" type trees. Good camping at both in spring and fall.
Disneyland - A list of southern California activities wouldn't be complete without Disneyland, just 90 or so miles north of San Diego CA. This theme park is fun for all ages. Maybe you can help your community and earn free disneyland tickets.
Farmers Market - Shop at a local farmers market for fresh produce.
Flower Fields - The 2010 Season starts March 1. Visit the spectacular 50 acres of Flower Fields overlooking the Carlsbad, California coastline. $10 for adults, $5.00 for children. The Flower Fields in Carlsbad.
Fishing - Fishing in San Diego CA is popular from many piers, such as Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach. This is great for some San Diego family fun, because a fishing license is not required to fish from a pier. San Diego sport fishing tours are common from Point Loma for an exciting deep sea fishing San Diego trip.
Geocaching - What is geocaching? San Diego has meetups for geo caching, a modern-day treasure hunt using a GPS device. You can join a group hunting trip, or create your own private geocaching adventure.
GoCar GPS Guided Tour - Take a GPS guided tour in a fun story telling car, the GoCar. Tour the sites of Old Town, Balboa Park and the historic Gaslamp Quarter at your own pace.
Golf - San Diego is famous for its Mediterranean climate, which makes it perfect all year around for golf. There are many San Diego golf courses, including the world-famous Torrey Pines golf course on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Hang-glide - Hang-glide or paraglide above Black's Beach Torrey Pines cliffs at the Torrey Pines Gliderport. You can fly solo or tandem, or just watch and enjoy the awesome sport.
Hiking - There are many great hiking trails in San Diego in the parks and beaches and along the lagoons. We like Torrey Pines Preserve and Elfin Forrest for some nice elevation gain. This is one of the best free things to do in San Diego - outdoors and great exercise!
Horseback riding - Are you a horse lover looking for San Diego things to do? Try horseback riding at Imperial Beach or Fiesta Island, and enjoy riding a horse on the beach.
IMAX Film - For a movie treat, try a 360 degree IMAX movie at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.
K1 Speed Kart Racing - Test your driving skills at K1 Speed in Carlsbad, an indoor kart racing track.
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Kite Flying - On a windy day fly a kite at the one of the San Diego beaches or parks for some San Diego family fun. Choose a beach or park that is not too crowded but has good wind.
Laser Tag - What a blast! Visit Ultrazone Laser Tag for a fog filled, dark, indoor laser tag adventure. Always fun, especially with a group of friends. One of the best San Diego family attractions.
Legoland - Legoland California is here in Carlsbad, in north San Diego county. Great San Diego kids activity for ages 3 - 10, and lego builders of all ages.
Maritime Museum - Explore the historic ships in the Maritime Museum of San Diego in the harbor. The Star of India and more.
Museums - Visit one of the San Diego Museums in Balboa Park, such as the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. On Tuesdays several San Diego museums are free on a rotating schedule to San Diego city and county residents, and active military and their families. If you are looking for free activities in San Diego, this is a great way to spend a Tuesday.
Mystery Cafe Dinner Theatre - Enjoy a dinner theater and murder mystery at one of the San Diego Mystery Cafe Dinner Theatres. One of the exciting things to do in San Diego.
Paintball - Try your luck and skill on the battlefield, getting shot with colorful paint balls. Younger paint ball enthusiasts will prefer Mr. Paintball USA, but if you want to compete with the hard core marines, try Camp Pendleton Paintball Park.
Photography – Bring your camera and take advantage of the beautiful Pacific Ocean, Anza Borrego desert, Palomar Mountain and other interesting places in San Diego. If you get some really good photos, maybe you can sell them on istockphoto.
Picnic – For an all time favorite San Diego things to do, bring a picnic lunch to one of the lovely parks.
Playgrounds – Small children love the playgrounds in the park.
Rides - Belmont Park in Mission Beach has a roller coaster and rides right next to the boardwalk and beach. This is great San Diego family fun, and is not too expensive. Nearby SeaWorld is an aquatic theme park. In north San Diego county, Legoland is a popular theme park.
Run - Run along the many miles of sandy beach, San Diego parks, or hiking trails.
Sail - San Diego sailing is fun in Mission Bay, where sail boats can be rented, or check out one of the San Diego sailing schools for lessons.
Scenic drive – For a romantic and fun San Diego scenic drive, take the 59-mile scenic drive that originates at Broadway and Harbor drive at the Embarcadero.
Scuba dive – Scuba diving San Diego CA can be done in La Jolla inside the San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park, at Point Loma, or in north San Diego county at the Encinitas Marine Life Refuge.
Seaworld – Seaworld San Diego is a popular attraction in Mission Bay Park.
Shop – Our lovely outdoor shopping malls make shopping in San Diego a popular thing to do. There are shops along some of the beaches such as Mission Bay, and Seaport Village in San Diego Bay. In north San Diego county, I recommend Carlsbad Premium Outlets, also known as the Carlsbad Outlet Mall, just north of Palomar Airport road on Paseo del Norte.
Sightseeing Tour - Take a sightseeing tour to see the top attractions in the city of San Diego. A fun San Diego tourism activity.
Skateboard – Skateboard along one of the cement San Diego beach boardwalks, such as Mission Beach or Carlsbad Tamarack Beach, or in one of the skateboard parks, such as the Encinitas YMCA.
Skydive - San Diego Skydiving is an extreme adventure in San Diego. See Wind Tunnel for an alternative.
Spa - Relax and enjoy a facial, massage, or other San Diego spa treatment a a day spa.
Sunset – Looking for some free things to do in San Diego? The California beach sunset is beautiful over the Pacific Ocean, and can be viewed from most beaches. It's fun to arrive at a beach front bar 30 minutes before sunset to watch the beautiful color changes, or on a San Diego family vacation have the kids guess how long it will take for the sun to set.
Sunset Cruise - Enjoy a sunset cruise in San Diego, a nice way to spend a romantic San Diego evening.
Swim - Swim in the Pacific Ocean, Mission Bay, or one of the nearby San Diego swimming pools, such as Coronado pool or The Plunge in Mission Beach. Or for an exciting adventure, join an open water swim race.
Tidepools - On your San Diego family vacation, explore the San Diego Tide Pools at Cabrillo National Monument, La Jolla, or North County. These are best explored during fall and winter on certain days with minus tide.
Universal Studios Hollywood - If you are on vacation in Southern California, a trip to Universal Studios, about 2 hours north of San Diego, is a fun day excursion.
USS Midway - Explore the USS Midway Museum, a real aircraft carrier in San Diego Bay. Includes exhibits and restored aircraft on this floating naval ship museum.
Water Park – If you are looking for San Diego things to do during the summer, try a San Diego Water Park, such as Knotts Soak City Water Park in Chula Vista, or The Wave Waterpark in Vista, where it is probably 15 degrees warmer than at the beach. There is also Sea World in Mission Bay Park.
Water Ski – Water ski Mission Bay California or the Carlsbad lagoon. Bring your own boat and water skis or rent.
Whale watching – San Diego whale watching is popular from December to April on whale watching cruises. You can also see them from land, for example from Point Loma or the cliffs at Torrey Pines State Preserve.
Wind Tunnel - Try a simulated sky diving experience in the Perris Wind Tunnel.
Wine Tour - Tour wine country. California Overland offers a Julian backcountry wine tour in an open army style truck.
Wild Animal Park - Visit the SanDiego San Diego Wild Animal Park. For some extra fun kids activities in San Diego, try the Roar and Snore campover.
Windsurf – San Diego windsurfing is most popular in Mission Bay, with its calm waters and light wind.
