San Diego's best family days mix one major attraction with outdoor time. Treat beach swimming as a daily safety choice.
Parent tip: Check surf, tides, lifeguard coverage and zoo ticket details.
Read our San Diego family guide: areas, where to stay and tips
Balboa Park's hands-on science centre, with interactive galleries, a maker studio and a giant dome IMAX theatre showing science films.
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography's public aquarium on the La Jolla bluff, with seadragons, seahorses and a tide-pool area, plus a current exhibit on the endangered axolotl and other Mexican species.
San Diego's famous zoo on the hills of Balboa Park, with giant pandas, shaded canyon paths, a guided bus tour and the Skyfari aerial tram for a rest from walking.
Aircraft and ship exploration can strongly match transport, engineering and history interests.
LEGO-themed rides, Miniland USA's brick-built cities and a summer water park, built for children aged about 2 to 12. It is in Carlsbad in North County, roughly 35 miles (55 km) north of downtown San Diego.
Sea lions, penguins and a Sesame Street play area for little ones, plus coasters for older kids.
Giraffes and rhinos roam wide savanna enclosures; trams and walkways keep little legs going.
Gardens, a carousel, street performers and museums all around the San Diego Zoo.
Watch sea lions and seals on the rocks, and explore tide pools at low tide.
A wide, gentle sandy beach with sparkling sand, easy for small children.