donnapg

We are 2 adults and 2 boys (15 & 11) - we will be staying for 4 nights at Humphrey's Half Moon the beginning of April.

There is so much to see and do, some things we defintely want to do, but some downtime is also needed.

Here are our definites, our maybes, and our nos - comments and advise are welcome.

Definite:
Wild Life Park

Maybes:
Zoo - we live near the Bronx Zoo and have been there quite often - not sure if we need to spend time at another zoo.

Legoland - Afraid my 15 year old thrill ride lover will be bored.

Scripps Aquarium - sound wonderful- is it as good as it sounds?

No
Seaworld - just been there done that in Florida

I would love suggestions on what not to miss in Balboa Park, places to hang out in/walk through during down time and any other helpful info.

Also, tried to get 2 Padres tiockets for 4/10 but they were sold out - anyone have 2 they want to sell?

Thanks.

Donna

Barbara

All the museums in Balboa Park are worth a look, some will take more time than others.

From what I've heard, Legoland is too young for either of your kids so I would skip it completely.

Try the roller coaster at Mission Beach.

The Wild Animal Park is great.

Sorry, but your chances of getting tickets for the Padres' second home game in their new ballpark - against San Francisco, too - are really, really remote!

rjw_lgb_ca

The San Diego Zoo is quite a remarkable facility, considered one of the very best in the world. The Bronx Zoo is great too, sure, but SD's is arguably the best in the US. Still, if you're doing the Wild Animal Park, the Zoo can wait for another visit (and you WILL want to come back).

Sea World SD may strike you as a bit quaint, as it is the original Sea World, not the "newer" copy in Orlando, land of "nothing new, just improved". Again, something to save for the next visit.

Do try to spend a bit of time in Old Town. Have some great Mexican food at Casa de Bandini. Mission Beach will be fun for the kids. A relaxing afternoon strolling in La Jolla Village, then hors d'oeuvres and dinner at George's at the Cove would be nice for the adults. The Gaslamp! Coronado! Oh yeah-- you're gonna want to come back. Probably a few times. Have a great visit!

J_Correa

In addition to Barbara's recommendations, I would like to add Point Loma to the list of possibilities. It's basically the end of a peninsula that juts out on the west side of the harbor. The views are great, it only takes a few minutes to drive to from the Mission Beach/Mission Bay area, there is an old lighthouse you can tour, a visitor's center, and down at the waterline there are some terrific tide pools.

Also, a restaurant recommendation - the Corvette Diner on Hillcrest. This place is a lot of fun: 50s rock n roll, memorabilia everywhere, a full soda fountain, and a vintage Corvette in the middle of the diner.

travelmom13

In addition to the review on Sea World- They are building a new ride there that they have at Sea World Orlando. If it is completed, your 15 and 11 year olds will love it! It is 1/2 roller coaster and 1/2 water ride. I've heard it is very close to the ride in Orlando that I love! May want to check their website and see what activities are going on in April. Last summer they had this show called Cirque de la Mer that was awesome. My 15 and 16 year old brother and sister LOVED it and they are tough critics.

A also agree with the Zoo. It is a FABULOUS zoo and has soooo much to do there. It's HUGE!

You will all like the Gaslamp District. As for Padres tickets...it might not hurt to try and scalp them the day of the game. Sometimes when we go to Giants and Angels's games we wait until the 2nd or 3rd inning and then buy them from people who are REALLY needing to sell the tickets...and they are much more in our price range. (Cheap I know...but

Sometimes we even venture across the border into Tiajuana. You can park on the U.S. side and just walk across the border. It's kind of an experience so be ready for it.

If you boys like to wakeboard/waterskii/tube...last summer I took my siblings to Mission Bay and for $100 ( I think) we had a nice ski boat, wetsuits, all the gear (boards, tube etc.) and a professional driver for an hour and a half. It was tons of fun. We did it all from a boat rental place at the Paraidise Point Hotel boat dock.

HAVE a wonderful time!!

ltt

skip legoland - the kids are too old.

emd1

donnapg: we live near DC and go to the Natl Zoo alot, but my early teen kids still enjoyed SD Zoo last summer. My son still talks about the black rhino that urinates backwards (as in behind him- watch out) at lengths up to 20 ft. We were fortuante enough to see this rare display. There were also mimes and human puppets on stilts who entertained the crowds at end of the day. We didn't go to the Wild Animal park (wish we woudl have had time to get the combined tickets that i think are available for both?) but will probably go next time due to our good experience w/the zoo.