2 half days in San Diego with 3 Teenagers
 

My sister and I will be traveling to San Diego June 23-27th. We are traveling with our 3 - 13 year old kids. We have plans for Sea World on the 26th. We have the afternoon and evening of Thursday the 23rd and the morning and afternoon of the 24th open. Any suggestions? We are staying in Chula Vista and the kids are competing in the National Taekwondo Tournament on Saturday so we don't want anything to rigirous. What would be the best beach? Can the Zoo be a half day trip? We have a rental car but are not big city drivers.

I think the Wild Animal Park would be better for an afternoon. There's a tram that you can take around the park, so there's less walking. They have a new lion exhibit which looks interesting, too.

La Jolla, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach. Pick one. They're all beautiful!

What TKD tournament are your kids competing in? On Saturday the 25th? Mine is competing on the 17th at the USTW Nationals in Anaheim and some of her teammates at the USA TKD tournament in San Antonio.

if they are interested in renting boogie boards, roller blading etc. then i'd recommend going to pacific/mission beach. it is full of activity. or, closer to chula vista - the beach at the hotel del in coronado.
you could also go for a walk through torry pines state park which is very nice and then end up at the beach there.
the zoo is quite large and i'd recommend a full day for that.
sea world is great.

The kids are competing at the USTF tournament on the 25th. I think the tournament is right in Chula Vista. My sister is kind of wanting to do the zoo but I'm thinking that is more of an all day thing.

How about Balboa Par? Go to the Ruben E. Fleet and see an Imax, go through the museum, then walk around the Park just to see the archetecture. They have about fifteen museums there. It is a beautiful place and fun to see. Perfect for a half day and not that far from where you are.

Then drive to Mission Valley and find the In and Out Burger for lunch. Makes for a perfect day...IMO.

Is there an admissin fee to get into Balboa Park? Or do you pay separately for each museum or activity? I see there is a $30 passport that gets you into a bunch of exhibits. Would that be worth while if we only have a 1/2 day?

We have only really done the Ruben. Plenty there with the Imax and other exhibits to keep the kids busy. Then walk around just b/c it is beautiful and one of the most pleasant places to spend some free time, IMO. If it is on a weekend, there are lots of people and sometimes some artists, guitar players, balloon sculpters and magicians to see. I love the botanical garden and the lilly pods in the pond. Just a lovely place. Not sure what the Imax is showing right now. Here is a link:

http://www.balboapark.org/

Hope this helps out...