Am traveling in October for 9 days to San Deigo with 3 kids ages 17,15, and 8. My question is, is it worth our time to go to Tijuuana for the day? Has anyone been to Rosarito? Is that a better choice? And if yes, would you drive? Any input is greatly appreciated!

If you absolutely have to be able to say you went to Mexico, Rosarito would be better than Tijuana. Even better would be to go past Rosarito to Puerto Nuevo. You would have to drive. Make sure you have Mexican insurance. You will also need change for the toll road - American money will do fine. I used to go down there for lobster occasionally, but I would not go now.

Make sure to do a text search for Tiajuana for lots of previous discussion on your location.

How can you even think about taking your children to Mexico? It's dirty, dangerous, and decadent.

As previously suggested, visit Rosarito rather than the border city of Tijuana-if you can, AVOID driving into Mexico-not only will you need Mexican auto insurance, the traffic, including long delays at the border returning to the US, can be quiet horendous. IMHO, it's always worth your time to visit another country and lifestyle-although border towns aren't usually a good representation of how things are. You might want to prepare your children for some things they may not have seen before-like the fences, armed guards, security forces(including dogs)separating San Ysidro and Mexico. Once in Mexico, be prepared to be approached by mothers will small children asking for money, children either asking for money or trying to sell you something, etc, etc. And, yes, there will be women making themselves available to anyone for a price. Not saying this to scare you away, but this is the reality of things. Oh the other hand, you can enjoy some beautiful scenery and sites in Mexico, purchase some fabulous hand crafted things rather inexpensively(US$ widely accepted(preferred), and eat some good food(suggest you drink bottled water only), again rather inexpensively. IMHO, visit and enjoy yourselves!

I can't imagine what you will experience during a few hours in or near Tijuana that will make the trip worthwhile.
College guys looking for dicey nightlife I can understand the attraction.
Personally, I'm not sure what other group of people really enjoy the TJ experience. If it's only to say you've been there, don't go.

Just heard on the radio this morning that the wait to get back across the border to the US is 2hrs. When you are waiting in these long, slow lines of cars, you are a sitting duck for the many, many Mexicans selling all sorts of stuff, mostly junk. If any of it interests you, you will find you get a better deal when you get closer to the actual border which is marked by a line on the road. Once you cross the line, none of them can follow you. That's when you will see the drug-sniffing dogs. I always found the border crossing to be quite interesting, but I've never waited more than about 45mins.

As a LA resident I have visited Rosarito many times. While it is no longer the sleepy little town it was 15 years ago, it is much better than Tijuana. I have driven every time I have gone down there, without any trouble. Buy the Mexican Insurance, obey the speed limit, and don't try to come back across the border on a weekend (long wait). Be sure to take the toll road, because the free road is not well marked. Puerto Nuevo is 20 minutes or so South of Rosarito, and is full of shops and restaurants. You can get a tasty lobster dinner (with rice and beans!) for a reasonable price. My favorite food down there is the fish tacos. Go to a little shop and just sit at the counter. Wash it down with a coke or a beer. Good stuff. Even better than Rubio's (San Diego based restaurants)! As for the bad things about Mexico, some are true. It is dirty, and poor. But the people are genuinely friendly. Tijuana suffers because it is a border town, and tends to cater to the lowest common denominator. In rosarito you can shop, ride horses on the beach, visit a Titanic museum (it was filmed there), or just relax. Whether should be great in October, not too hot or cold.

No, it's not worth it! Would you want to show your kids American college kids drinking all you can drink beer or encourage them to buy tacky souvenirs? That's about all there is in TJ. It's a border town and has very little to do with the rest of Mexico. If you want to take your kids to Mexico, investigate an inexpensive plane ticket to somewhere nice. Rosarito is better, but only marginally. And, I would never drive over the border at Tijuana.

I hate to disagree (actually I like to), but forget all the naysayers. Yes, TJ is a cess pool and I would not spend any time there, but ...

Rosarito and Puerto Nuevo can be fun destinations for a family if you use common sense. Leave early enough to arrive back at border before 3:00pm or so and weekdays are better than weekends for traffic. Most car rental agencies prohibit taking cars there so if you are visiting by plane you may be out of luck.

FWIW, I go once or twice a year with my family (kids ages 8 and 10).

If you do go to any of the border towns & plan on doing any shopping & bargaining, here is a little tip I learned from my relatives in San Diego.
Bring alot of $1 bills. If you start pulling out $10 & $20 bills & the shop keepers see that (they will be looking), your bargaining power with them will go way down.