I'll have just a few days...looking for the must see in San Diego List. I'm headed to Sea World for a work visit, but other than that what would a very teenage girl and her young active Mom want to see. Laguna worth the drive up? Are there really seals on the beach? Local down and dirty resturants with a great fish dinners? C'mon counting on you guys for ideas!!!

what hotel did you decide to stay at?
yes there are really seals on the beach in la jolla. You can also take the Seal Tours from Seaport Village and they will go out to the bait barge where there are lots of sea lions.
will you be taking your daugther to Sea World?
what interests you in Laguna? there is so much to see in San Diego that if you only have a few days i'm not sure the drive is worth it, but that is just my opinion.

We liked the Old Town Trolley tour-you can get on and off at the different stops and look around. We got off at Coronado Island and ate lunch at the Del Coronado Hotel and walked on the beach there.

Hey Vabarone,

I'm a native of San Diego and lived and worked in Laguna Beach for 7 years. I would say, stay in SD! There is alot to see and do down there. If you want to visit a upscale beach city go to La Jolla or Del Mar...very similar to Laguna.

There is Seaport Village, Coronado Island, Old Town (For the mexican food and outdoor shopping), Balboa Park, La Jolla Cove, del Mar race track...so much more

We have been to San Diego twice in the past couple of years. Sea World is great especially if you do one of the behind the scenes tours. My teens (I have three) LOVED the Pacific Beach area of San Diego. We spent a couple of afternoons learning to surf w/ a company called Surfari.

We shopped and walked the boardwalk...went on the roller coaster a couple of times in the park.

Went to LaJolla and walked around downtown and the before sunset headed to Children's Beach to watch the seals come in for the night.

We went to the tide pools in LaJolla, which are only a couple of blocks from seal beach. That was very very cool!

Kayaking in LaJolla cove was much fun. We also went parasailing off Torrey Pines cliffs. My 14 year old LOVED it. She went w/ a great pilot and her pictures are amazing.

I highly recommend breakfast at Kono's which is right at the start of Crystal Pier. $4 for a huge breakfast...don't be intimitated by the lines...they go quickly.

My son, 16, roller bladed from the start of Pacific Beach all the way to Crystal Pier...about 3 miles. he had so much fun, we bought him a skateboard and he did it again the next day.

Every day in the evening we would all go skim boarding and hang on the beach.

Active kids and parents love San Diego, there is so much to do.

Hope you have a great time!
j

I would also highly recommend kayaking the La Jolla cove. It is a spectacular and unique experience. Another highlight is hiking the Torrey pines state reserve....do the beach trail from the top all the way down to the beach and head left. Of course, stroll around the Gaslamp downtown; that can be the "urban" shopping and food part of the San Diego experience. You can also take the ferry from downtown to Coronado and then rent bikes and bike all the way to the Hotel Del Coronado and check it out. Strolling Prospect St in downtown La Jolla and then walking to see the seals at the Children's cove is another unique San Diego experience. I also love Del Mar and strolling Camino Del Mar and stopping at Del Mar Plaza for a fabulous lunch at Pacifica Del Mar taking in the gorgeous ocean view. So much to do, so little time! I live here and love it.

I used http://www.localwally.com/ and found it to be a really big help for all questions like restaurants, which beach etc.

Deb

I'm booked at the Hard Rock Hotel... I was able to get a great deal there, but I'm also ready to change hotels to Solomar if I'm at all uncomfortable. So of Sea World, Wild America and San Diego Zoo, which is worth the money. My guess is we'll sleep in some then spend one day at one of the above mentioned animal spots, one day on the shore, La Jolla sounds like a best bet and then the last of our three days in Balboa Park or the Seaport Village or maybe take the Old Town Trolley Tour? Sound about right?

What is Wild America? The Wild Animal park, perhaps?

I would choose either the Zoo or Sea World. The Zoo is outstanding, be sure to wear comfy shoes if you go, it's very hilly. If you prefer more entertainment, then go to Sea World.

Seaport Village really isn't going to keep you busy for more than a couple of hours at the most, and even that's a stretch, IMO. The shops are open in the evening so you could go then.

The Old Town Trolley Tour gets great reviews here, so that might be a good choice for you.