You folks are making it REALLY hard to make our decision!!! Segway, kayak into caves, seals, food, beach, shopping...what's a family to do??? :-) THANKS BUNCHES!!!

(((Next stop will be Anaheim for DisneyLand and then Los Angeles...look for me to post about that in a few days))) I complete one leg of the trip...reservations and all...before I start on the next leg.

benitaswan - we are doing your trip, but in the opposite direction. so i'll be following all of your posts.

HA rizzo0904 - that's funny! I just began reading Fodor's California today. I've finished Fodor's Grand Canyon and Arizona. To me, the hardest thing is...you've got to pick and choose. You simply can't do it all. Normally, we go to a destination and stay for 9 or more days. This trip is different. We're hitting a destination for only 2-3 days. And that makes it hard. We're accustomed to doing everything a place has to offer in 9 days. Now, we're going to have to learn how to "hit the high spots" in 2 days. Wish us luck!

benitaswan - our challenge this time is including 2 toddlers! so we have to narrow things down to accomodate them. i'll go read fodor's california.

There are several museums at Balboa Park, not just the zoo. You might want to check out if any would be of interest to your girls.

rizzo and benitaswan, we're going to be there within the week and have really enjoyed this thread. We're doing 2 days, too, with the Zoo, a whale watching tour with Adventure Rib Boats, Children's Pool for the seals, drive out to Hotel Del, and dinner in Old Town. Should be fun! Thanks for the advice!
Rizzo, we're staying at the Homewood Suites to accomodate our kids. Check it out- it might suit you, too.

Half day is enoght for the zoo as it isn't very large.I second the idea of the Zoo's safari park. Sea World can be fun too.

Interesting, both the San Diego Zoo and the Bronx Zoo have about 4,000 animals, but the former is only 100 acres and the latter is about 265 acres. By contrast, the Berlin Zoo has 17,500 animals in 84 acres (thank you Wikipedia!)

And Safari Park (formerly Wild Animal Park) is over 1,800 acres, with other open space nearby - and is our favorite, but we also love the Zoo. You can buy a 2 day ticket - one day each and get a discount.

In the good old days, I would spend at least half the day at the zoo feeding the animals!

topping

And be sure to bring your swimming trunks. People go swimming in the ocean year round in SD - although some seem to think that is too cold during the winter months. The shallower water at the Cove in La Jolla is always pleasant enough to wade in - and pleaseant enough to usually dive in for a few strokes. :) People also go scuba diving and snorkeling there year round.

The beach at la jolla shores is great. My favorite swimming beach in all of california.

USS Midway Museum. Here's my account of our visit (with photos).

http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/...3_Entry_1.html

((H))

Toms idea of the Embarcadero is good. Kids usually love the Star of India. You can go inside the actual ship. Nearby is the ship used to film the movie Master & Commander. There are several other boats/ships to tour as well.

From the same area, you can catch the passenger ferry to Coronado. It's a fun and cheap way to actually go out in the bay.

On the Coronado side, you can get a good meal or snacks at the ferry landing. If you want to see Coronado ( a beautiful town) you can rent bikes or a victorian trolly to cruise in. You could also take a bus, taxi or walk the 12 blocks up to the Hotel Del and the beach. Lots of great places to eat in Coronado.

Amen lcuy. And the girls would probably love walking around th Fashion Valley Mall/Shopping Center - and maybe getting into the Godiva chocolate shop? :)

https://foursquare.com/v/fashion-val...64a52042401fe3