San Diego with a toddler

[Anonymous]

There have been lots of threads about San Diego with great suggestions. We are going with our 22-month-old. We want to spend a lot of time at the zoo, but we know we won't even see a quarter of it. Can anyone recommend any activities or exhibits that are especially good for young toddlers? It's pretty overwhelming to look at the map and surf the web site.

Are there any great playgrounds or splash parks in San Diego that we shouldn't miss? Any beach that's particularly great for families with young kids?

I know it's hard to go wrong in SD, but I just wondered if anyone had any tips.

We are planning to eat only Mexican and Asian food during our trip so any obscure restaurants you could recommend would also be appreciated. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

We lived in San Diego when my kids were toddlers. Some recommendations that I have are as follows: Scripps Aquarium in La Jolla, Torrey Pines state beach, La Jolla shores, Sea World (has bay of play geared toward younger children), Balboa Park (lots of room to run around and has a carousel). There are parks every where in San Diego. I'm not sure of public splash parks. We had one in our neighborhood but it was owned by the HOA and thus not open to the public. The zoo is awesome and we really miss it. Be sure to check out the elephant exhibit as it is relatively new. There is also the Wild Animal Park in Escondido which is part of the San Diego Zoo. You can take a safari ride which my kids always enjoyed. Have a wonderful time!

[Anonymous]

We went a few months ago. Agree with all of the above. We liked the farther out zoo much better than the city zoo, although both are great. Legoland was also great.

[Anonymous]

Thank you. This is great info!