Mother daughter (age 6) trip to San Diego
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
My family has relocated from DC to San Francisco. I’m planning to take a trip with my big-cat obsessed 6 year old to the San Diego zoo.
The person in tickets just told me she recommends a full day (6-8 hrs) to see the zoo and then spend time in San Diego doing other things (like Balboa park). 1 day sounds really rushed, but I’d be curious to hear thoughts from others. We’ll be arriving on a Tues night. We could return Thurs pm or Sat am, but I’m leaning toward Friday pm return. It seems like it would let us explore while not spending the money on an extra night in the hotel. My DH would also prefer if I were back to help with the toddler on the weekend when she’s out of her usual routine. So, how long would you go and what would you do? She says she’s not interested in LEGOland and I’m not interested in seaworld. Flights are so cheap it would be easy to go back sometime if we love it. I’m thinking Tues pm by the pool, Weds all day zoo, Thurs am back to the zoo and either pool or balboa park in pm. Friday am “kid’s choice” (pool, zoo, or balboa park) and fly out around 4 pm or so. I’d welcome thoughts though! To make it more relaxing for me, I think I’m going to avoid renting a car but open to being told if that’s a bad idea. |
Anonymous
|
Op here - also, I assume bringing an umbrella stroller for a 6 year old is silly? But let me know if you went and wished you’d had one!
Otherwise I assume we’ll have to carry around her booster seat. |
Anonymous
| Buy a Bumpit. I’d add some pool/beach time and if you are going to San Diego and she likes animals what about the Safari animal Park? |
Anonymous
| We’ve taken our kids to SD a couple of times. The first when they were maybe 3 and the second time they were about 5 I think. The zoo is great and there’s plenty to do in Balboa Park. I wouldn’t dismiss LEGOland so quickly. We went on a whim one day the first time and had so much fun we went back the next day. Then again the next time we were out there. It’s just big enough to have plenty to do but compact enough to not be overwhelming or crazy crowded. |
Anonymous
|
The zoo is actually in Balboa Park, so it's nearby the other attractions. Balboa Park has some great gardens and a lot of museums. There is a kid's science museum, the Fleet Science Center, that my child loved.
At La Jolla Cove Beach, you will probably see sea lions and pelicans. It's less good for swimming. Do not approach the sea lions (it's easy to stay at a safe distance, but you will see some tourists who don't seem to have a finely honed sense of self-preservation). Coronado Island has a great beach with tide pools. The Safari Park is great for people who like big cats or gazelles. It is a hike outside of the city, so it does require a whole day. |
Anonymous
What the fu&k??? |
Anonymous
| Zoo is really nice and you could easily spend 2 days there. Agree with pp that you should not dismiss Legoland. 6 is a perfect age for Legoland. |
Anonymous
Not sure why you responded this way. A stroller can be the difference between spending the day exploring vs. retiring early. Even at age 6... I’d get the umbrella stroller OP. I regretted not having one when traveling with my 6 year old. We started our days early and she was physically exhausted by 9:30am. |
Anonymous
|
Op here. Lol to pp. Yes, I hear you. She’s always trying to bum a ride in her sister’s stroller (just turned two) and I’d read you can easily walk 5-6 miles at the zoo and I wasn’t sure about carrying around her booster but it looks like a locker rental can solve that problem and we can just do what she’s up for.
My sister and parents are here the weekend before and leave Tues am which is why we won’t leave until Tues. Returning can be as early as Thurs or late as Sat. I’d like a day back before school starts back up and my DH doesn’t love the idea of spending the weekend with the 2 year old alone. I originally had my eye on San Diego specifically for the safari park because my older DD starts sentences with “when we go on a safari some day...”. But when I called the zoo / safari park and asked questions they said the “animal encounter” tour at the zoo would enable her to meet a cat while the “kids Caravan” would not. In theory we could do 1 day Safari park and 1 day zoo. We could also do 1 day zoo and 1 day other (like LEGOLand) but I’m leaning toward reducing travel once we’re there. A DC friend is coming to LEGO land in May so in theory we could visit her / see LEGOland then if we wanted. Anyway, does Tues (landing pm) - departing Friday afternoon sound reasonable or too rushed? I want a mix of activities (zoos, parks, museums) and free time (pool, run around after pelicans etc). But really I’m just excited for a little get away and some special 1:1 time. How close is the beach? Probably won’t do beach but not sure. |
Anonymous
| Op here - the lol was to the poster appaled I was considering an umbrella stroller. I figured DCUM would balk at the concept. |
Anonymous
Okay, this PP was a bit indelicate, but I would also never think to have a stroller for a 6yo. My kid hiked about 3 miles up the Torrey Pines hills in La Jolla when she was 5 and loved it, and she's not even a big walker. Back to OP's request, here are some recs based on stuff my kid enjoyed around the same age--of course you won't be able to do it all, but here are some options: -Wild Animal Park -zoo and Balboa Park (not sure I'd go to the zoo more than one day--there's sooo much stuff to do for kids in SD) -Legoland -eat at one of the cheesy Mexican restaurants in Old Town -walk around downtown La Jolla and see the seals in the cove -Belmont Park amusement park near Mission Bay -touch pool at Birch Aquarium in La Jolla Also, I'd definitely rent a car--traffic's not all that bad, it's a spread out area, and you are concerned about her walking anyway, so I'd go with a car. |
Anonymous
I don't understand what your family relocating from DC to San Francisco has to do with this. Do you mean distant family, or your immediate family you live with? Are you, DH, 2 YO and 6YO currently in SF or DC? Are you also going to be squeezing in visits with family? If you meant you guys, then you already live there, so where are you flying from? I'm really confused. |
Anonymous
| The zoo is nice but ultimately it’s a zoo, and after a few hours I was done. I think you’d have to be a true zoo aficionado to spend 8 hours there, let alone 2 days. The safari park is amazing—I’d recommend it. It was very very hot the day we went. Had it been cooler we probably would have stayed longer. |
Anonymous
| The zoo and the safari park are amazing! I’d do one Wednesday another Friday and do more restful things Thursday. Echo pp La Jolla cove is super cute and getting to see the seals in the “wild” was really cool for us animal lovers. Mission beach is a kid friendly beach in between SD and La Jolla - also has a little amusement park. If she likes boats the harbor cruise is fun. Have so much fun! Dh and I went years ago and can’t wait to bring dd when she is closer to your kiddos age. |
Anonymous
How early did you start? Assuming you started at 5:30 AM, can your 6 year old really not handle 4 hours of physical activity? |