Unique & Hidden Gem Activities for Families
Explore the best unique & hidden gem activities for families options for kids and families in Carlsbad
Magee Park
Scenic park with a rose garden & gazebo. This 2.1-acre public park features a rose garden, gazebo & historic buildings, plus picnic spots.
Buena Vista Audubon Society
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (Discovery Center)
Visit this great place for kids and families!
DUPLO Playtown
Visit this great place for kids and families!
SEA LIFE Aquarium
Oceanic exhibits & play areas. Family-friendly exhibits featuring more than 5,000 sea creatures, plus a play area & group packages.
California Surf Museum
Historic boards, iconic surfers & more. Surf museum chronicles the history of the sport with exhibits of surfboards, famous surfers & more.
Oceanside Museum of Art
National & global artwork in a mod space. This contemporary building presents a rotating collection of modern art pieces & cultural events.
LEGOLAND California
Vibrant Lego-themed hotel with a pool. Vivid Lego-themed quarters in a lively hotel offering dining, an outdoor pool & free breakfast.
O'side Rock Garden
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Oak Riparian Park
Playground with a field & picnic spots. Scenic neighborhood green space next to trails with a playground, grassy field & picnic areas.
K1 Speed - Indoor Go Karts, Corporate Event Venue, Team Building Activities
Indoor go-kart racing. Chain of indoor racing centers featuring electric go-karting for all skill levels, plus food.
Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation
Coastal wetland & nature reserve. Protected wetland habitat with on-site parking & wildlife-viewing opportunities.
Heritage Park & Museum
Historic buildings & a gazebo. Park featuring many early 1900s buildings from downtown Oceanside & a gazebo for events.
Leo Carrillo Historic Park
Historic park in the heart of a canyon. 19th-century hacienda in a secluded & meticulously landscaped park, home to numerous wild peacocks.
Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum
Historical exhibits of rural life. Farming history via exhibits & demonstrations of old steam tractors, plus blacksmithing & weaving.
Play City
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Rancho Guajome Adobe
Historic hacienda in a park setting. Rambling Spanish Colonial–style hacienda, built in the 19th century, with gardens & wetlands.
Simmons Family Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Stonesteps
Visit this great place for kids and families!
San Dieguito Heritage Museum at the Heritage Ranch
Community history, artifacts & exhibits. 1-acre property & museum of the history of San Dieguito in photos, stories & hands-on displays.
Moonlight State Beach
Volleyball, kids' play area & snack bar. Sandy beach with a snack bar, playground, volleyball & tennis courts & recreation equipment rentals.
Dave's Rock Garden
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Alta Vista Botanical Gardens
Botanical park integrating art & gardens. Botanical gardens dotted with works of art offering native plants, a lotus pond & ongoing classes.
San Diego Botanic Garden
Sprawling locale with unique vegetation. Large botanical garden with vistas & four miles of trails featuring flowering trees, palms & bamboo.
Discovery Lake
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Wild Wonders, Inc
Visit this great place for kids and families!
San Elijo Lagoon and Ecological Reserve
Wildlife-watching & visitor center. Nature reserve with 7 miles of trails plus a visitor center with exhibits overlooking the lagoon.
Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve
Spacious park for hiking & picnics. Large park featuring native plants, picnic areas & hiking, biking & equestrian trails.
Rod McLeod Park
Picnicking, a playground & walking path. 18-acre green space offering a tot lot, paved trail & restrooms, plus benches, picnic tables & BBQs.
Sea Grove Park
Recreation lawn with an oceanfront view. Oceanside park offering lawns for relaxing & picnicking along with beach access.
San Diego Children's Discovery Museum
Playful, hands-on exhibits for kids. Lively indoor & outdoor museum providing interactive educational exhibits for children.
EcoVivarium
Reptile, amphibian & arthropod museum. Nonprofit museum dedicated to reptiles, amphibians & arthropods with hands-on encounters.
Felicita County Park
Athletic fields, playgrounds & disc golf. Expansive area offers various sports fields, two playgrounds, walking paths & a disc golf course.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Trails, beaches, lagoons & wildlife. Acres of oceanside trails for exploring or exercising while spotting occasional dolphins or bobcats.
Queen Califia's Magical Circle
Sizable sculptures in a whimsical garden. Walled art space in Kit Carson Park featuring large-scale mosaic sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle.
Birch Aquarium
Up-close marine life & hands-on exhibits. Interactive tide pools & exhibitions for all things under the sea in an oceanside building.
The Cave Store
Tunnel leading to a smuggler's sea cave. Stairs lead through a bootlegger's tunnel to this sandstone sea cave sheltering birds & seals.
Sunny Jim's Sea Cave
Tunnel built in 1902 leading to a cave. Tours of a tunnel running from a shop to a sea cave, dug in 1902 & said to be used for bootlegging.
Oceanview & Pala Chief Gem Mines (DigForGems.com)
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Pennypickle's Workshop
Hands-on children's museum & gift shop. Family-friendly venue with an on-site gift shop offers interactive exhibits for kids of all ages.
Rose Haven Heritage Garden
Botanical park with 1,600+ plants. This outdoor showcase for many rose varieties offers walking paths, picnic tables & kids' programs.
Temecula Valley Museum
Regional history & author memorabilia. Historic museum featuring city artifacts & a permanent exhibit on author Erle Stanley Gardner.
Temecula Duck Pond
Pocket park with veterans memorial. Compact park featuring ducks paddling in a petite pool & a memorial to war veterans.
Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve
Rugged hiking site & a visitor center. 9,000-acre nature conservation with varying terrain & habitats, open trails & a visitor center.
Belmont Park
Beachside amusement park with retro vibe. Vintage games, gift shops, rides & an iconic wooden roller coaster right next to the beach.
Pump It Up Murrieta Kids Birthdays and More
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Candeeland Temecula
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Tenaja Falls
Scenic rocky hiking trail to waterfall. National forest waterfall accessed via a trailhead with spring cascades teeming with birdlife.
Kidz Digz Gem Mining & Crystals Store
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Ocean Institute
Maritime science & history exhibits. Coastal visitor center with marine wildlife, school programs & interactive exhibits on oceanography.
Dana Point Caves
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Lower Copper Canyon Park
Retreat for outdoor sports & picnics. Neighborhood recreational park offering a baseball field, basketball hoops & trails.
River Street Ranch
Petting zoo & kid-friendly activities. Popular spot for families offers a petting zoo, train rides, panning for gold & more.
Old Trolley Barn Park
City park with a playground. City park on the site of an old streetcar barn, offering a playground & summertime concerts.
Lara's Labyrinth
Visit this great place for kids and families!
California Dreamin' Balloon Adventures
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Glen Arbor Park
Busy park with off-leash dog areas. Tree-filled, grassy park & popular local haunt for dogs to run around off-leash.
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