Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids

Explore the best free & cheap things to do with kids options for kids and families in Coronado

Coronado Ferry Center

Coronado Ferry Center

Shopping mall with waterfront views. Waterfront shopping center with art galleries, apparel retailers, fine dining & casual eateries.

The New Children’s Museum

The New Children’s Museum

Hands-on artwork & creative play spaces. From creative classes to climbable sculptures, contemporary art for kids, in a bright, modern space.

San Diego Waterfront

San Diego Waterfront

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Chicano Park

Chicano Park

Public space with colorful murals. Colorful murals can be seen at this public park located beneath the San Diego-Coronado Bridge.

Waterfront Park

Waterfront Park

Park with fountains, lawns & a play area. Public park featuring spray fountains, grassy areas & lots of play equipment for kids.

Harbor Island Park

Harbor Island Park

Bay views, a bike route & a walking path. Tranquil public park overlooking the bay with a shoreline path for walkers & a route for bicyclists.

Grant Hill Park

Grant Hill Park

Recreation area with panoramic views. Park with sweeping city & Coronado Bay Bridge views plus a playground, basketball & tennis courts.

San Diego Air & Space Museum

San Diego Air & Space Museum

Aviation history exhibits & a gift shop. Popular place with historical aircraft/spacecraft & interactive exhibits, plus a gift shop & grill.

Golden Hill Fountain Grotto

Golden Hill Fountain Grotto

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Golden Hill Park

Golden Hill Park

Sports courts, a gym & picnic grounds. Family-friendly park with tennis courts, ball fields & a gym, plus picnic grounds & a playground.

Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum

Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum

Bonsai trees, koi ponds & garden tours. Balboa Park's Japanese gardens have koi ponds, bonsai trees, garden tours & more.

Fleet Science Center

Fleet Science Center

Hands-on exhibits & an IMAX theater. Educational center with hands-on exhibits, a planetarium, an IMAX theater & interactive displays.

Spruce Street Suspension Bridge

Spruce Street Suspension Bridge

Historical footbridge with scenic views. Built in 1912, this hidden suspension footbridge provides views of the serene valley below.

San Diego Natural History Museum

San Diego Natural History Museum

Big, comprehensive science museum. Large natural history museum with rotating displays on animals, dinosaurs & earth science.

Desert Garden

Desert Garden

Scenic park with a variety of cacti. Various cacti bloom in this unique, scenic garden with several trails for walking.

Balboa Park Carousel

Balboa Park Carousel

Early 1900s carousel with a brass ring. Traditional merry-go-round built in 1910, with hand-carved animals & chance to catch the brass ring.

Nature Exploration Area

Nature Exploration Area

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Sunset Cliffs Natural Park

Sunset Cliffs Natural Park

Rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean. Natural cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean offer views of the coast & the occasional cliff diver.

Kimball Park

Kimball Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

Open-air living-history museum. Open-air museum about local life in the 1800s, with adobe buildings & interpretive performances.

Stairs to lookout on Sunset Cliffs

Stairs to lookout on Sunset Cliffs

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Old Town San Diego

Old Town San Diego

Visit this great place for kids and families!

North Park Mini Park

North Park Mini Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

North Park Sign

North Park Sign

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Living Coast Discovery Center

Living Coast Discovery Center

Exhibits on stingrays, turtles & sharks. Interactive center focuses on animals native to the San Diego Bay such as stingrays & sea turtles.

Old Trolley Barn Park

Old Trolley Barn Park

City park with a playground. City park on the site of an old streetcar barn, offering a playground & summertime concerts.

Mission Bay Park

Mission Bay Park

Bustling area for oceanside activities. Vast bayside spot popular for sand & surf sports, sunbathing, boats, picnics & dog-friendly beaches.

Chula Vista Bayside Park

Chula Vista Bayside Park

Waterfront strip with paths & a pier. Public greenway with paved walking trails, a fishing pier & picnic tables, plus bay & city views.

Inflatable World

Inflatable World

Amusement park with giant slides & domes. Giant outdoor playground next to the mall offers massive slides, obstacle courses & bounce domes.

Chula Vista Bayfront Park

Chula Vista Bayfront Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Mission Beach Boardwalk

Mission Beach Boardwalk

Bustling promenade with ocean vistas. Longtime beachfront boardwalk featuring shops, an old-school amusement park & ocean activities.

Pacific Beach

Pacific Beach

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Lake Murray

Lake Murray

Fishing, boating & a waterside path. Small boat rentals, fishing & many picnic areas, plus a walking & biking path along the reservoir.

Lake Murray Community Park

Lake Murray Community Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Aztec Park

Aztec Park

Municipal park for outdoor recreation. 3.96-acre municipal park offering barbeque sites, as well as picnic areas & urban walking trails.

THE PLAYGROUND

THE PLAYGROUND

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Mt. Helix Park

Mt. Helix Park

Peak with an amphitheater & city views. High point offering views of San Diego, with a large amphitheater hosting plays, lectures & events.

Play City

Play City

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Prescott Promenade

Prescott Promenade

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Mira Mesa Park

Mira Mesa Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

Trails, beaches, lagoons & wildlife. Acres of oceanside trails for exploring or exercising while spotting occasional dolphins or bobcats.

Miramar Overlook Park

Miramar Overlook Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Torrey Pines State Beach

Torrey Pines State Beach

Sandy swim & surf spot with picnic area. This wide, sandy beach with a picnic area is popular spot for swimming, surfing & fishing.

Carmel Del Mar Park

Carmel Del Mar Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve Extension

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve Extension

State park with rare trees & trails. Beachside park features sandstone bluffs, a visitor's center, rare pine trees & nature trails.

Sunset Seat

Sunset Seat

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Sea Grove Park

Sea Grove Park

Recreation lawn with an oceanfront view. Oceanside park offering lawns for relaxing & picnicking along with beach access.

Powerhouse Park

Powerhouse Park

Bluffside setting for play & leisure. Perched above a wide sandy beach, this green space has a children's playground & picnic areas.

Fletcher Cove Beach Park

Fletcher Cove Beach Park

Waterfront viewing deck & a playground. Picturesque park with a viewing deck, grassy area & playground, plus tables & a basketball court.

San Dieguito County Park

San Dieguito County Park

Natural area with playgrounds & sports. This scenic park offers play & picnic areas, plus trails, baseball & basketball facilities.

Oma's Family Farm

Oma's Family Farm

Visit this great place for kids and families!

San Elijo Lagoon and Ecological Reserve

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.

Sea Cliff County Park

Sea Cliff County Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

D Street Viewpoint Park

D Street Viewpoint Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Moonlight State Beach

Moonlight State Beach

Volleyball, kids' play area & snack bar. Sandy beach with a snack bar, playground, volleyball & tennis courts & recreation equipment rentals.

San Diego Botanic Garden

San Diego Botanic Garden

Sprawling locale with unique vegetation. Large botanical garden with vistas & four miles of trails featuring flowering trees, palms & bamboo.

Stonesteps

Stonesteps

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve

Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve

Spacious park for hiking & picnics. Large park featuring native plants, picnic areas & hiking, biking & equestrian trails.

Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation

Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation

Coastal wetland & nature reserve. Protected wetland habitat with on-site parking & wildlife-viewing opportunities.

Double Peak Park

Double Peak Park

Hiking trails with panoramic vistas. Rugged, 200-acre park featuring a play area & hiking trails that lead to a summit with ocean views.

Leo Carrillo Historic Park

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.

Discovery Lake

Discovery Lake

Visit this great place for kids and families!

San Diego Children's Discovery Museum

San Diego Children's Discovery Museum

Playful, hands-on exhibits for kids. Lively indoor & outdoor museum providing interactive educational exhibits for children.

LEGOLAND California

LEGOLAND California

Vibrant Lego-themed hotel with a pool. Vivid Lego-themed quarters in a lively hotel offering dining, an outdoor pool & free breakfast.

SEA LIFE Aquarium

SEA LIFE Aquarium

Oceanic exhibits & play areas. Family-friendly exhibits featuring more than 5,000 sea creatures, plus a play area & group packages.

Miniland USA

Miniland USA

Lego-built miniature cities & a cafe. Area of Legoland with mini models of U.S. cities from San Francisco to Washington D.C., plus a cafe.

Fun Town

Fun Town

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Viewing for Flower Field

Viewing for Flower Field

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (Discovery Center)

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (Discovery Center)

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Rod McLeod Park

Rod McLeod Park

Picnicking, a playground & walking path. 18-acre green space offering a tot lot, paved trail & restrooms, plus benches, picnic tables & BBQs.

Magee Park

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.

Hidden Canyon Park

Hidden Canyon Park

Green space with a shaded playground. Park with a playscape shaded by huge umbrellas, plus grassy open space & undeveloped land.

Explore More Activities

Discover more events and activities happening in the city.