Best Family-Friendly Attractions
Explore the best best family-friendly attractions options for kids and families in El Cajon
Mt. Helix Park
Peak with an amphitheater & city views. High point offering views of San Diego, with a large amphitheater hosting plays, lectures & events.
Lake Murray Community Park
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Greetings from San Diego Mural
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North Park Sign
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Old Trolley Barn Park
City park with a playground. City park on the site of an old streetcar barn, offering a playground & summertime concerts.
Balboa Park
Multi-attraction park covers 1,200 acres. Sprawling outdoor destination is home to the city's renowned zoo, museums, gardens & more.
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.
Desert Garden
Scenic park with a variety of cacti. Various cacti bloom in this unique, scenic garden with several trails for walking.
Golden Hill Park
Sports courts, a gym & picnic grounds. Family-friendly park with tennis courts, ball fields & a gym, plus picnic grounds & a playground.
Balboa Park Miniature Railroad
Antique train ride for kids & adults. Open-air antique train takes kids & adults on a 3-minute journey through the park.
Fleet Science Center
Hands-on exhibits & an IMAX theater. Educational center with hands-on exhibits, a planetarium, an IMAX theater & interactive displays.
Pepper Grove
Visit this great place for kids and families!
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
Scale models of California railroads. Kid-friendly museum featuring many working scale models of California rail lines & landscapes.
Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum
Bonsai trees, koi ponds & garden tours. Balboa Park's Japanese gardens have koi ponds, bonsai trees, garden tours & more.
Museum of Us
Anthropology displays in historic digs. Museum in an ornate 1915 building featuring eclectic anthropology exhibits & a panoramic tower.
Miramar Overlook Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
San Diego Air & Space Museum
Aviation history exhibits & a gift shop. Popular place with historical aircraft/spacecraft & interactive exhibits, plus a gift shop & grill.
Chicano Park
Public space with colorful murals. Colorful murals can be seen at this public park located beneath the San Diego-Coronado Bridge.
San Diego Children’s Park
Pool-like fountains & play equipment. Small park with wide, shallow fountains where ducks swim, plus a kids' playground under the pines.
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.
Waterfront Park
Park with fountains, lawns & a play area. Public park featuring spray fountains, grassy areas & lots of play equipment for kids.
Mira Mesa Park
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USS Midway Museum
Historic aircraft carrier with exhibits. Life-at-sea exhibits, restored planes & flight simulators aboard this legendary aircraft carrier.
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.
Heritage County Park
County park with many historic buildings. Charming county park featuring several restored Victorian homes & the city's first synagogue.
Presidio Park
Historical park with a cultural museum. Expansive park offers a cultural museum & historical sites, plus trails, city views & picnic space.
Old Town San Diego
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Sesame Place San Diego
Family theme park with shows & rides. Family-friendly, Sesame Street-themed amusement park with rides, waterslides, parades & shows.
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.
SeaWorld San Diego
Aquatic theme park with shows & rides. Marine life shows, thrill rides, aquariums & up-close encounters with dolphins, penguins & more.
Kate Sessions Memorial Park
Dog-friendly space with scenic vistas. Dog-friendly recreation area boasting sweeping hillside views, plus sports fields & a playground.
Mission Beach Boardwalk
Bustling promenade with ocean vistas. Longtime beachfront boardwalk featuring shops, an old-school amusement park & ocean activities.
Birch Aquarium
Up-close marine life & hands-on exhibits. Interactive tide pools & exhibitions for all things under the sea in an oceanside building.
La Jolla Shores Park
Grassy & chill spot next to the beach. 2-block space steps away from the sand & waves offers grassy area & playgrounds.
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
Rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean. Natural cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean offer views of the coast & the occasional cliff diver.
Cabrillo National Monument
Historic lighthouse with expansive views. This historic lighthouse & national monument offers a storied history & views all the way to Mexico.
Ellen Browning Scripps Park
Picturesque spot overlooking the ocean. Open green space along the coast offering panoramic ocean views, including seals & sunsets.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Trails, beaches, lagoons & wildlife. Acres of oceanside trails for exploring or exercising while spotting occasional dolphins or bobcats.
Sea Grove Park
Recreation lawn with an oceanfront view. Oceanside park offering lawns for relaxing & picnicking along with beach access.
Powerhouse Park
Bluffside setting for play & leisure. Perched above a wide sandy beach, this green space has a children's playground & picnic areas.
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.
Grape Day Park
Historic park with kids' play equipment. The oldest park in the city, with historic buildings, a playground, horseshoes & community events.
San Diego Children's Discovery Museum
Playful, hands-on exhibits for kids. Lively indoor & outdoor museum providing interactive educational exhibits for children.
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.
San Diego Botanic Garden
Sprawling locale with unique vegetation. Large botanical garden with vistas & four miles of trails featuring flowering trees, palms & bamboo.
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.
Discovery Lake
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation
Coastal wetland & nature reserve. Protected wetland habitat with on-site parking & wildlife-viewing opportunities.
LEGOLAND California
Vibrant Lego-themed hotel with a pool. Vivid Lego-themed quarters in a lively hotel offering dining, an outdoor pool & free breakfast.
Imagination Zone
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SEA LIFE Aquarium
Oceanic exhibits & play areas. Family-friendly exhibits featuring more than 5,000 sea creatures, plus a play area & group packages.
The Flower Fields
Seasonal spot for floral family fun. Seasonal attraction with almost 50 acres of ranunculus flowers, walking paths & plants for purchase.
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
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Pirate Shores
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (Discovery Center)
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.
Alta Vista Botanical Gardens
Botanical park integrating art & gardens. Botanical gardens dotted with works of art offering native plants, a lotus pond & ongoing classes.
Boomers Vista
Family fun center with mini-golf & more. National amusement center chain featuring mini-golf, go-karts, bumper boats & arcade games.
Hidden Canyon Park
Green space with a shaded playground. Park with a playscape shaded by huge umbrellas, plus grassy open space & undeveloped land.
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