Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids
Explore the best free & cheap things to do with kids options for kids and families in Encinitas
D Street Viewpoint Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Moonlight State Beach
Volleyball, kids' play area & snack bar. Sandy beach with a snack bar, playground, volleyball & tennis courts & recreation equipment rentals.
Stonesteps
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Sea Cliff County Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
San Diego Botanic Garden
Sprawling locale with unique vegetation. Large botanical garden with vistas & four miles of trails featuring flowering trees, palms & bamboo.
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.
Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation
Coastal wetland & nature reserve. Protected wetland habitat with on-site parking & wildlife-viewing opportunities.
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
Natural area with playgrounds & sports. This scenic park offers play & picnic areas, plus trails, baseball & basketball facilities.
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
Oceanic exhibits & play areas. Family-friendly exhibits featuring more than 5,000 sea creatures, plus a play area & group packages.
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
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Viewing for Flower Field
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.
Powerhouse Park
Bluffside setting for play & leisure. Perched above a wide sandy beach, this green space has a children's playground & picnic areas.
Sea Grove Park
Recreation lawn with an oceanfront view. Oceanside park offering lawns for relaxing & picnicking along with beach access.
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (Discovery Center)
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Sunset Seat
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
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.
Carmel Del Mar Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Discovery Lake
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
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.
Hidden Canyon Park
Green space with a shaded playground. Park with a playscape shaded by huge umbrellas, plus grassy open space & undeveloped land.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Trails, beaches, lagoons & wildlife. Acres of oceanside trails for exploring or exercising while spotting occasional dolphins or bobcats.
Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve
Spacious park for hiking & picnics. Large park featuring native plants, picnic areas & hiking, biking & equestrian trails.
Buccaneer Park
Municipal basketball courts & play areas. Tiny public green with basketball courts & a playground, plus a path along the Loma Alta Marsh.
Oceanside Pier Amphitheater
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Oceanside Municipal Pier
Iconic 1,942-ft. wooden ocean pier. Originally built in 1888, this iconic wooden fishing pier stretches 1,942 ft. into the ocean.
California Surf Museum
Historic boards, iconic surfers & more. Surf museum chronicles the history of the sport with exhibits of surfboards, famous surfers & more.
Buddy Todd Park
Grassy retreat with grills & a play area. Shady outdoor park featuring a children's playground & a covered picnic area with grills & outlets.
Oceanside Museum of Art
National & global artwork in a mod space. This contemporary building presents a rotating collection of modern art pieces & cultural events.
Alta Vista Botanical Gardens
Botanical park integrating art & gardens. Botanical gardens dotted with works of art offering native plants, a lotus pond & ongoing classes.
Oceanside Harbor Village
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Sea Lion Island
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Mira Mesa Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Heritage Park & Museum
Historic buildings & a gazebo. Park featuring many early 1900s buildings from downtown Oceanside & a gazebo for events.
Rod McLeod Park
Picnicking, a playground & walking path. 18-acre green space offering a tot lot, paved trail & restrooms, plus benches, picnic tables & BBQs.
San Diego Children's Discovery Museum
Playful, hands-on exhibits for kids. Lively indoor & outdoor museum providing interactive educational exhibits for children.
Miramar Overlook Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Pacific Beach
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Mission Beach Boardwalk
Bustling promenade with ocean vistas. Longtime beachfront boardwalk featuring shops, an old-school amusement park & ocean activities.
Mission Bay Park
Bustling area for oceanside activities. Vast bayside spot popular for sand & surf sports, sunbathing, boats, picnics & dog-friendly beaches.
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.
Inflatable World
Amusement park with giant slides & domes. Giant outdoor playground next to the mall offers massive slides, obstacle courses & bounce domes.
Old Trolley Barn Park
City park with a playground. City park on the site of an old streetcar barn, offering a playground & summertime concerts.
Spruce Street Suspension Bridge
Historical footbridge with scenic views. Built in 1912, this hidden suspension footbridge provides views of the serene valley below.
North Park Sign
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Stairs to lookout on Sunset Cliffs
Visit this great place for kids and families!
North Park Mini Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Lake Murray Community Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
Rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean. Natural cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean offer views of the coast & the occasional cliff diver.
Lake Murray
Fishing, boating & a waterside path. Small boat rentals, fishing & many picnic areas, plus a walking & biking path along the reservoir.
Nature Exploration Area
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
San Diego Natural History Museum
Big, comprehensive science museum. Large natural history museum with rotating displays on animals, dinosaurs & earth science.
Desert Garden
Scenic park with a variety of cacti. Various cacti bloom in this unique, scenic garden with several trails for walking.
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
Hands-on exhibits & an IMAX theater. Educational center with hands-on exhibits, a planetarium, an IMAX theater & interactive displays.
Waterfront Park
Park with fountains, lawns & a play area. Public park featuring spray fountains, grassy areas & lots of play equipment for kids.
San Diego Air & Space Museum
Aviation history exhibits & a gift shop. Popular place with historical aircraft/spacecraft & interactive exhibits, plus a gift shop & grill.
San Diego Waterfront
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Aztec Park
Municipal park for outdoor recreation. 3.96-acre municipal park offering barbeque sites, as well as picnic areas & urban walking trails.
Golden Hill Park
Sports courts, a gym & picnic grounds. Family-friendly park with tennis courts, ball fields & a gym, plus picnic grounds & a playground.
Golden Hill Fountain Grotto
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
THE PLAYGROUND
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Grant Hill Park
Recreation area with panoramic views. Park with sweeping city & Coronado Bay Bridge views plus a playground, basketball & tennis courts.
Coronado Ferry Center
Shopping mall with waterfront views. Waterfront shopping center with art galleries, apparel retailers, fine dining & casual eateries.
Chicano Park
Public space with colorful murals. Colorful murals can be seen at this public park located beneath the San Diego-Coronado Bridge.
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