Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids
Explore the best free & cheap things to do with kids options for kids and families in Escondido
San Diego Children's Discovery Museum
Playful, hands-on exhibits for kids. Lively indoor & outdoor museum providing interactive educational exhibits for children.
Rod McLeod Park
Picnicking, a playground & walking path. 18-acre green space offering a tot lot, paved trail & restrooms, plus benches, picnic tables & BBQs.
Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve
Spacious park for hiking & picnics. Large park featuring native plants, picnic areas & hiking, biking & equestrian 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.
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.
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 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.
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 County Park
Natural area with playgrounds & sports. This scenic park offers play & picnic areas, plus trails, baseball & basketball facilities.
Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation
Coastal wetland & nature reserve. Protected wetland habitat with on-site parking & wildlife-viewing opportunities.
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (Discovery Center)
Visit this great place for kids and families!
LEGOLAND California
Vibrant Lego-themed hotel with a pool. Vivid Lego-themed quarters in a lively hotel offering dining, an outdoor pool & free breakfast.
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.
SEA LIFE Aquarium
Oceanic exhibits & play areas. Family-friendly exhibits featuring more than 5,000 sea creatures, plus a play area & group packages.
Fun Town
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Moonlight State Beach
Volleyball, kids' play area & snack bar. Sandy beach with a snack bar, playground, volleyball & tennis courts & recreation equipment rentals.
Stonesteps
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D Street Viewpoint Park
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Sea Cliff County Park
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Viewing for Flower Field
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Hidden Canyon Park
Green space with a shaded playground. Park with a playscape shaded by huge umbrellas, plus grassy open space & undeveloped land.
Miramar Overlook Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Fletcher Cove Beach Park
Waterfront viewing deck & a playground. Picturesque park with a viewing deck, grassy area & playground, plus tables & a basketball court.
Mira Mesa Park
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Carmel Del Mar Park
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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.
Heritage Park & Museum
Historic buildings & a gazebo. Park featuring many early 1900s buildings from downtown Oceanside & a gazebo for events.
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 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
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Buccaneer Park
Municipal basketball courts & play areas. Tiny public green with basketball courts & a playground, plus a path along the Loma Alta Marsh.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Trails, beaches, lagoons & wildlife. Acres of oceanside trails for exploring or exercising while spotting occasional dolphins or bobcats.
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.
Oceanside Museum of Art
National & global artwork in a mod space. This contemporary building presents a rotating collection of modern art pieces & cultural events.
California Surf Museum
Historic boards, iconic surfers & more. Surf museum chronicles the history of the sport with exhibits of surfboards, famous surfers & more.
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.
Oceanside Harbor Village
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Sea Lion Island
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Oma's Family Farm
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Lake Murray Community Park
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Lake Murray
Fishing, boating & a waterside path. Small boat rentals, fishing & many picnic areas, plus a walking & biking path along the reservoir.
Prescott Promenade
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.
THE PLAYGROUND
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Vail Ranch Park
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Pacific Beach
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Inflatable World
Amusement park with giant slides & domes. Giant outdoor playground next to the mall offers massive slides, obstacle courses & bounce domes.
Rose Haven Heritage Garden
Botanical park with 1,600+ plants. This outdoor showcase for many rose varieties offers walking paths, picnic tables & kids' programs.
Old Trolley Barn Park
City park with a playground. City park on the site of an old streetcar barn, offering a playground & summertime concerts.
Mt. Helix Park
Peak with an amphitheater & city views. High point offering views of San Diego, with a large amphitheater hosting plays, lectures & events.
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.
Old Town Temecula
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Town Square
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North Park Sign
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North Park Mini Park
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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.
Sam Hicks Monument Park
Park with a playground & restrooms. Public park featuring a play area, picnic tables, a stone monument, restrooms & more.
Temecula Valley Museum
Regional history & author memorabilia. Historic museum featuring city artifacts & a permanent exhibit on author Erle Stanley Gardner.
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.
Temecula Duck Pond
Pocket park with veterans memorial. Compact park featuring ducks paddling in a petite pool & a memorial to war veterans.
Nature Exploration Area
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Spruce Street Suspension Bridge
Historical footbridge with scenic views. Built in 1912, this hidden suspension footbridge provides views of the serene valley below.
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.
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