Unique & Hidden Gem Activities for Families
Explore the best unique & hidden gem activities for families options for kids and families in San Clemente
River Street Ranch
Petting zoo & kid-friendly activities. Popular spot for families offers a petting zoo, train rides, panning for gold & more.
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!
Niguel Botanical Preserve
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park
Huge wildlife preserve with streams. Wildlife sanctuary across 4,500 acres featuring rolling hills with trails & several types of trees.
Pirate Tower
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Bluebird Park
City park for activities & summer music. City park featuring sports courts, a children's play area, picnic tables & a summer concert series.
Mendocino Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Sky Zone Trampoline Park
Indoor trampolines & fitness classes. Chain of indoor trampoline parks featuring freestyle bouncing, dodgeball, fitness programs & more.
Dinosaur Park
Fields & a dinosaur-themed playground. Large park offering athletic fields as well as a playground with dinosaur- & fossil-themed elements.
Nerdy By Nature Escape Rooms
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Aurora Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Nix Nature Center
Paid lot near nature center & hikes. Paid parking lot adjacent to Laguna Coast Wilderness Park's Nix Nature Center & hiking trails.
Tenaja Falls
Scenic rocky hiking trail to waterfall. National forest waterfall accessed via a trailhead with spring cascades teeming with birdlife.
Lake Forest Heritage Hill Historic Park
Calm park hosting 4 historic buildings. Petite park featuring heritage landscaping & guided tours of 4 restored buildings erected 1863-1908.
Pretend City Children's Museum
Imaginary town & exhibits for kids. Set up as a pretend city, this kids' museum has a post office, cafe, farm & other interactive areas.
Ortega Falls
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Turtle Rock Nature Center
Educational nature preserve with trails. Five-acre nature preserve with trails for viewing wildlife & habitats, plus an outdoor classroom.
Great Park Balloon Ride
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Great Park
Park known for its giant helium balloon. Public space popular for a huge helium balloon tethered to the ground offering views from up high.
Inspiration Point
Lookout spot with ocean views. Small observation point, popular at sunset, offering benches & a panoramic ocean view.
Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary
Wildlife preserve & science center. University-run wildlife sanctuary in a canyon with a science center, amphitheater & 3 trails.
Bunnyhenge
Visit this great place for kids and families!
MUSEUM of WOMAN
Visit this great place for kids and families!
O'side Rock Garden
Visit this great place for kids and families!
IRWD San Joaquin Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary
Tranquil wetlands with birds & trails. Wetlands cover 300 acres at this tranquil preserve that has 12 miles of trails & 200+ bird species.
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.
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.
Heritage Park & Museum
Historic buildings & a gazebo. Park featuring many early 1900s buildings from downtown Oceanside & a gazebo for events.
Wild Goose Escape Rooms - Irvine
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center (main entrance)
Estuary exhibits & interactive displays. Spacious education center features estuary history exhibits & interactive displays, Tuesday-Sunday.
Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve
Birding, biking & an interpretive center. Home to many bird species, this 135-acre park offers an interpretive center & hiking/biking trails.
Lakepoint Park
Scenic retreat for sports & lake views. Open recreational area offering a children's playground, trails, sports fields & views of the water.
Buena Vista Audubon Society
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Hidden Donkey Escape Rooms
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.
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.
Citrus Ranch Park
Orchard, playground & hilltop views. Park with a lemon orchard, a playground, picnic areas with grills & a hilltop gazebo with views.
Noguchi Garden
Small, landscaped sculpture plaza. Compact, minimalist sculpture garden intended as a representation of the state of California.
Wild Wonders, Inc
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Skull Canyon Ziplines
Adventure outfit with zip-lining courses. Adventure outfit offering high-speed zip-line courses amid scenic mountain terrain.
Rancho Guajome Adobe
Historic hacienda in a park setting. Rambling Spanish Colonial–style hacienda, built in the 19th century, with gardens & wetlands.
Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum
Historical exhibits of rural life. Farming history via exhibits & demonstrations of old steam tractors, plus blacksmithing & weaving.
Tom's Farms
Old-time attraction with restaurants. Family-friendly park with restaurants & a farmer's market, plus a steam train, pony rides & more.
Kidz Digz Gem Mining & Crystals Store
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.
Pump It Up Murrieta Kids Birthdays and More
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.
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (Discovery Center)
Visit this great place for kids and families!
The Reptile Zoo
Indoor reptile center for hand-on visits. Indoor education & entertainment center housing exotic & rare reptiles, with hands-on opportunities.
Irvine Park Railroad
Recreation area with train & pony rides. Outdoor park featuring family activities including train rides, pony rides & paddle boat rentals.
DUPLO Playtown
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Temecula Valley Museum
Regional history & author memorabilia. Historic museum featuring city artifacts & a permanent exhibit on author Erle Stanley Gardner.
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.
SEA LIFE Aquarium
Oceanic exhibits & play areas. Family-friendly exhibits featuring more than 5,000 sea creatures, plus a play area & group packages.
LEGOLAND California
Vibrant Lego-themed hotel with a pool. Vivid Lego-themed quarters in a lively hotel offering dining, an outdoor pool & free breakfast.
Alta Vista Botanical Gardens
Botanical park integrating art & gardens. Botanical gardens dotted with works of art offering native plants, a lotus pond & ongoing classes.
Candeeland Temecula
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Temecula Duck Pond
Pocket park with veterans memorial. Compact park featuring ducks paddling in a petite pool & a memorial to war veterans.
Discovery Cube
Rotating displays & interactive exhibits. Educational museum with a focus on kids offers over 100 hands-on exhibits, plus special programs.
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