Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids
Explore the best free & cheap things to do with kids options for kids and families in San Diego
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
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.
Waterfront Park
Park with fountains, lawns & a play area. Public park featuring spray fountains, grassy areas & lots of play equipment for kids.
Golden Hill Fountain Grotto
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Coronado Ferry Center
Shopping mall with waterfront views. Waterfront shopping center with art galleries, apparel retailers, fine dining & casual eateries.
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
Bonsai trees, koi ponds & garden tours. Balboa Park's Japanese gardens have koi ponds, bonsai trees, garden tours & more.
Grant Hill Park
Recreation area with panoramic views. Park with sweeping city & Coronado Bay Bridge views plus a playground, basketball & tennis courts.
Chicano Park
Public space with colorful murals. Colorful murals can be seen at this public park located beneath the San Diego-Coronado Bridge.
Fleet Science Center
Hands-on exhibits & an IMAX theater. Educational center with hands-on exhibits, a planetarium, an IMAX theater & interactive displays.
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.
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.
Spruce Street Suspension Bridge
Historical footbridge with scenic views. Built in 1912, this hidden suspension footbridge provides views of the serene valley below.
Nature Exploration Area
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.
North Park Mini Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
North Park Sign
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Old Trolley Barn Park
City park with a playground. City park on the site of an old streetcar barn, offering a playground & summertime concerts.
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.
Old Town San Diego
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Inflatable World
Amusement park with giant slides & domes. Giant outdoor playground next to the mall offers massive slides, obstacle courses & bounce domes.
Kimball Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Mission Bay Park
Bustling area for oceanside activities. Vast bayside spot popular for sand & surf sports, sunbathing, boats, picnics & dog-friendly beaches.
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
Rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean. Natural cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean offer views of the coast & the occasional cliff diver.
Stairs to lookout on Sunset Cliffs
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
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.
Mission Beach Boardwalk
Bustling promenade with ocean vistas. Longtime beachfront boardwalk featuring shops, an old-school amusement park & ocean activities.
Chula Vista Bayfront Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Pacific Beach
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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
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
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Prescott Promenade
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Mira Mesa Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Miramar Overlook Park
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Carmel Del Mar Park
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.
Sunset Seat
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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 Dieguito County Park
Natural area with playgrounds & sports. This scenic park offers play & picnic areas, plus trails, baseball & basketball facilities.
Fletcher Cove Beach Park
Waterfront viewing deck & a playground. Picturesque park with a viewing deck, grassy area & playground, plus tables & a basketball court.
Oma's Family Farm
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
San Diego Botanic Garden
Sprawling locale with unique vegetation. Large botanical garden with vistas & four miles of trails featuring flowering trees, palms & bamboo.
Stonesteps
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation
Coastal wetland & nature reserve. Protected wetland habitat with on-site parking & wildlife-viewing opportunities.
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.
San Diego Children's Discovery Museum
Playful, hands-on exhibits for kids. Lively indoor & outdoor museum providing interactive educational exhibits for children.
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!
Rod McLeod Park
Picnicking, a playground & walking path. 18-acre green space offering a tot lot, paved trail & restrooms, plus benches, picnic tables & BBQs.
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (Discovery Center)
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.
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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