Best Family-Friendly Attractions
Explore the best best family-friendly attractions options for kids and families in Santee
Lake Murray Community Park
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.
Miramar Overlook Park
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Greetings from San Diego Mural
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Mira Mesa Park
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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.
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.
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
Scale models of California railroads. Kid-friendly museum featuring many working scale models of California rail lines & landscapes.
Pepper Grove
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
Museum of Us
Anthropology displays in historic digs. Museum in an ornate 1915 building featuring eclectic anthropology exhibits & a panoramic tower.
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.
Presidio Park
Historical park with a cultural museum. Expansive park offers a cultural museum & historical sites, plus trails, city views & picnic space.
Heritage County Park
County park with many historic buildings. Charming county park featuring several restored Victorian homes & the city's first synagogue.
Waterfront Park
Park with fountains, lawns & a play area. Public park featuring spray fountains, grassy areas & lots of play equipment for kids.
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.
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.
USS Midway Museum
Historic aircraft carrier with exhibits. Life-at-sea exhibits, restored planes & flight simulators aboard this legendary aircraft carrier.
Kate Sessions Memorial Park
Dog-friendly space with scenic vistas. Dog-friendly recreation area boasting sweeping hillside views, plus sports fields & a playground.
SeaWorld San Diego
Aquatic theme park with shows & rides. Marine life shows, thrill rides, aquariums & up-close encounters with dolphins, penguins & more.
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.
Birch Aquarium
Up-close marine life & hands-on exhibits. Interactive tide pools & exhibitions for all things under the sea in an oceanside building.
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.
La Jolla Shores Park
Grassy & chill spot next to the beach. 2-block space steps away from the sand & waves offers grassy area & playgrounds.
Mission Beach Boardwalk
Bustling promenade with ocean vistas. Longtime beachfront boardwalk featuring shops, an old-school amusement park & ocean activities.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Trails, beaches, lagoons & wildlife. Acres of oceanside trails for exploring or exercising while spotting occasional dolphins or bobcats.
Ellen Browning Scripps Park
Picturesque spot overlooking the ocean. Open green space along the coast offering panoramic ocean views, including seals & sunsets.
Sesame Place San Diego
Family theme park with shows & rides. Family-friendly, Sesame Street-themed amusement park with rides, waterslides, parades & shows.
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
Rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean. Natural cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean offer views of the coast & the occasional cliff diver.
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.
Cabrillo National Monument
Historic lighthouse with expansive views. This historic lighthouse & national monument offers a storied history & views all the way to Mexico.
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.
Discovery Lake
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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.
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
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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
Visit this great place for kids and families!
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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