Free & Cheap Things to Do with Kids
Explore the best free & cheap things to do with kids options for kids and families in Solana Beach
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.
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.
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.
Sea Cliff County Park
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Sunset Seat
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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.
D Street Viewpoint Park
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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.
San Diego Botanic Garden
Sprawling locale with unique vegetation. Large botanical garden with vistas & four miles of trails featuring flowering trees, palms & bamboo.
Carmel Del Mar Park
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Stonesteps
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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.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Trails, beaches, lagoons & wildlife. Acres of oceanside trails for exploring or exercising while spotting occasional dolphins or bobcats.
Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation
Coastal wetland & nature reserve. Protected wetland habitat with on-site parking & wildlife-viewing opportunities.
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.
Mira Mesa Park
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.
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
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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.
Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve
Spacious park for hiking & picnics. Large park featuring native plants, picnic areas & hiking, biking & equestrian trails.
Viewing for Flower Field
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Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation (Discovery Center)
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Discovery Lake
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Miramar Overlook Park
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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.
Pacific Beach
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Buccaneer Park
Municipal basketball courts & play areas. Tiny public green with basketball courts & a playground, plus a path along the Loma Alta Marsh.
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.
Mission Beach Boardwalk
Bustling promenade with ocean vistas. Longtime beachfront boardwalk featuring shops, an old-school amusement park & ocean activities.
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 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.
Mission Bay Park
Bustling area for oceanside activities. Vast bayside spot popular for sand & surf sports, sunbathing, boats, picnics & dog-friendly beaches.
Oceanside Harbor Village
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Sea Lion Island
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Old Town San Diego
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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.
Heritage Park & Museum
Historic buildings & a gazebo. Park featuring many early 1900s buildings from downtown Oceanside & a gazebo for events.
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
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North Park Mini Park
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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.
Stairs to lookout on Sunset Cliffs
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Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
Rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean. Natural cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean offer views of the coast & the occasional cliff diver.
Nature Exploration Area
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Lake Murray Community Park
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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.
Lake Murray
Fishing, boating & a waterside path. Small boat rentals, fishing & many picnic areas, plus a walking & biking path along the reservoir.
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!
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
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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.
Aztec Park
Municipal park for outdoor recreation. 3.96-acre municipal park offering barbeque sites, as well as picnic areas & urban walking trails.
Grant Hill Park
Recreation area with panoramic views. Park with sweeping city & Coronado Bay Bridge views plus a playground, basketball & tennis courts.
THE PLAYGROUND
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.
Chicano Park
Public space with colorful murals. Colorful murals can be seen at this public park located beneath the San Diego-Coronado Bridge.
Prescott Promenade
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Explore More Activities
Discover more events and activities happening in Solana Beach.