Balboa Park sits in the heart of San Diego, just east of downtown. As accurately stated on their website, Balboa Park is “Where culture, science, and nature collide.” It is home to the world famous San Diego Zoo, but also numerous museums, gardens, and trails. It is a beautiful, historic and not to be missed, whether you all San Diego home or are visiting for the sunshine.

Balboa Park certainly markets itself well and I do not work for them in any capacity, so that isn’t the point of this post. This post is for families who want to make the most of the park. We absolutely love Balboa Park so I simply want to share what we’ve learned, enjoyed and how we’ve made the most of the park. Where are the best places to visit with kids? Which museums work and which can you skip? How do you get the best deals?

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3 Options for Visiting Balboa Park

1. Stick to Free Days

The first and obviously least expensive option is to stick to free days. If you are a San Diego resident, Balboa Park offers Resident Free Tuesdays to various museums in the park on a rotating schedule. You can check out the schedule on their website. Many of the museums and the zoo are also free to kids in the month of October – you can learn more about that here.

2. Individual Museum Fees & Packages

The second option is to simply visit a museum and pay the entrance fee. If you’re particularly a lover of art or have a kid who loves science, then going to just that museum or paying for a single membership to a museum is an option.

3. Explorer Pass

If you want to visit more than one museum then the Explorer Pass is 100% the way to go. You can get an annual, one day or multi-day Explorer Pass, so regardless of whether you are a resident or just visiting for a couple of days I would still recommend one of these variations. My main reason is this – while together, the area, the gardens, the playgrounds, the trails, and the many museums are extraordinary, I do not personally think that any of the individual museums is spectacular or particularly large. There are really good ones. Ones we’ve been to many times and I will get into some of that below, but really what is so great about Balboa Park is the diversity of experiences that you can pop into and out of.

We get the annual Explorer Pass. 365 Days. 16 Museums. 1 Pass. The only thing not included is the Zoo, which although adjacent to the park is a separate entity. I personally think this pass makes for a great holiday gift idea if you like gifting experiences.

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What to do in Balboa Park with Kids

So now that you are on board for a morning or day at Balboa Park, where do you go? I will admit to being completely overwhelmed by that question the first time I visited. A few tips first, before we start picking out museums:

• Parking, especially on the weekend, can be difficult. I usually try to arrive early (always my advice, especially if you’re already up with little ones or trying to fight your body over the time change). We usually park near the Air & Space Museum which is on the opposite side of the park from the zoo and is a large lot, so it seems to fill up a little more slowly.
• Another good parking option if you’re there early enough is behind the Fleet Science Museum which situates you close to some of the best museums and near the playground on that end of the park as well.

About Balboa Park

Balboa Park was set aside by the city in the 1800s and was beautified in the 1890s, largely in preparation for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and largely by a woman named Kate Sessions. If you’re a book person, like I am, you might enjoy sharing this wonderful picture book about Kate Sessions. It is about how one woman who loved trees completely transformed San Diego from a desert into what it is today. It’s one of our favorites and really affected how we see the park and our city.

What to Do in the Park with Kids

Now the biggie. What do you actually do in the park with kids. Balboa Park’s website does have a list of kid friendly things to do in the park and it’s a good one, but if you’re trying to figure out priorities, here are some thoughts.

Japanese Friendship Garden

The Japanese Friendship Garden is one of our family’s favorite parts of Balboa Park. We have visited it more times than anywhere else in Balboa Park and it is beautiful any time of the year.

The Cherry Blossom Festival is their biggest event of the year. We went the first year we lived here and did enjoy it, but the garden is SO crowded during this time. Personally I think it is much more pleasant on a normal week day or even early on a normal weekend day.

Best for: All ages, Families who love gardens, nature.
Kid Tip: Don’t miss the two large coy ponds and the opportunities to walk over the stream on all of the bridges.

Reuben H. Fleet Science Center

My kids love the Fleet Science Center. There are lots of hands on activities and they often have a fun visiting exhibit (that costs a little extra money). I wouldn’t say it is the best science center we have ever visited but it is a fun way to spend a few hours and one of my twins’ favorite parts of Balboa.

Best for: Toddlers and up. Great for families who love science.
Kid Tip: This one has a decent food area adjacent that has kid friendly options.

San Diego Air and Space Museum

Having been to both amazing space museums in Washington DC, I find it hard to be impressed by other Air and Space Museums. This one does have some interesting parts about Naval and Air Force history. The best part about this museum is probably the visiting exhibits – so pay attention to the calendar and try to get over there when something good is visiting.

Best for: there is a space for little kids, but I would say this is best for kids who are 5+

San Diego Art Institute

It isn’t huge, but I was impressed with this little Art Museum. It has good and diverse (albeit small) collection and is very family friendly.

Best for: ages 3+, families who love art. Highly, highly recommend bringing your kids something to do – their own drawing materials, a scavenger hunt, etc.
Kid Tip: make sure to check out their free family events. My kids always love these opportunities to create and it gets them more excited about the exhibits at the museum afterwards. These were temporarily suspended during Covid19.

San Diego Model Railroad Museum

If you know someone who loves trains, this is a not to be missed museum. Tucked into the lower level of the Casa de Balboa Building on the Prado in Balboa Park is the San Diego Model Railroad Museum. Don’t let the basement entrance fool you, at 27,000 sq. ft., it is the largest such indoor model train exhibit in North America, and one of the largest in the world. Read Full Post

Best for: all ages. This is a great one to visit with grandparents.
Kid tip: for the kid who loves trains, make sure to go ride the miniature train afterwards. Check the hours first to avoid disappointment!

San Diego Museum of Man

This is a fun museum full of interesting exhibits. We loved the ones about Monsters and Living with Animals. Note: Going up in the tower and the special exhibit are not included in the main cost.

Best for: kids 5 and older.

San Diego National History Museum

The Natural History Museum is a lot of fun for kids who like animals, dinosaurs, or science – my kids happen to like all three. There are lots of exhibits that engage kids. It isn’t a children’s museum in the sense that it’s super hands on, but there are still plenty of things to touch and manipulate and explore.

Best for: Kids who are 5+ and interested in one of the topics covered at the museum.

Mingei Museum

I explained this museum to my kids as an art museum full of art that people actually use. The museum website calls them “arts of daily life.” It is a small, but beautiful collection.

Best for: 5+ The museum is not interactive but the “every day” aspect – beads, quilts, etc. is appealing on a broader basis than other art museums might be.

All in all, we love Balboa Park. While there isn’t a single amazing museum, together if you have the explorer pass and view them as one big museum – together they are impressive. We love spending days in the park wandering in and out of different museums or popping in for an hour to our favorites.

Balboa Park itself is a beautiful place to walk around and there are always interesting things to see and people to watch.

Read More San Diego with Kids Tips HERE

When I think of a Children’s Museum the same things usually come to mind. A pretend play area. Maybe an art area. A pretend store. Usually some sort of water play. The New Children’s Museum will have you questioning all of those assumptions.

The New Children’s Museum is located in downtown San Diego. It is three stories of treehouses and creative spaces and little nooks. We have been to some pretty cool Children’s Museum but this is definitely one of the most inventive.

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When you enter you will see a huge open air space. The natural light throughout the museum is gorgeous, but that isn’t what your kids will appreciate.

They’ll love an enormous bed to jump on full of soft tires to stack and safe spaces to launch themselves onto a mattress. Have a kid who likes to jump on the bed or your couch? This is the room for them.

Outside on the patio there is a giant car with layers of paint. It’s simple, but genius. Who wants to come paint a car? Grab an art smock and brush.

Or feeling more like some small motor art? Try your hand at creating with clay.

Inside there is also an Innovator’s LAB. I should have started with this perhaps because you will want to pop in here and put your name to reserve a spot when you first arrive. On busy days you might have to wait an hour or two before you can get in. They have ever changing art activities and tinkering type activities led by one of their staff members.

You May Also Like: San Diego Model Railroad Museum

Or run up the stairs to the giant hammock or “whammock” – the most recent installation. This is where my kids always want to start and end.

Or have little ones there are also tot and preschooler designated spaces. Perfect for little ones and without the energy and size of big kids.

Honestly, that is just the start. There’s a cozy cool sand nook, there’s a huge treehouse like room, there are huge tracks where you can race cars and so much more. Something for everyone but all things that encourage open ended exploring, curiosity, creativity, and having fun.

Helpful Tips to Know Before You Go:

• They are open MWRFS 9:30-4 Closed Tuesday during the school year.
• There is a museum lot behind the museum. It isn’t large so it does fill up and you may have to find parking in one of the nearby lots – but take a lap even if there is a sign out front that says it’s full. Sometimes it’s not.
• There are great food options in their award winning cafe – they are also great with allergies.
• There are changing tables in the bathroom on each floor. There are also little bottom friendly toilets which is such a sweet little detail.
• There is a nursing space on the main floor as well.

More Kid Friendly San Diego Ideas!

A California Coast road trip has been on our list since we moved to San Diego. We made it happen this March over Spring Break.

We flew from San Diego to Portland, rented a car, and then started South. All of our favorite, don’t miss stops along the way are below.

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West Coast Road Trip

Beforehand: Getting the Kids Excited about California’s Coast

Before we go on a trip I like to give our kids a little context and get them excited about where we’re going. Below were their favorite books about California.

Booklist:

Our California
by Pam Munoz Ryan

This is a good place to start. It goes from San Diego, up the coast, and then inland hitting the major stops in California. It serves as a pleasant introduction to the state and what it has to offer. Bonus – it’s well written and vibrantly illustrated. FIND ONLINE

How to Draw California’s Sights and Symbols
by Jennifer Quasha

This won’t be for everyone, but my kids love step-by-step drawing direction videos right now so this was a hit in our house. Our favorites were learning to draw poppies (the state flower) and the Golden Gate Bridge. FIND ONLINE

California’s Redwood Forest
by Christy Mihaly

This is part of the Natural Wonders of the World series. It has beautiful photos and good information. I like this as an overview and it’s one that elementary school kids can read on their own. FIND ONLINE

Starting Location: Portland, Oregon

We started our trip by flying from San Diego to Portland. I’m a fan of road trips but the way back often bums me out. Plus, there is so much to see along the coast of California that we didn’t have enough time to do it all if we had to go up and back.

So we flew to Portland and spent two nights and full day exploring.

1. Portland, Oregon

There are plenty of things to do in Portland OR with kids. We really only scratched the surface. You can read more about our experience in Portland in this post: 24 Hours in Portland OR with Kids

But here are the highlights. In our brief stay we had time to:

• Visit Powell Bookstore (My favorite part of the trip)
• Eat Donuts from Voodoo Donut
• Wander and Eat at Portland’s Saturday Market
• Visit Washington Park and Hike
• Explore the Forestry Discovery Center

Also Read: 24 Hours in Portland with Kids

Then we headed south.

Activities for Car:

• New books from Powell’s Bookstore – Zita the Spacegirl for her, Plants Vs. Zombies for him.
• Harry Potter on Audiobook
• Games on their Kindles Kids Fire HD Edition
• The Big Sticker Book of the Blue activity book

2. Redwood National Forest

The Redwoods are incredible. I really wasn’t convinced they’d live up to the hype but for me they exceeded expectations. Go hike. Take photos. Be amazed.

For kids, I highly recommend stopping the ranger stations and getting the Junior Ranger guides and advice on the best hikes for your time frame.

Read More: A Visit to the Redwoods with Kids

Activities for Car:

We did a fair amount of driving between the various parts of the forest and then down the Avenue of Giants while we were at the Redwoods National & State Parks. I didn’t want my kids to miss everything with their noses pointed at a screen so we listened to Harry Potter on audio book and stared out the windows.

3. San Francisco

San Francisco was one of the highlights of our trip. We spent three nights and two full days in San Francisco. It was enough to get a good taste of the city but we’d love to go back and do more.

Here were our favorite things to do:

• See the Golden Gate Bridge
• Ride a Cable Car
• Visit the Exploratorium
• Drink Green Tea in the Japanese Tea Garden
• Enjoy the pretty parks

Also Read: 48 Hours in San Francisco with Kids

Activities for Car:

• Kids Travel Guide: San Francisco – great way to learn more about the city before or during your visit.
• Continued listening to Harry Potter on Audio

4. Monterey

In a word “stunning.” Monterey sits on a gorgeous piece of ocean front. The bluest of blues.

The highlight for kids however will probably be the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Make sure you check the schedule of feedings when you arrive and get there early for tank front views.

Other things for families to do in Monterey:

• 17 mile drive
• Lunch at Sticks
• Carmel beach

5. Big Sur

The Big Sur is stunning. Kind of like my reaction to the Redwoods – I don’t have words. All I can really say is that it truly is as incredible as everyone says. I can’t wait to get back.

Activities for Car:

• One note about driving in the Big Sur – it is windy! My daughter and I get pretty car sick so I would encourage you to take some Dramamine. My daughter likes the chewable kids version. On the bright side, if you do have to pull over and take a tummy twisting break there is no more lovely of a place to stop and rest for a bit.

6. Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara was a treat. Pretty beach. Darling streets with shops. Lots of restaurants. Don’t miss ice cream at McConnell’s Ice Cream shop. They even have incredible dairy free ice cream! So good.

and Oxnard

We spent the remainder of our weekend at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Mandalay Beach Resort. It was relaxing and fun and a wonderful way to end our vacation.

Final Destination!

from there we drove home. If home isn’t San Diego for you, then I’d recommend adding a couple of days to spend some time in Los Angeles and San Diego. Here are our favorites for both:

• Los Angeles CA
• San Diego CA

Find more top family road trip tips Here!

San Francisco is one of those American cities you know about no matter where you grow up. With its Golden Gate Bridge, rich history and quirky things like cable cars and the “painted ladies” made famous in homes across the country, San Francisco is a bit of a fascination.

I visited San Francisco as a child. I have the pictures to prove it. Me at about 3 years old with a hooded sweatshirt, holding a balloon on a steep San Francisco block. If I’m being honest, I don’t remember that trip at all.

Our family visited San Francisco as part of our Portland to San Diego road trip. After visiting the Redwoods National Forest (so amazing!!) we drove south into the city.

Also Read: Family Road Trip from Portland to San Diego

For two days and three nights we explored the city of San Francisco with our almost eight year old twins. I hope they remember at least some of it, but if not I have lots of pictures.

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San Francisco with Kids

Our trip to San Francisco was busy but so much fun. Here were our favorite things to do in San Francisco with kids.

San Francisco: Day One

Twin Peaks was our first stop.

I’ve heard this can be super crowded but early in the morning (bonus of my kids being early risers) there were only a few other cars. There was only one other family on the peak with us who was super nice and offered to take pictures of our family. The view from the Twin Peaks is beautiful on a clear day. We could see downtown San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and beyond to the ocean.

In case you’re curious, the view from both peaks is pretty similar. The one closer to the Golden Gate Bridge is slightly better in my opinion.

Next, we drove to visit the “Painted Ladies”. It’s completely cheesy and touristy but it was on my list.

My kids humored me. They played shadow tag in the park while I took pictures.

Then, we drove to Golden Gate Park. If you’re looking for a comparison, the Golden Gate Park reminded me of Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Golden Gate Park houses some of San Francisco’s museums like De Young Museum and Golden Gate Academy of Sciences much like Balboa Park in San Diego, but it has the green trees, rolling hills feel of Prospect Park.

There we started at the Japanese Tea Garden. We parked in the structure across from the De Young Museum which was a close walk. If you get lucky there is also some nearby street parking but it was already packed by 10 am.

The Japanese Tea Garden was beautiful. We admired the cherry blossom trees, my kids found something to climb – they seem to have radar for such things – and we had a little sweet snack.

They even had a vegan treat for my dairy-allergy kiddo. He had mixed feelings about it but I was happy he got to try something a little out of the ordinary rather than resorting to giving him the animal crackers in my bag. The green tea was delicious.

After our snack, we headed to a playground. It was a decent playground. Nothing new or fancy, but it kept my kids happy.

Then we went to see the Golden Gate Bridge.

There are a lot of places to view the Golden Gate Bridge from and we did them all. We viewed it from the beach, from several parks and walked part of the way across it. The Golden Gate National Recreational Area is incredible. History, beaches, hiking, views – it has it all.

If you have a National Park Passport for your kids you can get it stamped at the Visitor Center near the entrance to the bridge (there are bathrooms there too!)

My best advice is simply to make sure you see it up close. There isn’t a bad view. We loved them all.

San Francisco: Day Two

The following day we started with the Exploratorium.

If your kids like science experiments then this will be their jam. It’s a huge hall of hands on materials to explore. It was a bit pricey and I don’t know that I’d recommend it for kids under 5 but the kids and I had a lot of fun exploring and experimenting.

From there we walked down the street to the Ferry Market. It was full of all kinds of food options – including some Dairy Free options, although not as many as we have come to expect in Southern California.

After lunch we rode a cable car.

This was the highlight of the trip for my kids. You can get day pass on your phone with the ticketing app and show it to the driver.

We rode the cable car to the San Francisco Cable Car Museum. It is free and small, but it has some interesting information about this historic part of San Francisco. My kids love to know the whys and hows in life and this answered a lot of their questions about the cable cars.

Afterwards, we walked a couple blocks up hill – it felt like part of the San Francisco experience to me.

We stopped and played at a small, creative playground nook up the block from the Cable Car Museum. Working in 30 minutes to an hour of playground each day helps keep our kids happy. Even on a day with tons of walking, running around on a playground seems to break it up for them and they complain less about being tired – which is counter intuitive to me but it worked when we lived in New York City too. A friend of mine from Italy has an app called Playground Around the Corner that I often use to help me find a playground when I don’t know the area.

Then we hopped back on the Cable Cars. We rode it down to the sea front and Pier 39. Going downhill was somewhat terrifying….

or exhilarating depending on your point of view I guess. This was my kids’ favorite part of San Francisco. They would have happily stayed on the cable cars all day.

We got off at the end of the line where you can watch them turn around the cable cars. There was a huge line of people waiting to get on there to ride it back up the hill and I was so glad we did it the other way and ended our trip here instead.

Then we wandered along Pier 39 and ate at Boudin SF. It was one of the few places we could find something for my dairy free kiddo.

Pier 39 is highly touristy which isn’t my favorite way to spend time, but my kids enjoyed the carousel and the street performers. If you’re looking for a souvenir there are definitely a plethora of options in this area.

We loved our couple of days in San Francisco. It was a blast for all four of us and we can’t wait to return to explore more and hop back on the cable cars.

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The Redwoods are absolutely worth a visit. Pessimist that I am, I often worry that I’m overselling things when I tell my kids that they’re going to be “super cool” or “amazing” or “incredibly tall” which were all words I used to describe the Redwoods to them while we drove 5 hours south from Portland.

As it turns out, I was not exaggerating.

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The Redwood Forest is a combination of several state and national parks that all blend and weave together. We visited a little of both but the distinction didn’t seem important to anyone.

We stopped at the Ranger Station at the Redwoods National Park. My kids love the Junior Ranger program. They were able to complete some pages, learn a little about the Redwoods, and get our National Park Passports stamped. before we left the visitor’s center.

Then we drove up to Prairie Creek State Park, got a scavenger hunt from that visitor center, and hit the trail.

The trees are incredible.

Big trees.

Bigger trees.

We were all in awe.

At one point the scavenger hunt told us to “gawk” at a pair of fallen trees. I described what the work gawk meant and my son said “oh that’s easy. That’s what I’ve been doing this whole time.”

It’s impossible not to gawk.

Also Read: How to Make the Most of Your Fourth Grade National Park Pass

On this hike we saw the “Big Tree” and via a brief detour we also saw the “Earthquake tree” that one of the rangers had told us about. It’s a big tree but knowing the story makes it much more fun.

Back in the car we also took a quick trip to see the “corkscrew tree” which isn’t as impressive after all the other impressive-ness but it was certainly fascinating.

After an above average Italian dinner at Mazzotti’s in Arcata we collapsed in a hotel for the night.

The next morning, despite pouring rain, we detoured through the Avenue of Giants. I had read this was a busy, touristy area but in March and in the rain we only saw two other cars.

Instead of cars what we saw were truly incredible trees.

Trees for miles that reached up to the sky with impossibly wide bases. Giants.

The Avenue of Giants runs parallel to the 101 so it’s not out of the way if you’re driving south and while you may be slowed down a little it is entirely worth it.

Even in the pouring rain I could not resist getting out and standing amongst these Redwoods.

Nothing I’ve ever seen has ever made me feel so small or so impressed by nature. The Redwoods do not disappoint.

Also Read: Family Road Trip from Portland to San Diego

Mt Whitney is the highest point above sea level in the contiguous 48 states, Death Valley is the lowest point below sea level – and they sit about an hour away from each other. If you know me and my husband it won’t surprise you to hear that our response to learning this was; “of course we have to drive up and see both in a weekend.”

The highest point of Mt Whitney is 14,505 feet.

The lowest point of Death Valley is Badwater Basin which sits at 282 below sea level.

As you drive between the two you go up and down and up and down mountains. The altitude is posted every time you go up or down 1000 miles. We found this endlessly entertaining.

Our family’s biggest altitude change was about 8,500 miles above sea level to 282 feet below sea level – which we did in one day. I mean, that’s pretty cool, right?

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A Weekend Trip to Mt Whitney & Death Valley

Our trip was kind of a loop. We drove north east from San Diego to Mt Whitney, spent the night, drove South into Death Valley, camped for a night, and then drove back Southwest to San Diego. Below are the parts we loved and a few things we learned along the way.

Read Also: 5+ Kid Friendly Day Trips from San Diego

TO DO.

I think you could spend a whole week in this area if you really like hiking and camping, but a few days is a good amount of time. The different landscapes are fascinating and offer a good range of hiking and other experiences. Below are our favorites.

Things to do at Mt. Whitney & Lone Pine CA with Kids

MT WHITNEY NATIONAL PARK WEBSITE

Mt Whitney can certainly be a trip of it’s own. Many people hike up to the camp, sleep in a tent for the night and then climb the rest of the way to the summit and back down the next day for a long and exhausting weekend. My husband and his dad actually did the entire thing in one day many years ago for an exceptionally exhausting day.

If you want to climb to the peak you need to apply for a pass ahead of time.

With our seven year olds, we didn’t feel ready to summit a mountain so we just did a day hike. You can hike the first few miles without a pass and that was plenty for us.

We got to see Mt. Whitney. We got to experience the upward climb and learn the term “switchbacks”. We got to hop across a couple of creeks – obviously the best part. And we got to see the beautiful scenery.

I think my favorite part about visiting Mt Whitney was watching the sun set. The sun drops behind the mountains well before actual sunset and it is breathtakingly beautiful.

We stopped at Alabama Hills which lies between Mt. Whitney and Lone Pine (a quick drive from Lone Pine on the way to Mt. Whitney) for sunset. The kids got to climb around on boulders and we watched the sun set and explode across the sky.

Things to do in Death Valley National Park with Kids

I was completely surprised by how much we all loved Death Valley. My daughter described it at the “best trip ever!” and she’s not wrong. It was an awesome weekend.

Heading into the park from Mt. Whitney you will pass a ranger station (stop to pay your entrance fee there!) and then the Mesquite Sand Dunes.

These appear out of nowhere which I found fascinating. Our kids loved running up and down them and trying to sled down the sand dunes. Being Midwesterners, we brought actual sleds but we saw a lot of people having success with boogie boards as well.

You do have to hike up and down a ways out to get to steep enough dunes to sled, so I wouldn’t recommend sledding for kids under 5. Just running around on the sand is fun too – especially after you’ve been in the car for a while. (Our favorite dune sledding experience was in White Sands National Park which I also highly recommend!)

Our next stop was the Ranger Station by Furnace Creek. My twins love getting their National Park Passports stamped and adore the Junior Ranger Program at the parks. This is a free program at the National Parks. Just ask at the Rangers’ desk for a Junior Ranger activity book and they’ll tell you what to do from there.

Also Read: How to Make the Most of Your Fourth Grade National Park Pass

My kids liked learning about the different desert animals. Some Junior Ranger Programs you complete as you’re traveling around the park, but this one you could do just in the little museum at the Ranger Station in Furnace Creek.

Badwater Basin is the lowest point in the continental United States. It is a gorgeous place to watch the sun rise or set.

We watched the sun set here on our first day and it was beautiful. My one regret is that we didn’t get there much before sunset and I would have enjoyed walking out and exploring a little more before it started to get dark.

Golden Canyon was our favorite hike in Death Valley. We did that one first thing the morning before we drove back.

My kids loved the random boulders to climb and we were all fascinated by the different kinds of rocks we saw along the way.

Things I Was Grateful I Remembered to Pack:

• Warm layers. Both Mt Whitney and Death Valley were chilly in November, especially in the evening.
• Hats. We wore sun hats during the day in death valley and winter hats from about 3pm on.
• National Park Passports for stamps at the Sierra Nevada Ranger Station in Lone Pine and at Death Valley.
• Rock Guide. My kids are obsessed with the different kinds of rocks and had all kinds of questions. I remembered shockingly little from college Geology. This book was helpful.
•  Soap and hand sanitizer. The bathrooms weren’t terrible at either, but there was no soap at most.
• Stargazing App. This isn’t something I really packed, but I have a stargazing app called NIGHT SKY on my phone and it was an awesome resource at night in Death Valley. The sky was clearer than I have ever seen and we could see a trillion stars in the sky. Either the app or some sort of stargazing aid is helpful if you don’t know the names on your own.
• Sleds. I was on the fence about packing them but our kids had so much fun sledding on the sand dunes. If you don’t have sleds we saw a boy scout troop with boogie boards sledding as well so that looked like another good option.

STAY.

Mt Whitney/Lone Pine

We left San Diego early on Saturday morning and drove straight to Mt Whitney. By the time we had hiked a little and eaten it was almost time for bed.

We spent one night at the Comfort Inn in Lone Pine, the town at the foothills of Mt Whitney. It wasn’t spectacular, but it was clean, offered free breakfast in the am, and was a perfect location.

Camping in Death Valley

Camping in Death Valley was an awesome experience. I wish we had had enough time to spend another night.

Growing up, I always went camping in the Northern part of Wisconsin which is like spending the night in the untouched North Woods of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Joshua Tree was my first desert experience. It felt a bit foreign to me at first but I loved it! This was our first desert camping experience and it made me appreciate the desert even more. The night sky was amazing.

My kids are avid campers. They have loved everything about it from helping set up the tent, to learning camping skills, to walking to the bathroom with their flashlights from the time they were toddlers.

Read Also: Essential Tips for Camping with Toddlers

Our twins are 7 years old now and they are actually a huge help setting up the campsite. Our tent is awesome, but it can be a bit of a beast to set up. However, with four pairs of hands it was set up quicker than ever.

This is our little desert campsite. The sky at nighttime was incredible! I know I’ve said that a few times now, but really it was probably my favorite part.

Good Things to Know:

• Make sure to reserve your campsite ahead of time! We booked ours about three months in advance and it was already filling up.
• Check the average temperatures before reserving a campsite or planning a trip. In November, the weather was perfect for hiking during the day and sleeping at night, but the desert has huge temperature swings during the year!
• There is a shop with some basics and you can buy wood in Death Valley at the same shop as well.
• We stayed in the tent only part of the Furnace Creek campsite and loved the location. This campsite also has flush toilets but no showers or soap at the sinks.

EAT.

• Pizza Factory in Lone Pine was our one restaurant experience. They made good pizza in front of you and were able to accommodate our son’s dairy allergy with a cheese free pizza covered in toppings.
• The rest of our food was carried in a cooler from home. Sandwiches. Hot dogs and baked beans for the campfire. S’mores supplies, of course. Trail mixes, bars, string cheese, and cereal mixes. You can read more about our favorite camping foods in our Camping Trip to West Virginia.

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Los Angeles lies just over 120 miles North of San Diego and is bursting with things to do making it a perfect day trip for families. I think the hardest part is narrowing down what you want to do.

This is just one fun kid friendly day we spent in Los Angeles – we will definitely be back again.

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Los Angeles Day Trip

We got up early, turned on an audiobook, and left San Diego around 8:00 headed North towards LA. Traffic going there wasn’t bad and we arrived a little before 10:00am.

We started our day at the Griffith Observatory.

The Griffith Observatory is considered “the gateway to the cosmos” and offers spectacular views on LA on a clear day.

My kids weren’t overly impressed with the view, but they loved seeing the giant telescope and watching the WATER IS LIFE movie inside the planetarium.

I, on the other hand, loved the view. You could see all the way from downtown LA to the Hollywood sign.

Also Read: Getty Villa, Percy Jackson and Mythology for Kids

I love getting an up high view of a new place and this view definitely did not disappoint.

Griffith Observatory

• Admission is FREE to the observatory
• The Griffith Observatory is closed on Monday.
• Kids under 5 are only admitted to the earliest movie screening of the day.
• Parking fills up early. There is a shuttle to take you up the huge hill if you don’t want to walk.
• Bathrooms are available outside and inside.

After our visit to the Griffith Observatory it was time for lunch. We drove over to LACMA and parked for the day. From there we walked the the Original Farmers’ Market. You could definitely drive and park but we tire of moving our car and don’t mind a walk.

Read Also: 5+ Kid Friendly Day Trips from San Diego

There we found tons of different food options – even for our Dairy Free Allergy kiddo. Fresh fruit and the BBQ chicken with rice was his meal. The empanadas, while certainly not Dairy Free, were tasty and came in lots of inventive flavors.

Original Farmers’ Market:

• Open daily
• Crowded but large parking lot. You can get validation from some vendors.
• Plentiful outdoor, mostly covered seating.
• Credit Cards accepted at most stands.
• Ask patio staff for help getting a high chair.
• Restrooms are at the far ends of the market on both the West and East Patio ends.

We walked around the Grove for a little bit after lunch. It honestly wasn’t overly interesting, but we were curious. Our kids did like this old fashioned gas station pictured below.

The nice thing about the walk around the Grove was that we were ready for some ice cream afterwards.

We walked across the street (via Trader Joes for an emergency bathroom break) to Carmela which had amazing Dairy Free Ice Cream options. He loved the chocolate.

From there we walked back to LACMA. This pathway below was fascinating to all of us.

Right next to LACMA is the La Brea Tar Pits which was our next stop. This was recommended by Christine from Adventure, Baby and it was as interesting as she promised.

Outside you can view several still active Tar Pits. It is fascinating but also a little disturbing and smelly.

The history about the Tar Pits though and all of the animals that have been discovered in them is remarkable.

After wandering around for a bit, we headed inside the Museum. The museum is on the small side, but my kids enjoyed the interactive exhibits.

We learned just how hard it is to pull yourself out of a tar pit.

My kids love hands on exhibits like this.

There’s also a full skeleton of a Mastadon found in the tar pits and they watched a puppet show, labeled a Meet and Greet on the schedule of events, that they loved way more than I expected.

You can also watch paleontologists and volunteers at work in the Fossil Lab.

La Brea Tar Pits & Museum:

• Admission gets you into the Tar Pits outdoor area and the museum.
• There are bathrooms in the Museum
• Tar does not smell good. I wouldn’t let this stop you from going, but be prepared – especially if you have a kiddo that’s sensitive to smells like one of our twins.
• There are free tours of the tar pits included with admission.
• Active Duty and other various groups get FREE admission. Check here for details. 

Before heading back to San Diego, we went back over to LACMA of check out the famous Urban Light sculpture out front.

I wish there had been time to explore the art museum more, but this was a fun way to cap off our day.

From there we hopped back in the car, started a new audiobook, and headed back South towards San Diego.

We’ll be back though. There is still so much to explore in Los Angeles.

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