Western Trips

Sunday, July 17, 2016

A San Diego Vacation for the Entire Family

San Diego, California has so much to offer tourists that a visit there takes several days to take in all the attractions. Many will say it takes several different trips to really see everything. San Diego is a top choice destination for a family vacation.

From Old Town San Diego to the unique USS Midway to the beauty of Coronado Island, San Diego offers something for everyone. 

San Diego has terrific weather. Any time of year you visit, you'll enjoy a moderate climate. You should expect this all year long. Apart from pristine beaches all around San Diego, there are so many wonderful and attractive places you should visit with your family. Every family should make a trip to San Diego for excellent combination of amusement and combined historical and cultural sites.

Cosmopolitan Hotel
Old Town

During your family trip to San Diego, your family will feel a true touch of history in the structures styled in Mexican architecture of the Old Town. The feel of old Californian times is all around you at this place. The oldest structure in San Diego, the Cosmopolitan Hotel, is in Old Town as well as the Wells Fargo Museum with an authentic Concord Coach on display, the original livery stable, several restaurants and plenty more historic structures.

San Diego is unique due to its legacies from the times of the Spaniards and the Mexican wars until the present day.

USS Midway Flight Deck
USS Midway

San Diego is closely related to the Navy. You'll certainly want to visit the USS Midway with your children. Your USS Midway visit can easily take most of a day and you'll enjoy every minute of it. Aircraft is on display both on the flight deck and in the huge hangar below. In addition you can take self guided tours with audio devices of the inner compartments of this famous aircraft carrier.The USS MIdway is on display in the harbor just west of the downtown San Diego area.

The San Diego Zoo and Sea World

The variety of places to see in San Diego and the quality of venues can make it hard for a family to rest. Many zoo gardens, especially the Sea World, are built and maintained up to the highest world standards. San Diego differs a lot from other tourist zoo destinations due to the fact that the zoo maintains accurate natural settings for their wildlife species. It is so easy to transfer yourself to entirely different world, whether it being Africa or the Polar Cap with rare, white bears.The San Diego Zoo is a destination not to be missed.


San Diego Zoo entrance
A zoo visit is a good opportunity to stroll around with the family. A trip to the San Diego Zoo can be for several hours or for a full day. Walking around can easily consume one day. In fact, you can spend days at this amazing zoo. A good thing to note is that parking is free. Visiting the zoo is a learning experience.

If you know your wishes and study San Diego carefully, your every day will be an extraordinary adventure. Balboa Park, where the San Diego Zoo is located is also home to the popular San Diego Automobile Museum, Air and Space Museum, historic structures dating to the early 1900's as well as a great dining establishment.

San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter

The Gaslamp Quarter is the hub of dining, nightlife and entertainment in downtown San Diego. It's estimated that there are over 100 restaurants and nightclubs in the general area. In addition to that, the Gaslamp Quarter is home to ninety-four Victorian era buildings some constructed as early as 1873. The Gaslamp Quarter is a National Historic District.

Hotel del Coronado
Coronado Island 

A bridge connects San Diego to Coronado Island which is home to the historic Hotel del Coronado.  Whether your interest is history, architecture, gardens or adventure, there are tours of Coronado available to guide you on your way. Regularly scheduled tours of the Hotel del Coronado and Historic Coronado are given several days a week. Volunteer docents from the Coronado Historical Association lead a 90-minute tour throughout the historic Hotel del Coronado. Tours depart Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 10:30 am, and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm. Cost: $20 per person; children under 12 are free. Call (619) 437-8788 for more information and reservations.

The Coronado Historical Association offers a Coronado Heritage Walk. This stroll through the past departs from the lobby of the Museum of History & Art, 1100 Orange Avenue, on Wednesdays at 10:30 am. Learn about Coronado's famous buildings and residents in this tour of historic Coronado. Fee includes admission to the museum. Cost: $15 per person. Reservations required. Please call (619) 437-8788.

(Article and photos copyright Western Trips)