A fun spot for the youngsters, with more than 60 rides across a site that spans 52 hectares, LEGOLAND® California Resort is located by the ocean in Carlsbad, about 50 kilometres north of San Diego. It is home to a hotel and water park, along with shows and attractions based on the world-famous toy bricks. The resort has different zones, each of which has its own rides and games, from Pirates Shores and Dino Island to Fun Town and Castle Hill. LEGO pirate ship, LEGO animals, LEGO cars—you can find all this and much more besides. Wander round Miniland USA, where 20 million LEGO pieces have been used to build replicas of seven different American cities, from New York and Washington D.C. all the way across the continent to San Francisco. Miniature versions of the Golden Gate Bridge, Central Park and the Lincoln Memorial are all on display too. For a different perspective on Miniland, take to the water on the Coast Cruise. If you’re visiting with toddlers, check out DUPLO Village with its life-sized LEGO giraffes, zebras and lions.
Meanwhile in Fun Town you can even explore the LEGO Factory and see LEGO bricks being moulded, decorated and packed. Head to the Police and Fire Academy to see fire engines rushing to put out blazes and cops chasing robbers. Elsewhere at Dino Land and Castle Hill the kids can take a ride on the fun roller coasters or cool down in the water rides on Pirate Shores. Kids can even take the wheel and steer mini LEGO boats around the marina. If you want to stay over, as well as the LEGOLAND Resort hotel there are local lodgings available. The different dining establishments around the park serve everything from pizzas and classic hickory-smoked ribs to light sandwiches and salads. Shops are also open where you can find souvenirs to take home or build up your LEGO collection. The resort is open from Thursdays to Mondays, with opening times extended during some holiday periods. Check the opening hours before you visit, as these change depending on the season.Balboa Park: Numerous museums at beautiful Balboa Park, home of the zoo, are offering free promotions for kids.
Each requires a coupon printed out from the museum council's website and one paid adult per up to two children. And note there's a free shuttle that will take you around the park when you're tired of walking. The park is holding a Family Day on Oct. 31 with free hands-on activities for children 12 and under. There will be arts and crafts, costume parades, contests, spooky gallery tours and treasure hunts. Some two dozen venues are participating. /halloweenfamilyday.USS Midway Museum: Kids 12 and under get in free and get a free audio tour of this retired aircraft carrier, with adult admission and printed coupon from the San Diego Museum Council website.Legoland: A free one-day Child Hopper ticket is available for one kid 12 or under per full-price adult. Legoland has 128 acres of Lego-themed fun and more than 50 interactive attractions, and Sea Life Carlsbad Aquarium, with 36,000 square feet of play zones and marine exhibits.SeaWorld San Diego: One child age 3-9 is free with each full-price adult admission.
The same offer is valid at Dine with Shamu. Kids 10-13 can participate for free in SeaWorld's Dolphin Encounter and Dolphin and Beluga Interaction Programs with one paid adult participation (kids must be at least 48 inches tall to participate).Zoo and Safari Park: All kids 11 and younger are admitted free into the San Diego Zoo, home to 3,700 rare and endangered birds, mammals and reptiles; and the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, home to Tiger Trail, featuring a forested enclosure for the Safari Park's Sumatran tigers with up-close views of the critically endangered species.Some 40 museums and other attractions are participating. , and one paid adult per up to two kids 12 or under. IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS IS LAST YEAR'S STORY. CLICK BELOW TO SEE THE UPDATED DEALS FOR 2016! See the kids-get-in-free deals for October 2016 October has become like a big 31-day kids birthday bash in San Diego. Nearly everything you want to do with your younger children is free for them.
That means the zoo, Safari Park, SeaWorld, USS Midway, Legoland. You name it – your youngsters will probably get in for free, eat for free or have some kind of other freebie at more than 100 attractions, museums, hotels and resorts. Now, grownups, unless you can pass for 10 years old, you’re going to pay full price. But even hotels are offering deals for the kidlets who accompany you, turning this traditionally slow month for San Diego into a deal like no other. Children 12 and under can even get a free ride on Amtrak to get down there. Particularly if they’ve never taken a train before. Once you’re downtown, the trolley system is reasonably efficient at getting you many places you want to go. How did this all come about? The San Diego Zoo started it 30 years ago by offering kids the chance to come visit for free in October. Later, the Safari Park joined the promotion, and it’s grown progressively more popular as other attractions saw the benefits of luring the adults who’d pay full price.
Now, it’s a bona fide happening, in its fifth year. • If you can go midweek, do so. • If you must go Saturday and Sunday, get to the most iconic attractions before they open. That way, you’ll have time to enjoy before the thundering hordes arrive. • You must be under 11 to get in free to the San Diego Zoo or Safari Park, but any number of kids can come in with a paid adult. • Each attraction has its own rules. In some cases, age 12 or 13 is the cutoff age. • Forty museums and attractions, such as the USS Midway and Air & Space Museum, require you to print out a free coupon on the website for the San Diego Museum Council. It will give free admission to up to two kids 12 and under per paid adult. Sadly, my own kids are now too old to get in free. But someday I hope to have grandkids I can bring along. Meanwhile, I hope you can find some fun here. AIR, LAND AND SEA DEALS Amtrak: Kids love trains, and I love this annual promotion. One child 2-12 rides free with each paid adult on the Pacific Surfliner between San Luis Obispo to the north and downtown San Diego to the south, and stops in between.
This deal is good until Nov. 1 and you must make reservations at least three days in advance. (Note that kids are always half price, and adults get 10 percent off with Auto Club membership). Check the Amtrak website; certain days will be limited due to track repairs. San Diego Air & Space Museum: Two kids with each paid adult can visit this museum affiliated with the Smithsonian. It contains historic aircraft and spacecraft from all over the world, including the actual Apollo 9 command module. Cruise: My kids liked the Hornblower cruise, though bring snacks – everything on board is horribly expensive. Kids 12 and under cruise free on one- or two-hour harbor tours with Hornblower Cruises and Flagship Cruises. Hornblower's offer is good for two kids per each full-price paid adult admission, while Flagship offers one child per paid adult. Gondola: If an adult couple has paid for a scenic cruise with the Gondola Co. in Coronado, as many as four kids can come along for free.
Participants visit the canals and waterways of the Coronado Cays in a real Venetian gondola. Helicopters: Now, this is cool. For every paid adult 30-minute tour, one kid can ride for free with Corporate Helicopters, soaring over the tops of La Jolla Cove, Petco Park, Balboa Park, the Coronado Bridge and other San Diego landmarks. Speedboat: Kids get a free guided and narrated harbor tour with San Diego Speed Boat Adventures with a paid adult. Trolley tour: If an adult pays for the hop-on, hop-off Old Town Trolley Tours of America, a child 12 or under rides free. One kid per paid adult. Numerous hotels offer free breakfast to children staying there, while some offer free food all day. Standalone restaurants are also offering kids-eat-free deals. Here are a few examples. • Kids staying at the Paradise Point Resort get an "island allowance" worth $50 toward bike and paddleboard rentals, mini golf, ice cream and other stuff. • Kids eat free all day at the DoubleTree Hilton Golf Resort San Diego.