A California family road trip from San Diego offers diverse adventures, including visits to the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Air and Space Museum, and LEGOLAND California, spanning 245 miles with 8 exciting stops over 4-5 days.
A California family road trip from San Diego offers diverse adventures, including visits to the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Air and Space Museum, and LEGOLAND California, spanning 245 miles with 8 exciting stops over 4-5 days. Read less
A California family road trip offers diverse adventures from scenic coastal drives to desert explorations, ensuring fun-filled memories for all ages. Along the way, families can enjoy stops at charming towns, nature parks, vibrant cities, and iconic attractions along with opportunities for surfing, hiking, wine tasting, and other cultural experiences. Starting in San Diego and ending in El Cajon, this road trip spans 245 miles with 8 exciting stops over 4-5 days, promising unforgettable memories for everyone in the family.
Depart San Diego Airport and start your road trip from Balboa Park, the cultural heart of San Diego. Start by visiting the San Diego Zoo to spot polar bears, crocodiles, big cats, giraffes, and elephants. Next, swing by the San Diego Air and Space Museum to see artefacts from aviation stars like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. The San Diego Automotive Museum is another highlight, especially for the car enthusiast teenager in your family. For lunch, head for Liberty Station’s Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens, housed in a former U.S. Navy mess hall, where adults can sip craft beer and also play a family game of grass-court bocce. Take a 15-minute walk to Petco Park and arrive in time for the first pitch at a San Diego Padres game. End your night at Aero Club Bar, an aviation-themed watering hole serving 1,000-plus whiskeys as well as an awesome pinball lineup. Additionally, the Arctic Rescue roller coaster and SeaWorld San Diego are other highlights that are enjoyable for all. Check in to the Manchester Grand Hyatt in Seaport Village for a restful night.
Head up the coast 25 miles to Encinitas, where pickleball lovers hang out at Bobby Riggs Racket and Paddle Club. Sign up for a lesson or drop in for open play, and check out exhibits devoted to Riggs, the tennis star who lost to Billie Jean King in 1973’s infamous “Battle of the Sexes.” This sand-and-sea city is also a top beach spot, whether you want to sit back and watch surfing at Swami’s Beach or try it with your family. For some good food, head to Modern Times Far West Lounge for plant-based fare and 30-plus rotating taps. Legend has it that fish tacos were invented in Encinitas, so sample the local flavours—try salmon tacos at Fish 101, mahi mahi tacos at The Taco Stand, and red snapper tacos at The Fish Shop.
Carlsbad
If you are in Carlsbad with kids, LEGOLAND California is a must. Marvel at plastic-brick-built dinosaurs, remarkably detailed mini-cities, and kid-scale pirate ships, and check out new attractions like LEGO Ferrari Build & Race. Kids can build their own Ferrari out of LEGO bricks, and then race their car around a real track. If you want to take some time out for yourself and your partner without the kids, take on an adult challenge with SoCal Surf Lessons at Carlsbad Beach. Afterwards, head over to the Museum of Making Music to jam on electric guitars and learn how various instruments, from Steinway pianos to the ukulele, were invented. In the late afternoon, swing your golf clubs at Carlsbad’s Park Hyatt Aviara, after checking your family into the lush, luxurious, 250-acre oasis.
Temecula
Midway between San Diego and Palm Springs, Temecula has established itself as Southern California’s go-to wine country thanks to rich soil and nearly 50 wineries dotting the sun-kissed valley. Start by exploring Old Town Temecula’s 12 blocks of antique shops, galleries, brewpubs, and restaurants. At Temecula Olive Oil Company, taste extra virgin olive oils and small-batch vinegar. Make plans to redecorate your living room with salvaged and artisan home goods from Reclaimed at Main St. Market. Accompany your kids to old-school arcade games at the Coin-Op Game Room. Temecula Stampede’s 4,000-square-foot dance floor is a popular nighttime spot. For accommodations, Murrieta Hot Springs Resort, located just six miles north, offers 174 rooms and 50 geothermally heated mineral water pools.
Warner and Borrego Springs
Stop along Highway 79 at Warner Springs, one of San Diego County’s last rural ranching outposts. From wine-tasting at family-run vineyards, a two-hour horseback ride from the Warner Springs Ranch stables to hiking the Eagle Rock Trail up to a cluster of boulders shaped like an eagle with wings spread wide, there is something for everyone to enjoy. See what it is like to soar like an eagle at Warner Springs Gliderport and try out Sky Sailing’s basic half-hour sailplane tour. Surrounded by the Anza-Borrego Desert, lies the village of Borrego Springs. For visitors, the town’s fantastical outdoor art is a big attraction; Ricardo Breceda’s menagerie of metal sculptures lies hidden in plain sight across three square miles of desert. Try to find all 130 works, including an elephant, sabre-toothed cat, serpent, and Tyrannosaurus rex with the kids. Later, dine on pancakes at the Red Ocotillo and burgers and BLTs at Carlee’s. Book a casita at the luxurious La Casa del Zorro or patio room at the pink-adobe Borrego Valley Inn, and plan to stay up late for desert stargazing, weaving core memories for the whole family.
Drive to Julian, San Diego’s favourite mountain town, for some competitive apple pie eating. Purchase a buttery, gooey slice at each of this mountain town’s three bakeries—Mom’s Pie House, Apple Alley, and Julian Pie Company and take a few bites of each to crown the winner. Later, go on a family hike to Cuyamaca Peak, San Diego County’s second-highest summit (6,515 feet) and one of the top treks in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. Take a history lesson at the Pioneer Museum and tour the Eagle and High Peak Mines, where you will learn about Julian’s 1870s gold rush. Check into the Julian Gold Rush Hotel, an 1890s Victorian landmark for a good night’s sleep.
El Cajon
Make a final stop in El Cajon, one of San Diego’s most culturally diverse suburbs. Main Street is a hot spot for Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food where you will want to try falafel and kabobs at Mal Al Sham, baked pompano fish and tandoor bread at Ali Baba, and lamb shank stew at Al Azayem. Before you start eating, pull into Sky Combat Ace for a high-stakes aerial competition where you can fly a real stunt plane in a simulated dogfight. The Olaf Wieghorst Museum, a trove of Western paintings and sculptures by the 20th-century Danish immigrant, is another popular family spot. The museum’s grounds, filled with mature cacti and succulents, occupy an entire city block.
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Later, when it is time to head back home, San Diego’s airport is just 20 miles due west.
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