A vacation isn’t just time off of work – it’s an invitation to expose yourself and your kids to textures, sights and smells that feel foreign. For those of us on the west coast, southern California is close enough to be convenient, yet exotic enough to feel otherworldly to a child.
Day #1 Legoland
Since our four-year-old Ian has learned that there are these places called amusement parks and, “I WANT TO GO THERE MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD!” has become a theme in our lives. So day #1 took us to Ian’s first amusement park: Legoland
Legoland California celebrates it’s 20th anniversary this summer. For kids like Ian, the novelty is as fresh as they day it opened.
One of the most beloved traditions at Legoland is trading minifigures with park employees. Ian brought two of my vintage 1980’s characters that had lost their cool, and offered to trade one of them for a character that caught his eye. Working up the courage to interact with one of the park’s custodians and fighting through his 4-year-old nerves, he approached the trade with a stoic earnestness. And the General Mayhem figure he received was his most beloved treasure from our whole trip.
The rides at Legoland are fairly tame as far as rollercoaster’s go. They’re squarely aimed at little kids, so it’s the perfect amusement park for novices. The rollercoaster above is about as exciting as things get for adults. But for kids rides like the “submarine” on the Deep Sea Adventure (below) transcend campy cheese and feel magical.
Even jaded adults can’t help but feel wowed by the Star Wars scenes recreated entirely out of Legos. Even if the rides are underwhelming, all day entertainment can be found in the creative life-sized dragons, knights and ninjas that are studded throughout the park.
Day #2 Outdoor Adventures
The San Diego area is rich in natural beauty. But don’t bother to stay in downtown if you want beach time. Instead, plan to stay in one of the outlying beach towns like La Jolla or Del Mar (which literally means by the sea).
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve near Del Mar offers beach wanders and dramatic cliff hikes. A superbloom of wildflowers set the hills ablaze in color filling the sprawling meadows with blooming rainbows above the pounding waves on the coastline below.
Ian’s attention was fixated on the prickly pear cactus lining the path. He’d never seen a cactus in the wild and they were simply mind blowing
Pelicans are regular sights blotting out the sky with giant flocks that fly low enough to see the color in their eyes.
A California ground squirrel feasts on seeds along a trail in Torrey Pines.
Driving further down the coast to the community of La Jolla (la hoya) we hoped to swim in the coves dotting the shore. But the harbor seals had other plans. Children’s Pool Beach was created for little tykes, but the native seals decided it was the perfect nursery for raising young pups. Now much of the year the humans must watch from above.
From the raised concrete walkway we spied seal families scratching, yawning and lumbering on the shore only to turn into streamlined bullets the second they waded into the water. Enormous 600-pound sea lions patrolled the coves around the corner, surfacing long enough to grunt and bark at the snorkelers whenever they swam too close.
A seal pup beaches near some human swimmers. Lifeguards nearby warned kids and adults to leave the shore whenever a seal approached.
Day #3 San Diego Zoo
Arguably one of the best zoos in the world, San Diego is home to more than 3,500 animals, and 650 species, so it’s almost impossible not to see something you’ve never encountered.
Interactive displays like this one at the Polar Bear exhibit were often more fun for kids than the actual animals.
We started our morning with a ride on the Skyfari aerial tram that whisked us to the far end of the park. The sky tram and guided tour busses are excellent ways to see an overview of the zoo without burning through your child’s energy.
A tapir inspects Ians’s snazzy pink shoes
If there’s one drawback at the zoo it’s the sprawling hillside on which it’s built. The terrain creates a maze-like experience that can be disorienting and tiring for small legs.
But the setting is also one of the zoo’s greatest assets. Enclosures are built into hills and canyons with animal enclosures speckled with overlooks, grottos, streams and prolific jungle-like foliage. Many large animals like this pygmy hippo can be seen from under water, at ground level and also from higher vantage points like bridges.
Sadly the famous pandas that the zoo had on loan from China have now been sent back (thanks Trump). But it was the unexpected encounters that wowed us the most, reminding me that zoos are best when you just wander around and stop when something grabs your attention.
We timed the grizzly bears at the moment they began to wrestle, and their long claws made eerie scraping sounds when they ran. The orangutan baby tussled in a burlap bag and played pranks on it’s parents, which had everyone laughing to the point of tears.
