Like many others, husband Rob and I have a favorite getaway within a day’s drive. San Diego’s lush sub-tropical ambiance and family-friendly cultural treasures are worth the 350-mile drive from our Arizona home. Whether your dream vacation is culture, touring, beaches, theme parks, shopping, fine dining or pro sports, San Diego delivers. With an average temperature of 71 degrees, climate extremes elude this sophisticated city.

On our April trip we were guests of the beautiful Town and Country Resort & Convention Center in Mission Bay (Hotel Circle North). Before exploring the lush grounds with palm groves, rose gardens, fountains and pools, we boarded an on-site Old Town Sightseeing Trolley. Drivers are local history and folklore experts, and tours provide an interesting orientation. Recorded music and sound effects add to the fun during the 11 area, two hour, 25-mile San Diego-Coronado Island circuit. The view from the 250-foot San Diego-Coronado Bridge is breathtaking.

At the Maritime Museum of San Diego stop, we left the trolley for a relaxing Hornblower harbor cruise. The dual-deck boat had comfortable indoor/outdoor seating and a snack bar. Live narration provided an overview of points of interest including the airport and military sites. Hint: Take a sweater or jacket if you choose an outdoor deck.

Our favorite attraction is beautiful 1,200-acre Balboa Park, home to 15 museums, performing arts groups and the famous San Diego Zoo. America’s largest urban cultural park is a flower lovers’ paradise: brilliant displays of seasonal flowers, eight award-winning gardens, a unique lath botanical building, rare exotic plant species, palm groves, fountains and a Japanese garden.

The park’s stunning architecture is the legacy of the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition. Families can park free and ride free shuttles to major buildings. We focused on four sites. With myriad tropical trees, plants and blooming flowers, the Botanical Building is a feast for the senses. Fragrant flower scents drift over colorful displays of roses, cymbidiums, calla lilies and anthuriums.

At San Diego Air & Space Museum we saw fascinating historical planes, including a Spirit of St. Louis replica. The spiffy galleries include aircraft from World Wars I and II, the 1920s and ’30s, modern jets, as well as space-age exhibits. After a relaxing stroll through the Japanese Friendship Garden, we viewed black-and-white prints at the Photographic Arts Museum.

At Fleet Science Center, we watched the “Tornado” IMAX film and had lunch in the patio cafe. Throughout our two-day visit, we noticed smiles on visitors’ faces.

On each San Diego visit we enjoy fresh seafood at Anthony’s Fish Grotto on San Diego Bay. Their signature coleslaw with house pineapple dressing is the best we’ve tasted. While enjoying our to-die-for lobster tail/shrimp (Pat) and shrimp/salmon/crab (Rob) dinners, we watched the sun sink into the Pacific.

If you want a taste of Mexico without venturing into Tijuana, visit San Diego’s Old Town, site of the first Spanish settlement on the U.S. West Coast. A plethora of shops, restaurants, cantinas and  historic buildings provide an Americanized version of Mexico.

On our last night the Town and Country Resort shuttle dropped us at the Catholic church in Old Town. After church, we walked across the street for a delicious Mexican dinner at the sprawling Café Coyote known for its lively atmosphere and award-winning cuisine.

For those who feel challenged by the maze of fast-paced freeways, light rail and other forms of public transportation are available from many hotels. Town and Country Resort guests can take the Red Line light rail (station behind the complex) to downtown. Pedicabs operate along the waterfront on Harbor Drive.

The North County Coaster line, a sleek and modern train system, train links downtown San Diego with coastal cities as far north as Oceanside. Much of the 35-mile route provides scenic ocean views. Coaster riders can transfer to light rail or buses in downtown San Diego.

I’m putting the Coaster on my bucket list for a future San Diego trip.

If you go:
San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau 619-236-1212
Anthony’s Fish Grotto 619-232-5103
Balboa Park 619-239-0512
Café Coyote 619-291-4695
Hornblower Cruises & Events 619-686-8715
Old Town Trolley Tours of San Diego 619-298-8687
Town and Country Resort & Convention Center 619-291-7131. Relax in the gorgeous tropical grounds.  The upscale Fashion Valley Shopping Center is within walking distance.

CruisinGal Pat Woods lives and writes in Arizona.

San Diego is a popular vacation town, of course, what with theme parks, the San Diego Zoo, and miles and miles of terrific Southern California coastline. Late October presents families with a different sort of travel altogether, though; the door to door variety seen on Halloween. In San Diego, Halloween isn’t just for small children. In fact, some of these Halloween events and activities in San Diego would scare the costumes right off small children, so consider yourself warned. Now, Halloween falls on a Sunday this year, which means neighborhoods get to be terrorized by those little tramps and witches (and vampires and Harry Potters) potentially all day long. The idea of a weekend Halloween strikes terror in the hearts of many of us trick-or-treat chaperones; little kids hopped up on sugar all day just isn’t as charming as one might think! One or any of these San Diego theme park Halloween events and other activities will either sate Halloween-loving kids, or get them excited for more.

Halloween in San Diego Theme Parks and Events

LEGOLAND California; the LEGOLAND theme park embraces the fun of Halloween in a family-friendly, non-scary way. Children 12 and under are invited to take part in trick-or-treating and costume contests every Saturday of the month during the theme park’s annual “Brick or Treat” event.

SeaWorld San Diego has its annual Halloween Spooktacular, child-friendly events every weekend in October. This isn’t very frightening for children: there’s a Sesame Street themed Halloween show, trick-or-treat stations, interactive characters and Halloween-themed sea lion shows at SeaWorld.

Old Town’s Most Haunted is more fitting for older kids and teens (and Halloween-loving adults). Nightly walking tours of Old Town San Diego are led by a “ghost hunter” Thursdays and all weekend long. Nighttime visits include a stop at The Whaley Hose, which was built on a former gallows site in 1856; it’s believed to be one of the most haunted houses in the USA. Brr! Just got a chill.

Del Mar Fairground’s Scream Zone completely embraces the spirit of Halloween (sorry about that pun) from late September through to Halloween.  There are specially done-up midway rides, a haunted hayride, 25-room House of Horror — better for older children — and a spooky 3-D ghost maze in the Scream Zone.

Ghostly Tours in History operates year-round, but it’s never more appropriate an activity than for Halloween. This 3-hour “frightseeing” activity goes through the oldest areas of San Diego, stopping at sites like Villa Montezuma and a Gaslamp Quarter restaurant which was once once of San Diego’s first mortuaries.

The Monster Bash is great fun, but only on Halloween, only from 6 PM to midnight, and only for adults 21 yrs and older. This annual outdoors Halloween music festival is in the Gaslamp Quarter — downtown San Diego’s streets are taken over by beer gardens, live music or multiple platforms, and a wild costume contest. While not too scary for kids, it can get pretty wild.

The Haunted Hotel and the Haunted Trail of Terror in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter and Balboa Park are both fun activities running from Sept 24 through to Halloween. The Haunted Hotel has horror movie scene inspired frights in the rooms and hallways, and the Haunted Trail of Terror has an outdoor maze of walkways for guests, full of surprises. These are both fun for teens and adults, but is too creepy for all but the hardiest of children.

A Halloween in one of San Diego’s theme parks or at one of its October events is sure to be fun. No matter how you and your family decide to spend Halloween, The Vacation Gals hope it’s a safe and happy one.

On a recent trip to San Diego, my extended family and I visited SeaWorld San Diego as their guests.  We spent more than nine hours tromping around the park, stopping only when the sun went down and we became chilled in our whale-water soaked clothing. We voted on our favorite attractions over dinner that night:

Shamu show at Sea World San Diego. Photo by Jamie Pearson.

1.  Shamu Show: Believe

This is the biggie, and it’s all about the “special relationship” between the whales and their trainers (which might have something to do with the dozens and dozens of mackerel the trainers throw in the whales’ giant, toothy mouths).

It’s hard not to love this show, even if you accidentally sit in the “soak zone” because you thought it was called the “splash zone”. The whales jump, wave, beach themselves and spin, and interact with their trainers for 30 delightful minutes.

By far the best trick (and the one which prompted my sister-in-law to turn to me and say, “How do they train the whales not to eat people?”) involves Shamu leaping from the water and tossing his trainer high in the air.  It’s nuts.

Read the rest of this post by Jamie Pearson at Travel Savvy Mom.

La Jolla is a gorgeous, high-end beach community just a hop, skip and a jump north of San Diego.  It’s got a reputation as being a relaxing (if somewhat deluxe) vacation destination.  My family has never been there; we take road trips to San Diego pretty often, but La Jolla is so close to San Diego that Laguna Beach makes for a better pit stop on the way home. As a California-based travel writer and beach town fan, I clearly needed to check out this place with my video camera fully loaded.

I’m so glad I did! La Jolla is indeed lovely, with cliffs that overhand the Pacific in ways reminiscent of the more rugged views in Northern California. The La Jolla Playhouse is a wonderful local theater, and Scripps Institute of Oceanography is a focal point for training the next generation in marine biology and other earth sciences. The Birch Aquarium at Scripps melds fun and education about marine life and resources so well, I just can’t wait to take my children there. But remember…there are those miles of wonderful, surfer-friendly beaches too.

One beach has been in the news off and on; The Children’s Pool was actually man-made to create a relatively wave-free bay for kids to play in, but this serene alcove was also perfect for seals to birth their pups. (This is somewhat controversial; the philanthropist Ellen B. Scripps had it built for children, but not exclusively so.) Because there are so many other child-friendly beaches along La Jolla’s coastline – and because marine mammals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act – the seals unknowingly won a legal battle to stay in The Children’s Pool during baby season. I love seals! I had to find them…and hopefully get a quick video of the seals in action.

Starting at the south end of La Jolla was a mistake; I found a bunch of beautiful little beaches (and a ton of fancy shops) but no seals. I had my Flip Digital Video Camera on the ready, though: Check out this video. Oh, before you do, keep in mind that I’m no professional. Holding the Flip at arm’s length and hoping for the best resulted in me chopping off my chin. Wish me better aim next time!

Ha, ha! It’s no wonder that The Children’s Pool has also been named “Seal Rock.” They look cute and happy, don’t they? But even from our respectful distance, the other tourists, gawkers, and I were just about equally impressed by the smell emanating from the beach as we were the sight of all those baby seals flopped out next to their mamas. Phoo! I wonder how long it takes to clear the air after the Harbor Seals leave.

In any case, the Harbor Seals (and yes, I know, I accidentally call them sea lions once in the video above, mea culpa) are a huge attraction when they’re tending to their pups. Since there are a plethora of other beaches around La Jolla, I believe that setting aside Seal Rock/Children’s Pool for the seals and their babies is a good thing. The crowd of tourists, happy to pose for photos with a seal-filled background, surely agree.

Romantic getaways are one of life’s simple pleasures. That’s right; Simple! While a honeymoon in Florence or an anniversary in Saint Tropez would be incredibly memorable, it would also be incredibly expensive. Valentine’s Day and other best times for romantic getaways don’t have to be causes for your wallet’s alarm, though. There are great destinations here in the US with travel deals and packages that make a long, lovey-dovey weekend affordable as well. My favorite, this year, is San Diego California.

A simple weekend getaway together in San Diego can take on several forms, ranging from pampering and indulgent, to outdoor adventure-filled, to even (perish the thought) family style. That’s right, some couples’ getaways can include the kids if need be. San Diego, after all, has plenty of child-friendly travel activities as well as the romance of a wonderful city. But about those Valentine’s Day romantic getaway deals…Here are three of the best recommended couples’ romantic hotel packages in San Diego, California.

Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina

The Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina ( right on San Diego Bay) is just such a hotel that has a “bring the kids” travel deal. The Feb. 14 vacation package includes two connecting rooms (so there is that privacy), a free in-room movie, and a little welcome snack for children. When the adults have a romantic dinner at the Harbor Edge restaurant (that’s the on-site dining spot), babysitting is provided for their children. The night also includes dinner and a movie for the kids out of the hotel room, so that their parents can celebrate Valentine’s Day alone.

Tower23 Hotel in Pacific Beach, San Diego

The Tower23 Hotel (in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego) is a lovely oceanfront hotel with a romantic Valentine’s Day getaway package. Besides the knock-out views of the ocean and Crystal Pier, the boutique hotel supplies a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rose Champagne, a couples’ breakfast in bed, “naughty” turn down service, a dozen long-tem red roses, and a special late check-out time of noon. Just in case, you know, guests want to sleep a little late the next morning.

The US Grant Hotel (downtown San Diego) is a landmark on Broadway, quite stately and distinguished. It’s offering an “Indulge, Dance and Romance” Valentine’s Day vacation package. In a partnership with Chuao Chocolatier (ahh, chocolate!) and the San Diego Ballet, The US Grant has created one of the best romantic getaways around. The package includes (besides a night at the swanky hotel) a box of Chuao Chocolatier’s “Latin Lover” chocolates, a tasting menu dinner – with wine, needless to say – at the Grant Grill, and two tickets to the San Diego Ballet’s Valentine’s Day production of Romeo and Juliet.

San Diego, California is many things to many people. However, the romance of an oceanside city in a mild temperate zone is undeniable. It’s simple, all right; some of the best romantic getaway hotel packages for Valentine’s Day are right here, in San Diego.

Can you say that five times fast? As you can tell by the title of this post, during our wonderful stay in San Diego we did the one thing every family should do while they’re in the area: visit SeaWorld. We arrived moments before the almighty Shamu was about to appear and delight the crowd and somehow managed to end up in row two – the section plastered with “Soak Zone” signs. The other moms around me were giving each other the nervous eye and asking, “What exactly does soak mean?” One lady across the aisle pulled out her heavy duty raincoat while another mother covered her family in plastic shopping bags from head to toe. In the meantime she draped herself in huge black garbage bags and I began to wonder the same.

The beginning of the show was a beautiful tribute to our American soldiers. Then, the performance began – and it was fantastic. The kids were entranced every second and we didn’t get nearly as drenched as I assumed we would, but I admit the anticipation was fun.

Throughout the day we explored the park and wandered from attraction to attraction. We saw the dolphins, sea otters, and (my favorite) the penguins. The kids touched and picked up starfish at the Tide Pool and we had a delicious lunch at the Shipwreck Reef Cafe. My salad was loaded with shrimp while the kids’ meals came in a souvenir lunch box – perfect since my DesertDaughter slept through lunch.

One of the other day’s delights is one of SeaWorld’s newest attractions: Sesame Street Bay of Play. The two-acre section is geared toward the little people and has a water fountain park where the kids can take off their shoes or run around in their swimsuits and cool off in the water. In addition, there are a handful of age appropriate rides: Elmo’s Flying Fish, Abby’s Sea Star Spin (think teacups), Oscar’s Rocking Eel (that’s the one with us in the photo above).

My son loved the huge climbing rope nets that lead up several levels to bridges and a big slide. (Keep a good eye on your children if you don’t venture up with them. It’s easy to lose track of your child when there is a crowd of kids up there.)

My son’s other favorite SeaWorld highlight was meeting Bert and Ernie at 1-2-3 Smile With Me (the staff takes photos you can purchase). And it did make him smile – all day long. In fact, I was smiling, too. There’s nothing like making family memories with your children and seeing the joy in their little faces as they experience a day of fun at the San Diego SeaWorld.

Everyone loves San Diego. The weather is great, the people are cool, it has a city, beaches and a harbor. But no matter what city or town you are in it’s always terrific to find a perfect family hotel that is, well, a Traveling Family’s Treasure. What exactly does the it mean to for a hotel to be a “treasure”? It depends on what type of vacation you have in mind. But I can tell you some of the things I look for when shopping for a family hotel: location, area transportation (trolley, bus, train), cost/specials, noise and its overall kid-friendliness.

The San Diego Omni meets every standard above and we knew it from the minute we pulled up. Once the car was taken by valet we didn’t need it again. The hotel is located on the southern edge of the Gaslamp Quarter where we had our choice of restaurants and even a local drug store for when we realized we were running low on Pull-Ups for nighttime. The San Diego Trolley is a one block walk and the Seaport Village is only 1/2 mile away as is the New Children’s Museum (NCM).

Upon check-in the bellboy or, “the really, really nice guy who helped us with the bags” as my son says, retrieved two children’s “backpacks” filled with an assortment of delights for all of the senses: glow-in-the-dark gummy worms, jacks, kaleidoscope, a scented bracelet and a kids cup that gets free refills in the hotel’s restaurant. As we rode the elevator the kids were anxiously awaiting the moment they could peek inside. When we got to the room the kids ran and jumped on a bed and explored their bag’s content – a perfect distraction while we grownups unpacked.

The next thing that grabbed their attention was the view from our 21st floor room, which included city views and the PETCO Park where a Padres game was just wrapping up. The hotel connects to the park via a skybridge.

The San Diego Airport’s flight path skims downtown, and is pretty far from the hotel, so there isn’t any airplane noise. The kids had a blast watching the planes play “peek-a-boo” behind the downtown buildings.

The hotel’s restaurant has a terrific kids’ menu (don’t forget that free refill cup!). The great menu also shows up on the room service menu.

The Omni has various packages but the one that stood out for me was the SeaWorld Family Package. The promotion includes luxurious room accommodations, complementary valet parking, breakfast for two adults and two children, and SeaWorld passes also for two adults and two children.

In the mornings there wasn’t a need to go searching for our must-have Starbucks, because it is served downstairs in the coffee shop. The staff was also super friendly. The concierge was there to answer all of my questions and even gave me a map of the area and the valet guys were terrific. You can tell by the photo they were great at entertaining the kids as we waited for our car to pull up. You can’t buy service like that.

And those are the reasons the San Diego Omni is the perfect family hotel, also known as a Traveling Family’s Treasure.