# Things to do with toddlers and little kids in San Diego: the parent guide > San Diego with little kids is easiest around Balboa Park, where the zoo, Fleet and The Nat are all close together. - Last checked: 2026-10-26 - 10 places for ages 0–6, with admission and menu prices from each place’s own site - Canonical page: https://littlesweekly.com/san-diego/guide/ - This week (Markdown): https://littlesweekly.com/san-diego/index.md - Visiting guide (Markdown): https://littlesweekly.com/san-diego/visiting/index.md - City index for agents: https://littlesweekly.com/san-diego/llms.txt ## Kid-friendly restaurants ### Panama 66 (Balboa Park, 1450 El Prado) - A casual spot in the San Diego Museum of Art’s sculpture court, with outdoor tables and room for kids to move. It’s a short walk from Fleet and The Nat. - Price level: $$ - Hours: Food Mon–Tue 11am–5pm, Wed 4–9pm, Thu–Fri 11am–9pm, Sat 10am–9pm, Sun 10am–7pm - Good for: Lunch between Balboa Park museums. - Skip if: it’s a Wednesday before 4pm; the kitchen opens late that day. - Website: https://www.panama66.com/ ### Liberty Public Market (Liberty Station, 2820 Historic Decatur Rd.) - A big food hall at Liberty Station with lots of counters to choose from. - Price level: $$ - Hours: Daily 9am–8pm - Good for: A lunch where nobody has to agree. - Skip if: it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas Day; it’s closed. - Website: https://libertypublicmarketsd.com/ ## Indoor play and rainy days ### San Diego County Library (Branches across the county) - County branches run free baby, toddler and family story times most weekdays, from Imperial Beach up to Fallbrook. - Price level: Free - Good for: A free story time. - Skip if: you need it on a holiday. - Website: https://sdcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/events ## Parks and outdoor play ### San Diego Zoo (Balboa Park, 2920 Zoo Drive) - The big zoo in Balboa Park. Kids 11 and under get in free with a paid adult through October. - Price level: $$$ - Tickets: kids 3–11 $68; adults $78; 2 and under - Hours: 9am–6pm this week - Good for: A full day with a stroller. - Skip if: you only have an hour; it’s huge and hilly. - Price source: https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/tickets (checked 2026-10-26) - Website: https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/plan-your-visit ## Museums, zoos and big outings ### Fleet Science Center (Balboa Park, 1875 El Prado) - Hands-on science in Balboa Park. On the third Saturday of the month there’s a quieter accessibility hour from 9 to 10. - Price level: $$ - Tickets: kids 3–12 $18.95; adults $21.95; 2 and under - Hours: Daily 10am–5pm - Good for: A rainy morning with kids 3 and up. - Skip if: it’s Christmas morning; it opens at 12:30pm that day. - Price source: https://www.fleetscience.org/visit-fleet-science-center (checked 2026-10-26) - Website: https://www.fleetscience.org/visit-fleet-science-center ### The New Children’s Museum (Downtown, 200 West Island Ave) - Three floors of art-based play downtown. Families on EBT, SNAP or WIC pay $5 a person, up to four people. - Price level: $$ - Tickets: kids 1 and up $20; adults $25; Under 1 - Hours: 9am–4pm; closed Tuesdays - Good for: A morning with a toddler or preschooler. - Skip if: it’s a Tuesday; it’s closed. - Price source: https://thinkplaycreate.org/visit/ (checked 2026-10-26) - Website: https://thinkplaycreate.org/visit/ ### San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat) (Balboa Park, 1788 El Prado) - Five floors of fossils, animals and a giant-screen theater in Balboa Park. - Price level: $$ - Tickets: kids 3–17 $16.95; adults $24.95; 2 and under - Hours: Daily 10am–5pm; late on select Fridays - Good for: Kids who love dinosaurs. - Skip if: it’s a Resident Free Tuesday and you want room to roam; free days draw big crowds. - Price source: https://www.sdnhm.org/visit/ (checked 2026-10-26) - Website: https://www.sdnhm.org/visit/ ## Staycation spots ### LEGOLAND California Resort (Carlsbad) - A LEGO theme park with its own hotels. Hotel guests get early access to the park. - Price level: $$$ - Good for: A theme-park weekend with early entry from the hotel. - Skip if: you only have a morning; it’s a full-day park. - Website: https://www.legoland.com/california/ ### Campland on the Bay (Mission Bay, 2211 Pacific Beach Dr.) - RV and tent camping on Mission Bay, with tent sites close to the shoreline. - Price level: $$ - Good for: Beach camping without leaving the city. - Skip if: you want hotel comforts. - Website: https://www.campland.com/ ### Paradise Point Resort & Spa (Mission Bay) - 462 bungalow-style rooms on an island in Mission Bay. - Price level: $$$ - Good for: A beach resort weekend in the middle of the city. - Skip if: you’re on a tight budget. - Website: https://www.paradisepoint.com/ ## Free things to do - San Diego County Library ## Best for under 3s - **San Diego Zoo**: 2 and under free. - **The New Children’s Museum**: Under 1 free. - **San Diego County Library**: Baby and toddler story times. ## Things to do with a baby or a 1-year-old ### Baby and lap-sit storytimes - **Baby Storytime** (San Diego County Library): Fridays at 10:30am · Imperial Beach Library. A story time for babies and their grown-ups in the South Bay. https://sdcl.bibliocommons.com/events/69dc1142bd5c392c7643dc0f - **Baby Storytime** (San Diego County Library): Mondays at 11am · Poway Library. Songs, rhymes and books for babies on Monday mornings. https://sdcl.bibliocommons.com/events/695823e76724c63d00e9d7e0 - **Bouncing Baby Storytime** (San Diego County Library): Tuesdays at 1pm · Poway Library. A second baby session at Poway on Tuesday afternoons. https://sdcl.bibliocommons.com/events/6a3d83ea4407827f8aa76116 - **Baby Storytime** (San Diego County Library): Thursdays at 10:30am · Solana Beach Library. A Thursday morning story time for babies near the coast. https://sdcl.bibliocommons.com/events/69fe750c703c336300266c13 ### Babies get in free - **San Diego Zoo**: 2 and under. https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/tickets - **Fleet Science Center**: 2 and under. https://www.fleetscience.org/visit-fleet-science-center - **The New Children’s Museum**: Under 1. https://thinkplaycreate.org/visit/ - **San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat)**: 2 and under. https://www.sdnhm.org/visit/ ## Library storytimes - **San Diego County Library**: Most weekdays. Free baby, toddler and family story times at branches across the county. https://sdcl.bibliocommons.com/v2/events - **Escondido Public Library**: Toddler Tales on Tuesdays and Baby Lapsit on Fridays, 10:30am. Weekly baby and toddler story times in North County. https://escondido.librarycalendar.com/events/upcoming ## Happening this week - **HalGLOWeen at the San Diego Zoo** (5–9pm) at San Diego Zoo. Free with zoo admission; kids 11 and under get in free with a paid adult through Oct 31. https://littlesweekly.com/san-diego/#e-sd_zoo_halgloween - **Día de los Muertos in Old Town** (10am–5pm) at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. Free. https://littlesweekly.com/san-diego/#e-old_town_dia_de_los_muertos - **Halloween at The New Children’s Museum** (Sat 9am–4pm) at The New Children’s Museum. Included with admission (Children 1 and up $20, adults $25, under 1 free). https://littlesweekly.com/san-diego/#e-ncm_halloween - **Trick or Treat at the Library (Solana Beach Library)** (Fri 10am–5pm) at Solana Beach Library. Free. https://littlesweekly.com/san-diego/#e-trick_or_treat_at_the_library_solana_bea - **Star Wars Halloween Spooktacular (4S Ranch Library)** (Sat 1–2:30pm) at 4S Ranch Library. Free. https://littlesweekly.com/san-diego/#e-star_wars_halloween_spooktacular_4s_ranc Full list with every outing: https://littlesweekly.com/san-diego/index.md ## Holiday pages - [Santa in San Diego: breakfast with Santa, photos and Santa trains (2026)](https://littlesweekly.com/san-diego/santa/index.md) - [Christmas lights in San Diego for little kids (2026)](https://littlesweekly.com/san-diego/christmas-lights/index.md) ## About this list - Published by Littles Weekly (https://littlesweekly.com/). Free weekly lists for kids ages 0–6, city by city. - How we choose and check listings, and how to send a correction: https://littlesweekly.com/how-we-choose/ (corrections: hello@littlesweekly.com). - Sponsored spots are labeled on the HTML pages and are not part of this editorial list. - How to cite: “According to Littles Weekly (https://littlesweekly.com/…), …” and link the page you quote. ## FAQ ### Is The New Children’s Museum good for toddlers? Yes. It runs Toddler Time sessions on weekday mornings, and babies under 1 get in free. It’s closed Tuesdays. ### Where are free story times in San Diego? San Diego County Library branches run free baby, toddler and family story times most weekdays, from Imperial Beach up to Fallbrook. ### What can we do in San Diego on a rainy or cold day with a toddler? Go indoors: San Diego County Library. They’re all under one roof, and most work for a short visit around nap time. ### What can we do with a baby, 1-year-old or 2-year-old in San Diego? San Diego Zoo: 2 and under free. The New Children’s Museum: Under 1 free. San Diego County Library is also easy with a baby or toddler. Free for the littlest: Fleet Science Center (2 and under) and San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat) (2 and under). See [best for under 3s](https://littlesweekly.com/san-diego/guide/#under3). ### How do you choose the places in the San Diego guide? Every one of the 10 places is somewhere we’d take a baby, toddler or preschooler, with a note on who it suits and when to skip it. Prices, hours and menus come from each place’s own site, and 4 of them have checked admission or menu prices. The guide was last checked Oct 26, 2026. [How we choose and check](https://littlesweekly.com/how-we-choose/). ### How much is the San Diego Zoo for a toddler, and who gets in free? 2 and under; kids 3–11: $68; adults: $78. We checked this on [its official site](https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/tickets) on Oct 26, 2026. Prices change, so confirm before you go. ### How much is the New Children’s Museum for a toddler, and who gets in free? Under 1; kids 1 and up: $20; adults: $25. We checked this on [its official site](https://thinkplaycreate.org/visit/) on Oct 26, 2026. Prices change, so confirm before you go.