The kids are now 6 and 4 and love to spend as much time as possible in San Diego with our family and friends. Some of their (and our) favorites are:

Tide Pooling - Tide Pooling provides a wonderful sense of adventure for the kids. They hunt, search and focus on finding the ocean's tiniest creatures. From hermit crabs to urchins, the kids never tire of tide pooling. One of our favorite spots is La Jolla Shores north of the pier.  We typically park up near the campus and walk down just north of the Center for Coastal Studies building.  We also enjoy North Ponto Beach in Carlsbad. You have to go at negative low tide to see the most beautiful orange - red star fish at the end of the jetty.  There are also some terrific black spiny urchins. 

Restaurants - Going out to eat with the kids can be a bit nutty but at the right restaurant, the experience can be a delight.  We love the California Bistro at the Four Seasons Resort - Aviara.  The views from the terrace are spectacular but what impressed us the most about this restaurant was how they treated the kids. The kids were given their own table setting - placement, flatware, cups and plates. They have an extensive child's menu and great crafts to keep the kids occupied while waiting for their meals to arrive.  The wait staff speaks to the children and not at them.  Wonderful dining experience!  We also like Wahoo's Fish Taco off of El Camino Real in Encinitas. We usually take the kids to the play park to the north of the Leo Mullen Sports Park and south of the Chili’s Restaurant first then head over to Wahoo's. They have some of the freshest most flavorful Mexican food in San Diego. The kids gobble up the Kid's Tacos or the Kid's Bowls while dad craves the Banzai Burritos with Mr. Lee's Chili sauce on the side.  The kids may surprise you and eat fish!!

Taking a walk - Ever since the kids were little, we would take family walks.  The kids like combining their sense of exploration and adventure with a little (or a lot of) exercise.  Our favorite two spots are Old Town and Batiquitos Lagoon.  Batiquitos Lagoon has a great nature center that has creatures that the kids are allowed to touch - skulls, pelts, feathers, etc. Ask for the Batiquitos scavenger hunt page for the kids.  There is so much to see - water birds, insects, plants, and best of all the kids burn off energy while learning something new.  Our second great spot is Old Town.  To the tourist, Old Town is Mexican food heaven, but to the resident Old Town contains historic buildings and a great place for kids to explore. Old Town is the birthplace of California where the first Europeans settled. With 27 historic buildings, there is much to see while walking and each visit can be different than the last.