Silent sunrise runs — or strolls, if that’s more your pace — along San Diego’s sun-kissed beaches seem especially heavenly when you’re hailing from Texas’ sweltering heat. During my last triple-digit Austin run before departing to California’s southern coast, I was mentally comparing the experience to running through a steamy bowl of soup when I was interrupted by a 5-foot-long snake slithering across the trail. Sure, it was the hottest time of year in Texas and the snake was the harmless, nonvenomous sort. But a runner can’t help but gain an immediate fondness for a city with 70 miles of stunning (and, in my experience, snakeless) coastline and an enviable year-round climate capable of making the hottest Texan stone-cold jealous.
My soles slap the sand on an average San Diego summer morning — the tide is out, Mission Bay’s shoreline is sparkling and the temperature is a breezy 60 degrees. It’s an alluring combination that tempts me to extend our stay indefinitely, but since San Diego is just the first stop on our family’s SoCal trip, we plan to make the most our 48-hour stint here. Thankfully, San Diego makes it easy. Home to more than 30 beaches, more iconic attractions than you can visit in a single trip, a world-class culinary scene, a reputation as one of the nation’s craft beer capitals and a laid-back vibe as chill as its weather, San Diego offers endless adventures and appeals to all ages and interests. While we departed the city with heaps of attractions left unchecked, we brought back plenty of reasons to return. Here’s how our family of five spent a two-day sojourn in sunny San Diego.
SATURDAY
2 p.m.
Aboard a FunCat navigating the tranquil, glasslike waters of Mission Bay, I let my 6-year-old take control of our vessel — a miniature battery-operated catamaran that resembles an oversized floating beach chair buzzing around the bay. We've just checked into Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa (catamaranresort.com), a Polynesian-themed beachfront resort sitting on the northern shore of Mission Bay's 4,600-acre aquatic playground that boasts soft sand beaches, oceanfront restaurants, a heated outdoor pool and bar, a seaside spa and fitness center and a wealth of on-site activities spanning watersports to bike rentals. The family-friendly resort offers the perfect base for exploring San Diego with kids. On our way to our oceanview suite, we meet Cornell — a clever and colorful green winged macaw and just one of a handful of the resort's resident exotic birds that charm and chat with guests. (Bird shows take place daily at 3 p.m.)
4 p.m.
While our youngest two stay behind to build sandcastles with their dad, my oldest son and I rent beach cruisers and pedal along the bustling Ocean Front Walk to Belmont Park (belmontpark.com), San Diego's iconic oceanfront amusement park. Cruising along this popular promenade is a thrill in itself — on our 1 1/2-mile ride from the resort, we soak in the SoCal surf culture and share the Pacific pathway with everyone from bikers and joggers to skateboarders and a shirtless guy riding an electronic cooler that doubles as a boombox. First up on our Belmont Park bucket list is the heart-thumping Giant Dipper Roller Coaster, one of the country's Top 12 historic roller coasters first built in 1925 and one of only a handful of seaside wooden coasters still in operation. After braving the turbulent twists and turns of this refurbished historic coaster, I learn how loud I can scream on the Beach Blaster, which swings and spins riders 60 feet into the air to 120 degrees in both directions. My son begs to do it again, but I steer him toward level ground and we file in line for the bumper cars.
7 p.m.
After a long travel day, we are craving a mellow meal and are relieved we don’t have to leave the resort to find it. Seated at a waterfront table at Oceana Coastal Kitchen, calming bay waters form a panoramic backdrop to chef-driven California cuisine crafted by Steven Riemer, who relies on local, sustainably sourced ingredients to create diverse dishes. Highlights for our seafood-loving crew included steamed clams and mussels swimming in a lemon cream, chorizo and fennel broth, a heaping plate of steamed king crab legs, perfectly seared Sea of Cortez scallops and a melt-in-your-mouth California white sea bass.
8:45 p.m.
We mosey directly from the dining table to the pier and board the Bahia Belle, a turn-of-the-century, Mississippi-style, three-story sternwheeler, for a free hour of family fun brimming with lively music and cocktails as we cruise the calm waters of Mission Bay. Originally built in 1942, the boat once ferried personnel between San Diego's Embarcadero and Navy ships in the port. But since the 1960s, it has been shuttling guests back and forth between the Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa and its sister property, the Bahia Resort Hotel.
SUNDAY
9 a.m.
Sleepy koalas, giant pandas and playful polar bears — oh my. The San Diego Zoo (zoo.sandiegozoo.org) lives up to its world-famous reputation with its lushly landscaped, super-shady, 100-acre animal wonderland in Balboa Park that serves as home to more than 3,700 rare and endangered animals across 650 species and subspecies. And there's no shortage of ways to explore it — meander through the educational exhibits designed for close-up animal encounters, take a tour on a double-decker safari bus or get a bird's-eye view from the Skyfari aerial tram. We became polar bear-obsessed after watching Tatqiq playfully flip and splash around in the Conrad Prebys Polar Bear Plunge, tossing in big balls of ice and diving in after them. She's the 580-pound twin sister of 1,280-pound Kalluk and the smallest of the polar bears who call San Diego Zoo home, but her story is every bit as big as the splashes she makes. These now-sizable twin siblings were only a few months old and about 16 pounds each when they were rescued in Alaska after their mother was killed by a hunter. When you're back home and missing the beloved bears and other adorable animals, you can check in on them via the zoo's livestreaming webcams.
1 p.m.
Post-zoo we sample a hoppy West Coast-style IPA and a Famous Mary garnished with blue cheese olives that's served with a Ballast Point lager chaser before biting into a lobster and shrimp club and a spicy ahi poke bowl at Jimmy's Famous American Tavern (j-fat.com). The casual bayside eatery marries marina views with hearty California cheeseburgers, boozy brunches, a plethora of California beers and wines on tap and an impressive kids menu. While waiting for the bill, our kids run off their meal on the adjacent green lawn while watching big boats glide by.
2 p.m.
After refueling, we head back to Balboa Park to wander around its 1,200 scenic acres brimming with 17 museums, eight gardens and awe-inspiring early-1900s architecture fringed by swaying palm trees (balboapark.org). Whether you explore the solar system at the San Diego Air & Space Museum, visit the dinos at San Diego Natural History Museum or pop back into the world-famous zoo, you won't be at a loss for things to do and see in this cultural park. Less than 2 miles away, tour the longest-serving U.S. Navy aircraft of the 20th century — the USS Midway Museum (midway.org). The now-retired aircraft carrier features a flight deck with restored airplanes and numerous interactive educational exhibits.
7 p.m.
We don't want the good times to end, so we head to San Diego's popular '50s-themed Corvette Diner in Liberty Station (cohnrestaurants.com/corvettediner) for dinner, where juicy burgers, golden onion rings and divine homemade shakes are served with a side of blast-from-the-past nostalgia. At this rock 'n' roll diner, even waiting for your meal is fun thanks to the massive arcade, full bar and lively oldies music that makes you want to get up and dance with your poodle-skirt-wearing and beehive-sporting server past the shiny vintage Corvette and through retro-themed dining rooms. This festively decorated diner scored bonus points with us for its allergy awareness — there's a gluten-free menu and dedicated nut-free shake and malt equipment so even our peanut-allergic son could enjoy a creamy chocolate concoction with his siblings.
MONDAY
9 a.m.
There's not a better way to start the day than by touching rays and dolphins, feeding sea lions and witnessing shows like the new Orca Encounter at SeaWorld San Diego (seaworld.com/san-diego). While it's easy to become completely mesmerized by the incredible orcas, the new experience features an expansive infinity screen designed to further connect guests to these powerful predators with a documentary-style focus on orca intelligence and natural behaviors. Our crew had a blast watching the playful Dolphin Days show together before splitting up for exciting rides like the Manta coaster and toddler-size thrills found in the "Sesame Street"-themed section of the park. The new Ocean Explorer features interactive displays, aquariums and mini-submarine rides good for underwater voyagers of all ages, but those 13 and up should check out the new DeepSEE VR: Orca 360, a virtual reality expedition that offers an up-close orca experience with underwater visuals.
1 p.m.
Before leaving town, indulge with a blue cheese and bacon burger, healthy harvest grain salad or lobster mac 'n' cheese stacked just how you like it at Stacked: Food Well Built (stacked.com). At this sleek restaurant, iPads stationed at the tables allow diners to customize their own plates and drinks just the way they like them while roving servers remain at the ready to assist. The innovative ordering system is not only a smart and convenient way to "stack" your meal with the array of toppings on offer, ranging from veggies and proteins to sauces and onion rings, but for kids, dragging and clicking on images to build the perfect feast means they might actually eat what they order. I'd recommend rounding out the experience with a "stacked" cocktail to start and milkshake to end.
SEE MORE AND SAVE
The Go San Diego Card is a money-saving, multi-attraction pass that allows families to explore more of San Diego's favorite attractions for less: smartdestinations.com/san-diego-attractions-and-tours.
TAKE THE KIDS IN OCTOBER
Throughout October, San Diego celebrates all things family-friendly with Kids Free San Diego Month (kidsfreesandiego.org), featuring kids deals at more than 100 hotels, restaurants, attractions, museums, tours and more.
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