ebickford's Passport
 

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Member since:
27 May 2010

Icon_superoo_orangeSuperoo '11, '12

Icon_pictureBeen to 176 Attractions
Icon_star176 Reviews
Icon_star165 First to Review
Icon_camera255 Photos
Icon_thumbsup148 Helpful Votes
Compliments
About Me & My Family

I live with my Husband and Daughter in sunny Oceanside, CA. We are so excited to be expecting our second daughter in April and begin making great memories with her. We love to get out and about and see new things! I have done a lot of traveling over the years with kids, from my 10 year younger brother to my little cousins and nieces. I get a kick out surprising them with fun new things and taking them to places I enjoyed as a child.
Our Family's Travel Personality
adventurous, structured, independent, energetic, scheduled
We Just Got Back From
Oahu, HI
Our Favorite Vacation Spot
Koolina on Oahu, HI
A Place We'd Love To Visit
France, Ireland, New York - Going to Orlando 2012!!!
Favorite Vacation Memory
Driving through Hawaii on an ATV over looking the waipeo valley. (Pre-Kids) & My daughter realizing she loves to swim so long as it is not windy (Post-Kids).
Worst Travel Moment With My Kids:
Waiting for the fog to clear from Oakland Airport, that can be a wait especially when my 6 month old does not want to take formula!

Family Fun in San Diego

Great places to enjoy the best of San Diego

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2920 Zoo Drive in Balboa Park
San Diego, California


reviewed on: May 27 2010

"World Famous for a reason!"
This is truly the best ZOO you will ever find, there is something around every corner. My Daughter loves to watch the animals all day long. I take her there atleast once month. There is a great play ground in the children's zoo and an amazing under water view of the otters. One note: if you want to do the elephant exhibit go the back way in....trying to find the front is a real physical feat :)

They also have a great event for the holidays, we go here every year. This year they really took it to the next level and it was very enjoyable!

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15500 San Pasqual Valley Road
Escondido, California


reviewed on: May 27 2010

"The sister to the best Zoo in the world!"
This is a great place to spend an entire day, but note this is in escondido and this area of san diego county can get HOT! be prpared with water and refreshments. They will let you bring in anything that does not have a straw :) I highly recommed the lion exhibit, there is a great kids water park in front and my daughter just can't get enough!

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1549 El Prado
San Diego, California


reviewed on: June 08 2010

"So much more than you expect"
This park has so much more than you would expect. You will find some world class museums here not to mention the sheer variety of museums you can encounter, from Aerospace to Photography, from Trains to Natural History. Balboa park really has an amazing accumulation of museums. There is a Passport option available so you can enjoy every last museum you wish to see.
Additonally, they have several options just for the kids to enjoy. They have a merry go round (carousel), mini train, and a giant fountain many kids love to play in. I highly recommend the Rueben H. Fleet center in Balboa park, as well as the Cafe at the Prado for lunch.  Lastly, if you are visiting in the winter you will want to check out the christmas lights displays here, they are gorgeous and every year the play house in Balboa (The Old Globe) offer "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" which is truly wonderful to watch!

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849 West Harbor Drive
San Diego, California


reviewed on: May 28 2010

"Great Views!"
I always bring vistors to this location, it is awesom! It is especially great for vistors from overseas, you get to pack a lot of stuff into one day. They have a beautiful carosel, carriage rides, the duck (water and land vehicle), views of the large Navy ships, and great shopping ang food. I recommend atleast going to have a coffee and watch the street preformers overlooking the bay.

Update: Holiday scene was great here, they decorated the whole place for the season. There was a large poinsettia tree all in lights. Not mention Santa was there to meet all the kids. Since we were down there we went into the Hyatt and saw the hotel all dulled up for the season. It was a nice evening!

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1 Legoland Drive
Carlsbad, California


reviewed on: June 01 2010

"Fun time"
I really enjoy spending time at this park. The place is really fun but I would have to say over priced! The park caters towards the younger crowd but the older kids should be able to enjoy it, I mean everyone has built a lego tower before :)

My favorite part of the park is the little water park. The kids have such a great time here, I recommend an extra pair of clothes in regards to this part of the park though!

Definately stop and get some apple fries they are so good and a rare treat!

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859 Coast Blvd
La Jolla, California


reviewed on: June 06 2010

"No Kids swim here anymore"
This LaJolla hot spot has been taken over by the seals, kids are no longer allowed to swim here. The seals are protected and so is this spot so it is not exactly what the name makes it out to be but....there is a great pier/jetty here to walk out on an see the seals and nearby there are some great shopping and food.

I just wanted to warn you all the name on this attraction can be deceiving but a great stop nonetheless.

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2300 Expedition Way
La Jolla, California


reviewed on: June 08 2010

"Amazing!"
Now you may feel detered to go to this aquarium with SeaWorld being so close but this is a must see! I use to love going here when I was a kid and now I enjoy taking my daughter there as well. One memory I have of this location is they had Shark eggs on display in one aquarium, they had it back lit and you could see the small baby sharks moving around inside of their egg, now that is not something they would share in SeaWorld :)They have several hands on activities for the kids to help them expend some energy as well. Lastly, I have to mention you cannot beat the amazing view from the back patio of the aquarium, it is in true La Jolla fashion!

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12500 North Torrey Pines Road
San Diego, California


reviewed on: May 27 2010

"Beautiful!"
I work near by this beach and often find it hard to pass by. I bring my daughter here to look at shells and play in the sand. There is not much free parking close by but if you take a short walk they do have tons of parking with a covered walk way that accesses the beach. You can also hike though this area. I have gone alone but never with my daughter, if you have the appropriate gear I think it would be a great hike!

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4002 Wallace St.
San Diego, California


reviewed on: June 02 2010

"Fun and Educational"
This is a true gem in San Diego, I remember coming here with my elementry school and acting out the parts of the families that orginally settled this part of San Diego. There is so much history here and it is really interesting to take a guided tour through here.

If you want to explore on your own there is plenty to do. There is an origanl dentist office with all the tools, one of the first post offices, a great candy shop, and wonderful food. You can not go wrong with spending the day in Old Town. Whenever my relatives come into town this is one of the first places they want to go!

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Sea World Drive
San Diego, California


reviewed on: May 28 2010

"A Great Day!"
SeaWorld can provide you with a multitude of things to do in a day, but be aware bringing you own food can save a fortune! This place is very pricey, but that may go without saysing as most places like this are. I highly recommend the shows - especially the clyde and Seamore show. This show is fun for the kids and you would even get a kick out of it.

The shark exhibit is one of the best I ahve ever seen.When I was dating my husband we use to go there every week and check out the sharks, we could spend hours in there trying to get the perfect picture.

The waterpark is so fun and the kids can really get the energy out! For the bigger kids there a several rides and this helps make SeaWorld more than an Aquarium but an Adventure park.

Around the holidays they host a " Not so Scary" halloween party. There are lots for the kids to do during the event and it is just something extra special!

Update: we attended the winter event here and my two year old loved it. There was snow and special holiday shows to watch we had a great time! The BBQ Restaurant had a good food special and the entire family ate from one plate of food, it was perfect.