mcfam's Passport
 | Been to 474 Attractions |
 | 388 Reviews |
 | 230 First to Review |
 | 1293 Photos |
 | 206 Helpful Votes |
Compliments
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Send a Message 
Send a ComplimentAbout Me & My Family
My husband and I have 4 kids... 3 boys and then our girl. We homeschool them all and travel when possible. We just started letterboxing and are finding ourselves a little obsessed with it.
Our Family's Travel Personality
adventurous, curious, structured, relaxed, simple, independent, spontaneous, easy_going
We Just Got Back From
Zion and Bryce National Parks
Our Favorite Vacation Spot
Camping in Kings Canyon or Yosemite
A Place We'd Love To Visit
The Redwoods in Northern California
Favorite Vacation Memory
Walking the meadows of Yosemite with my family. The quiet, the sparkling water, the rustling grasses, and a dip in the river made for an amazing day.
Worst Travel Moment With My Kids:
Anytime throw up is involved. Especially when one kid triggers another. And when we are in the car. And when they choose to use the box that is holding all their library books and toys.
Websites I Like:
Rainy Day Activities for families in San Diego
Looking for some fun indoor activities on a rainy day? Here's some great ideas where you can stay dry.
6737 University Avenue
San Diego, California
Comment:
Public ice skating sessions held during the week and weekends. Check website for details.
4545 La Jolla Village Drive
San Diego, California
Comment:
Open skating sessions offered most days of the week. Check website for hours and prices.
11048 Ice Skate Place
San Diego, California
Comment:
Public skating program offered weekly. Check website for details.
700 Prospect Street
La Jolla, California
Comment:
Because students 25 and under are free, visiting this Art Museum may be a great outing with kids who are interested.
2300 Expedition Way
La Jolla, California
Comment:
Open daily from 9 am - 5 pm for children and adults to explore the vast world of the ocean.
1875 El Prado
San Diego, California
Comment:
A hands-on science center that will delight children and keep them interested. In Balboa Park.
1649 El Prado
San Diego, California
Comment:
View model railroads with a grand replica of the Tehachapi Loop. Thomas trains are also represented. In Balboa Park.
reviewed on: June 08 2010
"Short line"
This was a good short stop for our family with 2 little boys (4,6). They enjoyed seeing the trains, but after a short time, it became a bit boring to them. Most of them weren't moving so there wasn't much excitement. There was a Thomas train track room which captured their attention, but since we can visit that anywhere (like our own room) I didn't want them to stay there long.My husband and I were fascinated with the details on the tracks and the little train cars.
2130 Pan American Place
(in Balboa Park) San Diego, California
Comment:
An indoor theater in Balboa Park which presents kid friendly shows. Check website for details.
2001 Pan American Plaza
San Diego, California
Comment:
Located in Balboa Park.
5232 Riley Street
San Diego, California
Comment:
An indoor batting center with pitching machines open Noon-9pm on weekdays, and 9am-6pm weekends.
10440 Black Mountain Road
San Diego, California
Comment:
Recreational swim times available. Check website for details. Children's pool will open in April of 2012.
9370 Waples Street Suite 102
San Diego, California
Comment:
Need to get some energy out? Come to the place where kids can jump all over the place.
6060 Avenida Encinas
Carlsbad, California
Comment:
Multilevel indoor play areas with comfortable lounge for parents.
858 Jackman Street
El Cajon, California
Comment:
A premiere indoor playground for children 6 and younger.
12760 Danielson Ct Suite F
Poway, California
Comment:
Designed after a city, this indoor play area for children delights the imagination.
5066 Santa Fe Street
San Diego, California
Comment:
A highly creative indoor place for kids to play.
4313 La Jolla Village Drive Suite K-1
San Diego, California
Comment:
A positively fun indoor fitness play area for kids.
12760 Danielson Court, Suite J
Poway, California
Comment:
Time to jump and slide and get the wiggles out of your kids? Come here for pop in play times.
445 Ryan Dr. Suite 103
San Marcos, California
Comment:
A great place to jump and slide and let your kids burn off some steam.
6212 Corte Del Abeto
Carlsbad, California
Comment:
Go karts are ready to be ridden and raced in this indoor track. Parties and open times available. No mixed jr. and adult races. Height requirements: Adult karts: 4ft 10in (58?), Jr. Racers: minimum 4' tall.
11655 Riverside Drive, Suite 155-157
Lakeside, California
Comment:
A fun "British style" indoor play area.
12636 Poway Road Suite 4
Poway, California
Comment:
One of the largest indoor play structures in San Diego.
11501 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 150
San Diego, California
Comment:
An indoor learning playground.
200 West Island Avenue
San Diego, California
Comment:
Children will enjoy the hands on learning at this museum designed for them.
380 N Escondido Blvd
Escondido, California
Comment:
Fun learning with fun interaction.
272 East Via Rancho Parkway
Escondido, California
Comment:
With family parking spots, a play area, family lounge, and family dining, the North County Mall is a great indoor place to enjoy time with kids.
1 Legoland Dr.
Carlsbad, California
Comment:
This aquarium located next to LEGOLAND is a great place to spend a couple hours with your kids. Eat lunch upstairs in the cafe and be sure to use the restrooms before starting your journey through the aquarium.
reviewed on: December 05 2011
"Creatively designed"
We visited the Sea Life Aquarium on a Saturday morning in December and went when it opened at 9 am. LegoLand wasn't open until 10 and so visiting the Aquarium was the perfect start for our day. Our older boys were reluctant to visit the Aquarium because they were so eager to get to LegoLand but they ended up enjoying their visit.Things we especially liked:
* A great start to the Aquarium with an introduction video and the semi-large first room with a fort to climb onto that overlooked the freshwater tanks and a slide for little kids.
* A 10 question quiz throughout the Aquarium that kept my older boys (11 and 9) engaged in the exhibits and information. Pick up a scratch off card at the entrance and find the quiz questions posted on walls in various places. I had to encourage my boys not to guess at the answer... the answer was located creatively on the question display or nearby. Turning in the card at the gift shop gave them a little treat... this time it was a tattoo.
* Various sizes of tanks and displays. I was impressed with the overhead tanks, the bubbles for kids to stick their heads into and the large manta ray tank. Many tanks were at eye level for my 3 year old and would've been seen even from a stroller.
* Built in steps for little ones to see into tanks.
* The exhibits appealed to all of my kids, ages 3 to 11. It's a good sign to me that things are done well when they all are interested!
* 2 touch tanks
* A wide variety of beautiful fish, octopus, sea horses and countless other species. I was impressed with the variety and the beauty of the sea life!
Things we didn't like:
* No convenient bathrooms during the visit.
* Exiting through the gift shop. Felt like a money trap.
* The narrow aisles through some parts of the Aquarium. On one or two spots, the walkway is only wide enough for 1 double wide stroller.
* The "Search for Atlantis" video in the middle of the Aquarium in the Theater. It was like watching a Lego show and really had nothing to do with the Aquarium or anything educational on the fish and species we were seeing. Our kids were sucked into the show and we had to "pull" them out.
* The convex viewing bubbles are optical illusions and are easy to bump your head on. The bubble sticks out toward the viewer to create a wider view, but it is nearly impossible to see them until you are up close. Despite the signs, and even knowing they were there, my husband bumped his head on one as he went in for a closer look. A little girl visiting with her parents bumped her head hard enough that she cried very hard. So be careful!
We finished our visit to the Aquarium in little over an hour. Because of it's connection to LegoLand, it would be hard to convince my boys to spend much time there in the future. As a "stand alone" Aquarium, it is excellent and well designed (despite the placement of bathrooms and small halls) and would be great for a day trip visit. I would just have to find a way to make it ok to visit without going to LegoLand.
I received complimentary tickets to this Aquarium in order to complete this review. All opinions expressed are my own and the business owner did not state any requirements for a particular point of view.
5790 Armada Drive
Carlsbad, California
Comment:
Spend a couple of hours exploring the history of music and see tons of instruments. Hands on instruments to play will delight children.
reviewed on: December 04 2011
"Hands on instruments"
We spent an hour or so exploring the decades of American innovation in musical instruments. The self guided tour takes you through displays of an amazing collection of historic, rare, beautiful, and contemporary musical instruments. Our older boys, ages 11 and 9 were enthralled with the sample instrument in each room that they were allowed to play. I was amazed to see a real mandolin in the first room ready to be played! The instruments (even the hands on ones) were in excellent condition and not overused or worn out. The boys liked reading some of the displays and learning about the different instruments. My 3 and 5 year olds loved pushing the buttons on each display board that gave sample selections from that musical decade (or double decade). In the more recent decades, there were even video clips of musical groups. My husband and I had flashbacks of our high school years watching Van Halen and Bruce Springsteen.
The Innovation Station at the end of the tour was the highlight for all of us. A keyboard, Moog synthesizer, electric drum set, electric guitars, banjoes, steel drum synthesizer, Beams, a small harp and more, all with their own headsets to not overwhelm the ears of listeners, were ready to be discovered. We all played, experimented, and even took a video lesson on how to play those instruments.
The only reason I give this 4 stars out of 5 was the struggle of taking our 3 and 5 year old through the exhibits along with our 9 and 11 year old. The younger ones wanted to climb onto platforms with the displays and push buttons randomly and as fast as possible. It took a lot of parental work to keep them waiting for their older brothers and not damaging something in the process.
I highly recommend this museum for older kids (6 and up) to discover and enjoy musical instruments and the styles of music through the decades.
I received complimentary tickets to this museum in order to complete this review. All opinions expressed are my own and the business owner did not state any requirements for a particular point of view.
