This summer, I had some business to tend to in San Diego. I met with my mastermind headed by Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income and spoke at the third annual Boss Mom Retreat about publicity.

When I told friends and family I was headed to San Diego, they all raved about the city, so, I invited my family to come along.

I knew we would have lots to do on the Pacific Coast, but holy smokes! I honestly didn’t realize there was so much to do! Because I’m confident we hit up the very best spots in the city, I’d like to act as your tour guide via Christina All Day and take you to my favorite San Diego points of interest.

Top 8 San Diego Points of Interest

Old Town Trolley Tours

No matter what city I go to, if they have Old Town Trolley Tours, I’m hopping on it! This is the best way to see everything the city has to offer. You can hop on and hop off all day, or for days at a time.

Some of these stops I will get to in the rest of this blog post, but wanted to start with the trolley because it’s the perfect way to get to and from everything. Click here to check out the map.

The Seals in La Jolla

The kids loved visited La Jolla to see the seals. In Florida, we don’t have seals that hang out on the beach. They got a kick out of watching them walk around, “talk” to each other, and swim.

The beach also made for some great shelling… and the kids even saw an octopus!

In La Jolla, my kids even stopped by the Birch Aquarium and had a blast!

Balboa Park

This park is HUGE! You could spend an entire day (and more) here. There are so many cool attractions, museums, stores, restaurants, gardens, and more.

We went to the Model Railroad Museum. My grandpa has a big model railroad in his basement and he would’ve loved this. The little people, cities, and trains were never-ending. The attention to detail on everything was very cool to see.

Just walking around Balboa Park is great because there is so much to see. If you want to have a photo shoot, this is the spot for it!

San Diego Zoo

While you’re in Balboa Park, you might as well swing by the zoo. It’s one of the most well-known zoos in the country, so you can’t miss it. I couldn’t make the family trip to the zoo, but my husband and kids loved it because they could get up close to the animals. My daughter even took a ride on the Skyfari Aerial Tram.

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

I enjoyed this place much more than I expected to. It has the most unique stores and shops you can’t find anywhere else, like Toby’s Candle & Soap Shop. At Toby’s Candle & Soap Shop, you can make your own candles (like my daughter did) and select from a variety of one of a kind candles and soaps.

We also sat down for dinner at a Mexican restaurant here and it was SO GOOD!

I wanted to go back before we left, but didn’t get a chance to. (Next time!)

Coronado

This island reminded me a little bit of Palm Beach. It’s full of beautiful homes, adorable shops, cute restaurants, and more. It’s also home to the iconic Hotel del Coronado. When we hopped off the trolley, we walked around the beach and strolled around the beautiful hotel.

Mission Bay

My favorite part of Mission Bay was Belmont Park. This place reminded me of an old-fashioned carnival with all the fun rides and games. There is also shopping and lots to eat too!

Seaport Village

There is so much here… where do I begin? Not only does the trolley stop here, but it’s downtown, so if you’re staying at one of the amazing hotels in the area, it’s an easy walk.

Here you can hop on the USS Midway Museum, which we did.

You can also get on the Hornblower and see San Diego from the water, which we did too!

While you’re in this area, please do something I meant to do, but never did. Hop on one of those scooters you see everyone riding around the city. They look so fun.

I didn’t make it to Little Italy, which I was so disappointed about because I LOVE pizza. Some places you can’t miss when it comes to food are the Donut Bar and Extraordinary Desserts.

I will be back in March, so can’t wait to do it all (and more) again!

In October, little explorers can enjoy Kids Free San Diego. Your little ones will be treated to free admission at attractions, complimentary meals, and tons of other great perks throughout the city – and trust me, there are a lot! For more on the more than 100 partner offers, click here.