San Diego, Lego and Disney - need help!

Agree with everyone on picking either the zoo or Safari Park, and definitely not trying to do both in one day. The Safari Park is my kids' favorite. Also on the Tuesday plan, you will need to leave super early (5am at latest) or late (after 9) or the traffic will be horrible. Even leaving at 6:30 you'll end up in horrible traffic in Orange County. That makes for a long day if you're going to do Knotts and then check in at DLH. That said I love Knott's and recommend it; I preferred it to DL as a kid and we still go every year because it's affordable and so much less crowded on good days like a Tuesday in October. It might be easier to leave a little later and enjoy the 2 hour drive up the coast, as Knott's doesn't usually open until later and if you leave early you'll have hours to kill. Your La Jolla plan sounds great. I've never been to that hotel but it's walking distance to a lot of great restaurants. Brockton Villa is one of my favorites, especially for brunch.
 
Pacific Surfliner
If you are staying in Anaheim, there is a station right next to Angels Stadium. It's a really pretty ride but will take longer than driving and you won't have a car at the other end. If you are travelling solo though I would think it would be very cost competitive with renting a car.

Turns out it is cheaper than renting a car, including the estimated Lyft costs to get to and from the train station at both ends. Also, the ride down is shorter than what Google Maps estimates the drive to take due to traffic!

Are the ARTIC and San Diego downtown stations safe? The trains I'd probably take leave ARTIC before 7a and get back around 11p. I'd be leaving SD between 8 and 9p. The safety concerns are my only hesitation to this plan.

Sorry, OP! I probably should have started my own thread at this point!
 
If you love zoos the SD Zoo is a must IMHO. The drive is totally doable. Yes, it's 2 hours each way but it's a beautiful drive. You can also take the train and Uber up to Balboa Park - it's very close to DT San Diego and the train station is right along the waterfront there.

You mention a beautiful drive, is it along the coast by any chance?

Sorry, OP! I probably should have started my own thread at this point!
No worries! We are all learning good things together!
 
You mention a beautiful drive, is it along the coast by any chance?


No worries! We are all learning good things together!

About half of the drive is in view of the ocean, yes. Between San Clemente and San Diego, you can frequently see water from the freeway. But there are also mountains and hillsides to see. It is a nice drive.
 


Are the ARTIC and San Diego downtown stations safe? The trains I'd probably take leave ARTIC before 7a and get back around 11p. I'd be leaving SD between 8 and 9p. The safety concerns are my only hesitation to this plan.

The stations are pretty safe. During your travel times there should be plenty of people around, either commuters or people traveling for the weekend. The SD station is always busy because the trolleys (local transit trains) come through there too. There are usually transients around (as with everywhere downtown) but there are transit police there too. I've been to both of those stations many times, with and without my husband/family, and never felt unsafe.
 
You mention a beautiful drive, is it along the coast by any chance?


No worries! We are all learning good things together!

We have done the drive from DL to SD a few times the last two summers. This past summer traffic was very heavy on I-5 and since were were not in a total rush we exited in Oceanside and drove along the coast through some towns and by some beaches and got back on in Del Mar. It was about a 20 mile drive and was nice to see stuff other then the highway. We would have kept going along the coast through Torrey Pines as we were headed to LaJolla but DD was hungry and we had to find a place to eat that was right next to I-5 so it was easier to hop back on.
 
After looking more into San Diego, I think I'm going to have to make a dedicated trip there!

I can visit the zoo, Safari Park, Balboa Park & the museums there, the beach, etc.... Then I can take the train up the coast. I could even fly into San Diego and out of LA or SF.

Trying to squeeze a day is just going to make things feel rushed and exhausted. I think I'll keep my Disneyland trip simple and skip SD for now, since I have already worked to make my summer trip to Florida rather complicated.

Thanks for all the advice - I'll still be using it, just maybe next year!
 


After looking more into San Diego, I think I'm going to have to make a dedicated trip there!

I can visit the zoo, Safari Park, Balboa Park & the museums there, the beach, etc.... Then I can take the train up the coast. I could even fly into San Diego and out of LA or SF.

Trying to squeeze a day is just going to make things feel rushed and exhausted. I think I'll keep my Disneyland trip simple and skip SD for now, since I have already worked to make my summer trip to Florida rather complicated.

Thanks for all the advice - I'll still be using it, just maybe next year!

That's a good plan. It really is quite a distance to travel for just one day. Not worth it, IMO.
 
In case these haven't already been recommended, I would recommend two other attractions (one large, one small). The Cabrillo National Monument was a very cool national monument out on a rocky outcropping up north of town. It's a bit of a drive, but it has old WWII bunkers, tide pools, whale watching and some nice short hikes. We took my 7 and 5 year old boys and they enjoyed it.

The second is a Saturday morning fish market just west of the USS Midway. They have a few fishing boats that pull up to the dock and sell fish right to customers. There is always a couple of stands making fresh fish tacos from the catch of the day, which is a really neat experience. I think it opens around 7 in the morning.
 
If you have Disney+, you should have access to San Diego secrets of the zoo. It’s a great series to watch prior to visiting!
 
For several years we did vacations with 4 nights at DLR and 4 nights in the San Diego area. The Safari Park and Zoo are both fantastic. We like the Safari Park better. I would say it is an all day park. It is large and spread out and a bit of a drive. We really enjoy the zoo too though. La Jolla is a fun place to explore and it is fun to see the seals. Coronado Island and beach are also great places to explore. Unless your kids are really into Legos, I think your gut is right that they may be too old for it. It was a one and done place for us. DD never wanted to go back and DH, who loves Disney, thought it was boring and geared toward little kids and not adults. We typically stay in the Carlsbad area too because we have friends there- and even though that is near Legoland- she has never wanted to go back. She would rather drive down towards San Diego. As far as beaches, there are a ton of nice beaches and beach towns all up and down the coast in that area.
 

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