Head To San Diego On Your Next Vacation

San Diego, located in Southern California, is a favorite destination for me and my family. Named after Saint Didacus, San Diego is the 2nd largest city in California and a place rich in culture and history . If San Diego is not on your travel list at the moment, I suggest adding it whether you are traveling as a couple or as a family. My recommendation list is much too large for one article so I'll just mention a few of my favorites .

My first suggestion is one that you have seen on the Tonight Show for so many years, but you might overlook it. The San Diego Zoo is one of the Top 5 Zoos in the entire world. I have to admit, it is very impressive to see in person and well worth the visit . The kids loved it. Be prepared as it can be a long day and can be exhaustive because there really is sooo much to see. Some of the highlights include monkeys, those "famous" pandas, water buffalo, tigers, crocs and alligators and lots of snakes. And the kids loved the sea lion show . I have never seen such a wide diversity of animals on exhibition .

Since it is such a major destination, I will pass along a couple of helpful hints like that the refreshments at the park are expensive (like any amusement park). I recommend bringing a "sippie cup" (or any cup with a lid) because the cups they give you don't have a lid and the kids spill it all over themselves. This also allows you to split up a $6 drink rather than buy 2 or 3 of them (1 for each kid). And thankfully there are healthy snack choices in the park and the prices are good. I think we paid $1 for an apple or orange etc. That allowed us to mitigate the number of sugar crashes the kids would have at the tail end of the day.

Balboa Park & the Museums . Surprisingly enough, this is not well known or trafficked by tourists. There are over a dozen great museums here and many beautiful gardens. I suggest getting there on a Tuesday and get free admission. Here are 3 examples of the museums: Natural History, Railroad, and Aeronautical. These are high quality museums and well worth the price . The Gardens include a Japanese garden and desert garden. After several trips now, we've been fortunate enough to have seen them all . The kids don't get as excited as the adults do so keep that in mind . I suggest you save yourself some time and aggravation by taking the San Diego trolley. It's also a neat excursion for the kids . Ours got a real kick out of being on the trolley which made it easier. It drops you off right there in Balboa Park. It's also good to see other sites on the way and the layout of the city.

Head out to Old Town as well . Looking around and hearing the music in the streets in Old Town feels like you are in the heart of Mexico . The architecture, the music, and the delicious Mexican food and margaritas (and you can drink the water with no worries of Montezuma's Revenge). Some people recommend Tijuana but I would not. It's close by and you can experience Mexico but it's just not safe. In Old Town, the food is great and the atmosphere feels like you left the country. Everyone will enjoy the food, the dress, and the music.

Whether you go as a couple or a family, San Diego is a crowd pleaser. It has so much to offer from great weather, beautiful scenic backdrop and a rich culture combination of California and Mexico. For timeshare owners, whether you use IntervalInternational.com, RCI.com, or another company to get there, San Diego should be on your list of destinations in the coming year.

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