Activities for your Vacation in Southern California

Take your family below the surface, above the waves and beyond your expectations at Sea World San Diego. Where you can touch and feed dolphins, count the teeth on a shark and get up-close and inside of R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse 4-D. Meet Shamu, the regal prince of the deep, and don't miss the mind-blowing spectacle of Summer Nights. Ride a mythical rush through uncharted waters on the Journey To Atlantis water coaster. Plus sea lions Clyde and Seamore star in a hilarious new show that gets them into deep trouble and will entertain you with surprises. Exciting adventures, amazing animals and wondrous shows - your trip to Sea World will create many lasting memories for the whole family. www.seaworld.com

Visit the stars of the world-famous Panda Cam. You'll enjoy the winding, elevated viewing paths that give great panda-watching opportunities.. You can enjoy a journey through a tropical rain forest. See monkeys, exotic pigs, colorful birds, and more from the canopy or forest floor...The Arctic tundra comes south to San Diego, with Siberian reindeer, Pallas' cats, and native plants, along with polar bears you can watch underwater or on Polar Cam!... Enter a remarkable simulation of an African rain forest. See gorillas, bonobos, and a free-flight aviary all around our multi-level treehouse complex. www.sandiegozoo.org 

Covering 1,800 acres, the San Diego Wild Animal Park / Zoo Safari Park gives animals room to roam. Animals mingle just like they do in the wild, and visitors can see them as they might be seen in their native Asia and Africa. As if that weren't enough, the San Diego Wild Animal Park is also a veritable Noah's Ark. In its nearly 30-year history, hundreds of endangered species babies have been born in the park, and dozens of nearly-extinct species have been re-introduced into the wild. In fact, every Arabian oryx now in the the wild is descended from the stock at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/index.html

Do you fancy photography, folk art or fossils? Are you crazy about cars, trains and planes? Or mad about Old Masters and maybe mummies? Silly for science or batty for baseball? Or do you just get a kick out of critters like koalas and kangaroos? You can explore all these wonders and more in beautiful Balboa Park, the largest cultural complex west of the Mississippi. www.balboapark.org

Lego Land California puts the rides into your child's very own hands. The Volvo Driving School lets your kids drive on real streets and earn their very own driver's license. Then there's Sky Patrol, where kids pilot their own helicopter. And on the exciting Kid Power Towers, kids pull themselves up to a 30-foot summit and then free fall. But there's plenty more. Lego Land has over 50 rides, shows and attractions, including Dino Island and Fun Town Fire Academy. At LegoLand, there's so much your kids can wrap their hands and their imaginations around. www.lego.com

Located on a coastal bluff overlooking La Jolla Shores beach and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Birch Aquarium at Scripps is renowned for its ocean views, both inside and out. Visitors from around the world marvel at the dazzling marine life exhibits, from sharks to seahorses to corals. Make a visit to Birch Aquarium at Scripps soon and enjoy San Diego's "best ocean views." www.aquarium.ucsd.edu

The San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau operates two Visitor Information Centers conveniently located in downtown San Diego and in the Village of La Jolla. Their professional, multilingual, highly trained staff and volunteers will help you get the most from your visit to the San Diego region. They have a complete collection of current information on a wide variety of activities, attractions and dining options. Be sure to stop by one of their Visitor Information Centers and pick up brochures, maps, a San Diego Pocket Guide, a Golf Guide or a FREE Vacation Planning Kit, which offers hundreds of dollars worth of savings on your trip. www.sandiego.org

Welcome to La Jolla. SInce the 1880's, La Jolla has been a favorite vacation destination. Boasting Southern California's most beautiful and majestic coastline and the finest weather in the world La Jolla offers a varied selection of shopping, dining, services and attractions.In a city best known for its natural beauty, San Diego's true brilliance radiates from its thriving cultural center. The sun shines a spotlight on world-class opera, eclectic museums, Tony Award winning theaters, and a dynamic assortment of performances that make San Diego a leading destination for artistic and cultural discovery. www.lajollabythesea.com

Visit our local restaurants guide - which features restaurant reviews, menus and coupons. On this comprehensive guide you will find restaurants by cuisine, community, category, & specialty. You will also find information about community events, entertainment, nightclubs and much more... http://www.where2eat.com/

The Gaslamp Quarter is Southern California's premier dining, shopping and entertainment district, where you'll find a truly eclectic blend of food, fun and culture -- all within one of San Diego's most historic areas. Stroll past the Gaslamp's, charming Victorian-style commercial buildings constructed between 1873 and 1930. www.gaslamp.org