A sampling of San Diego’s offerings for families follows.

San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo is one of the most famous visitor attractions. This 100-acre tropical garden zoo has 3,900 animals of 800 species and is noted for its many rare and exotic species exhibited—like the giant pandas and their baby cub currently on loan from China—as well as its lush botanical collection. In addition to bioclimatic exhibits like the Ituri Forest, Rain Forest Aviary, Polar Bear Plunge, Hippo Beach, Gorilla Tropics, Sun Bear Forest and Tiger River, the San Diego Zoo features a three-mile guided bus tour, a children’s petting zoo and baby animal nursery.

San Diego Wild Animal Park
Located 30 miles north of downtown, the San Diego Wild Animal Park is a 2,200-acre preserve where wild animals roam free over vast expanses as they would in their native habitats of Africa and Asia. Visitors can best see the park’s 3,000 animals by taking the guide-narrated monorail tour after seeing the sights at Nairobi Village. The 1ï-mile Kilimanjaro Hiking Trail takes visitors through a variety of lush botanical gardens and past the homes of gorillas, elephants, cheetahs, lions and many other species.
At the park’s newest exhibit, Condor Ridge, guests can meander along mountain trails and view many of North America’s most critically endangered species, including California condors, thick-billed parrots, black-footed ferrets, burrowing owls, Harris hawks and desert big horn sheep.

SeaWorld San Diego
Located on Mission Bay, this 150-acre park features five major shows and dozens of exhibits containing marine life from around the globe, including Wild Arctic, Penguin Encounter, Shark Encounter, and Manatee Rescue. SeaWorld San Diego’s newest attraction, ‘‘Pirates 4-D,’’ is a humorous tale of a hapless crew and its wacky captain; the film stars actors Leslie Nielsen and Eric Idle. More than a movie, ‘‘Pirates 4-D’’ introduces a fourth dimension to the traditional cinematic experience, using special effects to produce sprays of water, blasts of air and other wild surprises.
SeaWorld San Diego’s newest show, Cirque de la Mer opens in May. Cirque de la Mer takes guests on a journey to the island of Amphibia, where a variety of colorful Amphibians, a breathtaking combination of humans and sea creatures, possess super-human abilities, which they demonstrate in whimsical acrobatic-like acts. In other areas of the park, visitors can pet dolphins, touch and feed bat rays, pick up starfish for closer inspection, view the largest waterfowl collection in the U.S., ride on Shipwreck Rapids or see a panorama of San Diego from the Skytower or Mission Bay Skyride.

Legoland California
Legoland California, a 128-acre theme park for kids, opened in March 1999. The only family park of its kind in North America, Legoland California is a place for children of all ages to discover, explore, practice and enjoy. By stimulating creativity and imagination through hands-on recreation, Legoland California carries on the tradition of taking children’s play seriously. Six distinctive play areas are featured in the park: Imagination Zone, Castle Hill, Fun Town, Village Green, Miniland and The Ridge. Each area has attractions, rides, opportunities to build, areas to explore and more than 1,000 Lego models fabricated from 30 million Lego elements. Legoland California is located in the seaside community of Carlsbad, about 30 minutes north of downtown San Diego.

Balboa Park
In the heart of San Diego is Balboa Park. Within its 1,200 lush acres are 15 museums, art galleries, performers, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, the Simon Edison Centre for the Performing Arts (Old Globe Theatre, Cassius Carter Centre Stage and the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre), Starlight Bowl, sports facilities, the San Diego Zoo, the historic Spreckels Organ Pavilion and plenty of green grass and trees. The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center has more than 50 hands-on exhibits where children and parents can explore the principles of science.
The Balboa Park Tram provides convenient access to the park, originating at the Inspiration Point Parking Lot with 11 intermediate stops through the central core of the park. The free tram operates from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily during the fall and winter months, and from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the spring and summer months. Everyday, the 100-bell carillon chimes each quarter hour from the California Tower, a city landmark.

The sophisticated side of San Diego is readily apparent in the wide variety of cultural activities offered throughout San Diego County. San Diego has nationally known performers and exhibits, as well as experimental art and community theater. San Diego’s rich interest in the arts is showcased in some 90 museums, historic sites and monuments. San Diego also offers concerts, opera, dance and visual arts in the area’s many museums and arts venues.
For half-price day of performance and full price advance sale tickets to theater, music and dance events, call TIMES ARTS TIX at (619) 497-5000 or visit the ticket booth at Horton Plaza.

Mission Bay
This 4,600-acre aquatic playground is the largest facility of its kind in the world devoted to boating, fishing, skiing, swimming, board sailing and public recreation. For swimmers and sunbathers, there are 27 miles of sun-bleached beaches with six designated swimming areas. There is an abundance of grassy recreation and picnic areas. Bicycling and jogging are popular on the paths winding around this aquatic park.

San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay bustles with activity. It serves as the home port for navy ships, a large sportfishing fleet, thousands of pleasure craft and an increasing number of commercial and cruise ships. One of the best ways to see the harbor activity is from the water. Close-up views are provided daily by scheduled tours on San Diego Harbor Excursions or Hornblower Cruises and Events. Next to the Broadway pier is the Maritime Museum, which includes a stately century-old windjammer, the Star of India; the steam ferry, Berkeley; and the 1904 steam yacht, Medea. The San Diego-Coronado Bay Ferry carries pedestrians and bicycles hourly on a 15-minute trip across the bay to the Ferry Landing Marketplace, Coronado’s specialty shopping and dining center.

Cabrillo National Monument
Commemorating the arrival of Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo (sailing for Spain) on the coast of California in 1542, Cabrillo National Monument and the Old Point Loma Lighthouse provide a panoramic view of San Diego’s harbor and coastline as well as a good vantage point for observing the California gray whale during migration season.

Seaport Village
This waterfront dining and shopping complex, recreates a California harbor setting of a century ago. Located on 14 acres along the Embarcadero, Seaport Village is composed of 60 theme shops, four bay-front restaurants and 13 theme cafes. Children can ride an antique carousel, while adults can discover a diversity of one-of-a-kind specialty stores.

Gaslamp Quarter
Gaslamp Quarter, a historic downtown district, recreates the spirit of Victorian times through the restoration of old buildings that now feature antiques, crafts, arts, restaurants, shops, offices and business establishments, all in the authentic tradition of that era. Walking tours offer historical perspective and an updated look at the dynamic new developments in the Gaslamp Quarter. The Children’s Museum/Museo de los Ninos of San Diego resides in downtown San Diego; the interactive museum is geared for families with children ages 2 to 12.

Old Town
The first European settlement in California, Old Town is where San Diego began. Old adobes and other historic structures blend with fine restaurants, shopping complexes and shops to capture Old Town’s rich heritage, while creating a popular attraction for visitors. Just up the hill from Old Town is Presidio Park and the Serra Museum.

San Diego Missions
San Diego’s Spanish heritage is preserved in its missions. Padre Junipero Serra’s first mission in California, Mission San Diego de Alcala, still holds services daily in the original mission chapel. Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside, the largest and richest of all 21 California missions, is often called ‘‘King of the Missions.’’ Two other missions—Mission San Antonia de Pala, near Mt. Palomar and Mission Santa Ysabel, near Julian—still serve as places of worship for nearby Indians.