A Long Weekend in San Diego: Fun, Fun!

Recently, we had the chance to spend a long weekend in San Diego. Matt’s mom stays out there each winter and invited us to stay with her. Matt’s dad also flew in for the weekend, and his brother drove down from Los Angeles.

We found great tickets flying out of Austin around 5pm on Friday after school/work. The price was so great that one of Tate’s classmate and her family were also on the same flight for a long-weekend getaway.

We arrived Friday around 8pm San Diego time, ate some dinner, and went to bed.

Day One

The next day, we headed straight to the beach. We could reach Coronado Beach with about a 10 minute walk. That afternoon was more beach time. Saturday night, we went out to dinner with everyone.

Day 2

Sunday morning, Matt’s family took the boys out for breakfast. Matt and I strolled into town for chai tea lattes by ourselves. We sat in the sun on a curb in the bank parking lot and just caught up with each other. It was definitely a memorable moment.

Later in the morning, we went on an adventure with just the four of us. We really wanted to head back to the Safari Park, but the cost was so prohibitive. We also wanted to head back to this aquarium, but it was also way over our budget.

So instead we opted for free things at Balboa Park. We parked near the Veteran’s Museum.

First, we walked around the fountains and arches across the street. Next, we jumped on the free tram and took it to the main courtyard area. Then we sat down for a 20 or 30-minute magic show from a street artist. It was a beautiful spot and a fun, unexpected adventure.

That afternoon, we went back to the beach. No surprise! That evening we grilled out at home with friends.

Day Three

On Monday morning, it was back to the beach. The boys were so into boogie boarding. They also loved climbing on the rocks and setting up “houses” with towels, running through the dunes, and digging in the sand.

Our “vacation formula” still holds true: Our family does best with only about a 3-hour adventure, ample time to chill out in front of screens (~2 hours), and then time for open-ended play around the house or somewhere nearby like a beach.

As an INTJ, I like to have a plan. I don’t need to have the whole vacation planned out ahead of time, but I do like to know the plan for at least the next day. And if we want to change the plan the day of (which is fine!), I just need to update the flow for the whole day.

I’m taking notes for our Family Gap Year idea! What a fun long weekend in San Diego.

A Few of My Other Favorite Trips

• Australia
• Upstate New York
• Stinson Beach