When most people think about San Diego what comes to mind right away? The Zoo, SeaWorld, sandy beaches… But San Diego is so much more than that! If you like discovering hidden gems and stay off the beaten path then this travel itinerary is for you.
In this article I will be covering the best San Diego hidden gems chosen by my kids. Yes, this time around I allowed my kids to pick and choose what they wanted to see and do in San Diego and their list veered far away from the top attractions, which are, coincidentally, the most crowded and expensive sites in town.
I was extremely happy with their selection: we were going to see true hidden gems in San Diego AND also save money – what’s not to like?!
All attractions in our list of San Diego hidden gems are located either in the vicinity of the city or a short drive away, except for one. But that one is such a diamond that it is definitely worth a drive. Read till the end to find out WHY 🙂
At the end of this article you can find a suggested day by day itinerary which makes it easy to plan your trip and “bunch” these off the beaten path attractions together because some of them are located close to one another.
If you want to learn more about other things to do in San Diego, check out my earlier detailed travel guide: San Diego On Foot.
San Diego Hidden Gems
San Diego Hidden Gems: #1 San Diego Botanical Garden
When people come to San Diego they most often end up exploring the botanical features of the famous Balboa Park.
San Diego Botanical Garden on the other hand is located North of San Diego in Encinitas. It is charmingly beautiful and refreshingly uncrowded. But most importantly, it has a variety of play features for kids: a fun musical area, a huge tree house, a mountain stream to play in, a working model rail road and so much more!
Needless to say, this botanical garden has a ton of beautiful plants from various exotic parts of the world. My personal favorite botanical feature in this San Diego hidden gem is dancing topiaries in the Mexico part of the garden – definitely check them out!
San Diego Hidden Gems: #2 Carlsbad Flower Fields
If you are visiting the area in March, April or early May this hidden gem in San Diego is a must see: Carlsbad flower fields. Ok, I have to confess, this was the only attraction that I personally added to my kids’ list but it was just too brilliant to miss. Especially because we were visiting in early April, the peak time of bloom in the Fields.
The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch are located in Carlsbad, 30 min drive North of San Diego. It is a working flower farm with enormous fields (55 acres!) of multi colored ranunculus. You can walk the fields or take a tractor ride (additional charge).
There are also other botanical features similar to a small botanical garden with a combination of flower and artistic features, a playground for kids and even gem miming.
Please, remember that you MUST buy tickets in advance on their website. They have timed admission and NO tickets are sold on site.
San Diego Hidden Gems: #3 Birch Aquarium
If you are a fan of the ocean and ocean dwellers you must know the following: close to 3 million people visit SeaWorld in San Diego and less than 500 thousand come to Birch Aquarium. The price difference is also huge: SeaWorld tickets are generally over 4 times more expensive. The best deal on sale that I saw got them down to 3 times Birch Aquarium’s price. Do your own math.
My kids chose Birch Aquarium and we had a great time there. You can see lots of amazing sea creatures here: fish of all colors and sizes, jelly fish, sea horses, sharks, sea dragons and many others. My favorites by far were penguins – absolutely adorable! Don’t miss touch tank outside the aquarium representing local tide pools.
Important to note: even though compared to SeaWorld Birch Aquarium is a “hidden gem”, still many people visit it and I strongly suggest booking tickets online in advance because they have timed entry. We came unprepared, bought the tickets on site and had to wait 45 minutes till our entry time. In the end, we liked the timed entry because the Aquarium never felt crowded.
San Diego Hidden Gems: #4 UCSD Campus
University of California at San Diego in La Jolla is one of those pretty university campuses with art installations and fountains that are super cool to explore. If you have older kids looking at colleges to apply this is a must stop. But even with younger kids the campus makes for a beautiful FREE hike, especially in spring when everything is in bloom. Here is a detailed map for the art tour on UCSD campus.
Tip: If you have kids who are fans of Dr. Seuss books, go on a scavenger hunt on campus to find the sculpture dedicated to the author and one of his beloved characters. Also for Dr. Seuss fans: check out the Legends Gallery (also in La Jolla) where you can see the art of Dr. Seuss, which is a true San Diego Hidden Gem.
San Diego Hidden Gems: #5 Tidepools
Tidepools is a unique West Coast feature – rugged coastline and carved rocks create tidal pools that become uncovered when the tide is low. The best viewing is when tides are below 0 ft. These tidpools are home to some cool ocean creatures: crabs, anemone, sea stars, see urchins and many others. Look carefully what you can find – it is like beach scavenger hunt!
There are many tide pools along San Diego coast but the most famous ones are located in La Jolla along the Coast Blvd. They are especially gorgeous at sunset.
Check the tides before you go. Typically the lowest tides happen during the daylight between the end of fall and mid spring. It is best to arrive is at least an hour before the lowest tide. Please, don’t poke, pick up or disturb sea creatures in any way.
It is absolutely FREE to see these amazing tidepools and you can find free parking in the vicinity as well.
San Diego Hidden Gems: #6 Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is located in La Jolla. This is a San Diego hidden gem like no other because Torrey pines growing here do not grow anywhere else in the world. This is it – a unique biological habitat that is great for hiking. You can hike on top of the coastal bluffs of go down to the beach.
In spring after good winter rains the Reserve burst with wildflower as well – the variety and abundance of them is nothing short of amazing.
Don’t forget to stop at the visitor’s center which has a cool little museum that kids will definitely like.
San Diego Hidden Gems: #7 Oasis Camel Dairy
Have I told you already that we own a farm (California Lavender Honey Farm)? That’s why we like to visit farms on tours because it is such a great educational experience for kids. When my kids found a camel diary not far from San Diego they were super excited. Alpaca and goat farms, for example, can be found all over the country but we have never been to a camel farm before!
Oasis Camel Dairy offers such a fun and educational experience. You learn a lot about camels and you also have an opportunity to feed and pet them and interact with some sheep as well. This farm is located in a gorgeous mountain country just East of San Diego – the drive there is really scenic and this is the side of San Diego that I bet you have never seen. San Diego hidden gem? You bet!
And we will be happy to see you on our farm tour too: we are located in Paso Robles and if you are driving to San Diego from the North, say, San Francisco Bay Area, we are a great pit stop to break the long road trip. Even when we did not have our farm we always stopped in Paso Robles when we drove to San Diego, Los Angeles area or Palm Springs. Come check out our beautiful lavender field, the unique Bee Museum, fruits & veggies and much more.
San Diego Hidden Gems: #8 Bates Nut Farm
If you have not yet realized we are big fans of agritourism so naturally my kids chose yet another farm to visit – Bates Nut Farm. They were sold on the idea that at this farm you can find nuts from around the world. I was sold on the fact that the farm is FREE to visit and there is also a galore of farm animals that you can feed and interact with.
The “nut” portion of the farm is in essence a huge market store with all sorts of nuts, dry fruits, popcorn, teas and other delicious goodies. It’s like going to a salt water taffy store when you are visiting a beach town, like Morro Bay, but much healthier.
My personal favorites were the animals and birds: alpacas, goats, sheep, donkeys, turkeys, geese and chickens. And they all love to be fed the cheap corn feed you can buy for a quarter so they will pay you all the attention and even “talk” to you.
There are picnic tables at this farm as well to enjoy your time.
San Diego Hidden Gems: #9 Lakes
Any fishing fans in your family? Then I strongly suggest visiting the many lakes around San Diego. These are beautiful hidden gems that are quiet and peaceful and they offer great options for fishing even for the young kids. But don’t forget that California fishing license is required for lakes fishing.
We visited 2 lakes: Dixon Lake and Lake Wohlford and we liked them both (they are located very close to each other). Both of these lakes have great hiking trails in the vicinity too.
HERE is the detailed information about fish species and fishing in various lakes around San Diego.
San Diego Hidden Gems: #10 Anza Borrego Desert State Park
Anza Borrego Desert State Park is the one gems that is the furthest from San Diego (about 80 miles drive) but trust me, it is 1000% worth it if you are going to visit in March-April. This is the time when desert blooms. And after a really wet winter there happens SUPERBLOOM. It is a phenomenon when the desert is covered by a cacophony of flowers like you wouldn’t be able to imagine in your wildest dreams.
It is absolutely FREE to visit Anza Borrego Desert State Park but, please, note to be very careful in summer: the temperatures there can reach 125 F. I strongly suggest visiting in late fall, winter and spring only.
The scenic drive to Anza Borrego is an attraction in itself: farms, wineries and beautiful mountain vistas.
Day by Day Itinerary
Here is my suggested day by day itinerary covering the above mentioned hidden gems in San Diego pairing the ones located close to each other:
Day 1: Carlsbad Flower Fields and San Diego Botanical Garden
Day 2: UCSD Campus and Birch Aquarium
Day 3: La Jolla Tide Pools, Legends Gallery, and Torrey Pines
Day 4: Oasis Camel Dairy and Anza Borrego Desert State Park
Day 5: Dixon Lake, Lake Wohlford, and Bates Nut Farm
I hope you will enjoy your trip to San Diego. If you found this San Diego Hidden Gems itinerary useful, please, share it with others as it may help them in their travel plans too.
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