Top 10 Kid Friendly Things To Do and Attractions in Imperial Beach

"Families appreciate the beauty and abundance of recreational opportunities at Balboa Park. This expansive outdoor space includes 17 museums, playgrounds, a swimming pool, and over a dozen different gardens. Many visitors come here to enjoy the Pepper Grove Playground, a large kids' recreation area with slides, swings, a jungle gym, sandbox, playing fields, and picnic tables."

"This 1,400-acre site encompasses historical buildings, numerous museums, gardens, and green space. The park was created for the Panama California Exhibition of 1915-1916, and most of the buildings remain from that event. The predominant architecture is Spanish-style, with low-rise buildings that blend in with the natural surroundings."

"New Children's Museum is an interactive museum in San Diego that is a not-for-profit organization. It is a novel model of the Children's Museum that operates with a mission to pique creativity, imagination, and critical thinking in children and families via inventive and captivating experiences with modern art. The museum encourages children to think, play, and create through engrossing exhibitions, art-oriented activities, artistic performances, and educational opportunities."

"The New Children's Museum in San Diego is a great museum for families with children to visit. The museum's state of the art center is focused on creating a space where children can think, play and create through hands-on exhibitions, art creation, and educational opportunities. It has something for children of every age and parents will enjoy the learning nature of it as well."

"Originally in La Jolla, the New Children’s Museum opened in its current light-filled downtown space in 2008. Entering the multi-story, 50,000-square-foot space, it’s immediately evident that a lot of thought and imagination has gone into the museum’s design. Off the bat, a room lined entirely with mattresses invites kids to literally jump on the bed."

"We had a great time visiting the Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park and actually ended up going twice while we were in San Diego. (Our reciprocal membership made this possible.) It wasn’t the largest Science Center we have been in, but it had a great collection of hands on activities for the kids – including a Lego section. Our favorite part was the Tinker Lab where the kids eyes lit up when they saw tons of cardboard and other fun materials they could use to build whatever they wanted."

"The Science Center is an interactive educational playground for the kids. These are the kind of places we look for to check off a few of our homeschooling boxes. The girls learned more about the water cycle, energy and motion, and different knots."

"Fleet Science Center is a Science Museum in San Diego, California. It is situated in the Balboa park at the eastern end of the El Prado Drive walkway. It was established in 1973."

"At 8 acres (3ha), Heritage Park is smaller than some of San Diego’s vast wilderness reserves. But, this green grassland features six Victorian homes, all of which have been restored and moved here especially for public viewing. The park also contains San Diego’s first synagogue, Temple Beth Israel."

"Ghirardelli’s old fashioned soda fountain in the Gaslamp offers shakes, malts, cones, and sundaes galore. My favorite is the salty yet sweet Butterscotch Hot Fudge Sundae. Dark chocolate lovers, however, will revel in three sundaes: Midnight Reverie, Mint Bliss, and Espresso Escape."

"This famous brand are best known for being purveyors of really high-end chocolate, but their ice cream is a hidden gem you should not ignore. They have some great flavours, but to come here and not have a cone with chocolate ice cream on it would be a travesty."

"Located in San Diego's historic Gaslamp Quarter, this dessert is as good as it gets. Ghirardelli has a long list chocolate-themed desserts that will all make your mouth water. This Cookie Bits Sundae is definitely one of their tastiest."

"Get your stomach rollercoaster-ready or if you’re still feeling the heat of your Ocean Beach tacos, just take a nice long stroll along the Boardwalk. Looking for a SIM Card in the USA?. If you’re visiting from overseas and want to pick up a SIM Card for calls and data while you’re away, I highly recommend TelAway. The number of SIM companies to choose from is baffling but Telaway arranged my SIM card very quickly, the set up was non-existent (put it into your unlocked phone and you’re up and running) and included so much data (UNLIMITED!) I could even stream Netflix on long train journeys."

"The cement pathway lining the sand from the southern end of Mission Beach north to Pacific Beach is always bustling with activity. Cyclists…"

"The Museum of Photographic Arts is a museum and visual learning center, situated in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. It is an independent institution that collects, protects, and presents photography, films, and video graphics art. MOPA presents a broad range of rotating exhibitions from the solo photographer as well as group shows around the globe, across the year."

"This world-class museum features extensive collections of still photographs, videos and films. The history of the medium is illustrated, from the earliest Daguerreotypes and albumen prints to modern laser holograms. A variety of artists are represented, including Alfred Stieglitz, Ben Shahn, Alberto Korda, Ansel Adams and Margaret Bourke-White."

"Art is subjective and interpretive, and sometimes hard to decipher. Less so photographic arts, perhaps. And who doesn't like looking at amazing images of real things?"

"The First San Diego Courthouse, rebuilt in 1992, was originally the town hall. Constructed by the Mormon Battalion, the first brick building in San Diego became the courthouse when the city was incorporated in 1850. It also served as a school, church and polling place."

"New Children's Museum is an interactive museum in San Diego that is a not-for-profit organization. It is a novel model of the Children's Museum that operates with a mission to pique creativity, imagination, and critical thinking in children and families via inventive and captivating experiences with modern art. The museum encourages children to think, play, and create through engrossing exhibitions, art-oriented activities, artistic performances, and educational opportunities."

"The New Children's Museum in San Diego is a great museum for families with children to visit. The museum's state of the art center is focused on creating a space where children can think, play and create through hands-on exhibitions, art creation, and educational opportunities. It has something for children of every age and parents will enjoy the learning nature of it as well."

"Originally in La Jolla, the New Children’s Museum opened in its current light-filled downtown space in 2008. Entering the multi-story, 50,000-square-foot space, it’s immediately evident that a lot of thought and imagination has gone into the museum’s design. Off the bat, a room lined entirely with mattresses invites kids to literally jump on the bed."

"Babycakes is a colorful little bakery chain that greets you with adorable, tasty sweets and beautiful cakes. They have created fun, festive, and breath-taking wedding cakes for clients for many years and offer a wide variety of award-winning cakes and cupcakes for almost any occasion you can think of. They also offer a menu of American fare and dessert beverages."

"Babycakes specializes in oversized cupcake that you can get in an assortment of flavors. From Blood Orange to Tres Leches to Chocolate Peanut Butter, there's a flavor for everyone."

"Café Chloe is the first European-inspired restaurant in San Diego. Located in the East Village, this cosy café features classic French food in an elegant yet relaxed atmosphere where diners can linger over a tasty brunch seven days a week. Add on a coffee, tea, or cocktail for a full brunch experience at this delightful spot."

"Philz is a college hangout that has a social and energetic vibe with plenty of places to sit inside and out. And its located in an artisan shopping center with stores like Whole Foods and Sprinkles, which serves gourmet cupcakes that you should totally get with your coffee (yay sugar rush and caffeine rush all at once!). I love it there and I love their coffee!"

"Philz Coffee is a chain of coffee shops present throughout the US, and this Californian city is no exception. Despite it being a part of a chain, though, many locals will tell you that this is the best coffee shop in San Diego. It’s easy to see why: it’s a great place for breakfast, with loads of pastries, muffins, cookies, bars and even burritos available."

"Didn't know coffee could taste this good and I've worked out of many coffee shops for over a decade. This is not an exaggeration.."

"Acai bowls are a huge thing out west, but a lot of the world hasn’t even heard of them before. It’s basically a smoothie bowl comprised of acai or pitaya, or both if you’re lucky. Fruit is piled high on top along with nuts, coconut shavings, peanut butter, almond butter, granola, and the list goes on and on."

"Next up is Roseville-Fleet Ridge's Northside Shack, located at 1255 Rosecrans St., with Yelpers giving the breakfast and brunch spot, which offers juice, smoothies and açai bowls, five stars out of 557 reviews."