San Diego

We had a long weekend earlier this month and thought it would be the perfect time to check out San Diego! We left about 5 in the morning because we knew it was about a four hour drive and the kids do best in the car when they are a little groggy :)

We researched all the way there trying to decide what we wanted to do! We quickly realized we were not going to have enough time to see even a tenth of the what we would like to see there! The kids did get a vote though and so the first stop was LEGOLAND in Carlsbad!

The weather was beautiful (September) and it wasn't too crowded.  It's an awesome park and the kids had a  really fun time, however our 2 year old was dissapointed that there wasn't as much for him to ride as there was for the older kids (4 & 6).  So, we tried to sneak the big kids off with dad a few times to do the other rides and during a quick nap he took, so that he wouldn't feel too left out! There is alot to see there too, and we all LOVED Mini Land and our kids don't really even play with legos!

We did add the SEA LIFE aquarium option to our ticket and because our kids are obsessed with marine animals, this may have been their favorite part! You can get separate tickets and go to the the aquarium only or to the theme park only.  We spent the entire day there, until the park closed, and still only saw about half! So that will be another trip..

We were exhausted and grabbed Wendy's drive through and watched the kids swim at the hotel for our evening activity.  The next morning we headed to Coronado Island, which is only about 5 or so miles from downtown.  The drive over the San Diego-Coronado Bay bridge is amazing! The bridge is so tall and the view is stunning! The kids squealed the entire drive over the bridge!

Our first stop was Hotel Del Coronado. The hotel is one of the oldest and largest all-wooden buildings in California and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977.  Granted, it isn't the most kid friendly  activity, there are several ice cream and candy shops throughout the shopping area of the hotel and there was a hawk demonstration going on in the courtyard.  The hotel is on the beach so after we looked around, we let the kids climb up on the rocks and watch the huge waves come crashing right below where they were sitting!

Showing me her shell :) Hotel in the background

There were huge waves and they loved climbing up to watch them

Then we made the drive down Silver Strand Blvd
to a cute little park on Imperial Beach and had a picnic there! It had a small town beach life feel to it and we really enjoyed our visit!

Beautiful Solvang

We read about Solvang before we moved to California and I was so excited to see it that we went the first weekend we moved here. It ends up taking us only about 25 minutes to get there, so I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of this quaint and beautiful town.

The excitement began before we even got out of our van.  As you drive in from Buellton, you immediately notice the Scandinavian architecture which was so much fun to see! Having only been in coastal California for a few days, I was still trying to adjust to the FOG and the cool weather so I was also thrilled to see blue skies and feel the warmth from sun again! 

We happened to go on a Wednesday and it was bustling with people. We soon realized it was probably because it's the weekly farmer's market.  The kids have never been to a farmer's market and thought it was the coolest thing ever!  They set up right next to the park which was a perfect place for us to let the kids get their energy out while we soaked in the beauty! 

We spent the remainder of our time strolling the sidewalks, checking out the shops and restaurants and planning for our next visit there!