A festival of lights with snow in San Diego!

festival of lightsSanDiegoBotanicGardens

Bundle up the kids and head out to the San Diego Botanic Garden for a magical holiday experience.

Take a wagon ride on beautiful Clydesdale draft horses through a dazzling display of over 100,000 sparkling lights.

Santa will be there from 5:30-8:30 pm under the Gazebo for the perfect family photo opportunity. There is hot mulled wine for you and s’mores for the kids to roast over the campfire, as well as hot cocoa, coffee, gyros, kabobs, soups, salads and baklava available.

There is live music from 6-8 pm and yes, even snow- at least snow on December 26 and 28 with sledding permitted. Sorry, we don’t have sleds for rent- we have pretty much everything else you need in baby and beach rental equipment while on vacation- maybe grandma’s house has one lying around?

Stroll through the gardens- we do have strollers for rent:) Help the kids with special holiday crafts they can take home and enjoy the Nutcracker exhibit and Alice in Wonderland displays.

Admission prices: Adults $12.00; Seniors, Military & Students $8.00. All Children 3-12 $4.00. Children 2 and under free.

San Diego Botanic Garden is located at 230 Quail Gardens Dr, Encinitas, CA 92024

Have fun and happy holidays from all of us at Toddler’s Travels!

BOB strollers a winner on the beach

Joined some Australian friends on a 5 km run fundraiser this weekend at Del Mar Beach- well, I walked and everyone else ran.  It was a pristine day with the waves rolling in, beautiful blue skies and a gentle breeze.  I couldn’t help notice that every parent who ran with their baby or children in a stroller were all pushing BOBs- at least 5 or 6.    It made me feel proud that we’d chosen such a high performing stroller for our traveling babies who will have such a great way to be transported on and around San Diego’s beautiful beaches.  I wish I had some pics but since it was a run I didn’t have one with me.  As for the recent recall, it was just a yellow cord on the canopy which I’d never previously noticed and all we’ve had to do is remove them.

Fun Activities For A Rainy Day In San Diego

Balboa Park has many interesting museums (alternating with free admission on Tuesdays), but our favorite is the Reuben H. Fleet Science Museum with its 100+ hands-on exhibits and brand new IMAX theatre. Kid City provides fun for infants through age 5, and until January 4th, the Animal Grossology exhibit will teach your little one gross facts about vomit munchers, slime makers, blood suckers and other such disgusting information.

The Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theatre is featuring The Merry Christmas Show, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rumpelstiltskin in the upcoming weeks. The San Diego Air and Space Museum has a Star Trek exhibit for trekkies and little boys also love the San Diego Model Railroad Museum . For a true San Diego tradition, get tickets through December 28, to How The Grinch Stole Christmas at the Old Globe Theatre (for ages 3-19); it’s excellent!

Another easy venture for a rainy day is The New Children’s Museum at 200 West Island Avenue; there are lots of craft activities and a fun pillow fight room.

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TRAVEL TIP

For infants and toddlers we rent top of the line strollers and baby carriers to make exploring Balboa Park an easy experience to enjoy (no need to lug it through the airport). Check out our Go Baby page for Graco Quattro Tour strollers (singles or doubles), Graco travel systems, BOB joggers (singles and doubles with weather shields), compact toddler strollers, baby carriers and framed baby backpacks.