San Diego Road Trip from Los Angeles?
I'll be driving my parents to Valley View Casino in San Diego later this week from Los Angeles. But I also want to visit some fun and interesting places in San Diego as well. So I'm wondering if there are any interesting attractions that are on the way or nearby the casino that we can stop by for a quick visit before we have to drive back on the same day??? Thanks in advance for your answers.
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Valley View is in Inland North County and is closer to Escondido than San Diego. It's actually closer to the Riverside County line than the city.
It's about a 45-60 minute drive south to the City of San Diego so it's really not on your way. You are probably going to cut across Route 78 or, depending on where you are in LA, come down the 15, so you are well north of most everything
The closest attraction would be Safari Park, which is part of the San Diego Zoo. There are multi acre enclosures where herds of wild animals roam plus lots of hiking trails. It's worth the visit and is a different experience from the zoo. You can take the tram around the park, ride a zip line, tour the park on a Segway, or take a photo caravan into the enclosures and feed the giraffes. It will take a few hours if not the day to explore, so it's not a quick in and out thing. They do have late summer hours this time of year.
http://www.sdzsafaripark.org/
The San Diego Botanic Garden is in Encinitas
http://www.sdbgarden.org/
Palomar Observatory is nearby, but it is a drive up some mountain roads
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/visiting.html
Old Town - National Monument sort of like Olvera Street but better
Downtown area - shops and restaurants (and Horton Plaza, a nice mall)
Seaport Village - similar to Seaport Village in Long Beach, SD is better
Tour of the USS Midway
San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park = you are never too old for this BUT they take more time.
San Clemente pier and surrounding area
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Laguna Beach and the art festivals.
The mission in Capistrano (roughly half way. Good place to have supper).. You'll pass San Onofre nuclear powerplant. There's a Factory Outlet Mall in Carlsbad. So Cal gal.
I'm assuming your all too old for Legoland, and the Wild Animal Park.
If they are U.S. residents, they are not looking for passports for visiting inside the nation. If they are international nationals who don't seem to be legally within the nation within the first location, San Diego is generally going to be the final component to U.S. soil they get to peer.