Things to do in Rancho Santa Fe

LEGOLAND® California is a park of children’s fantasy. Based around the enduring toy, with which young people have been building for decades, there are more than 60 different amusements spread across 52 ever-busy hectares.

An incredible five million visitors come to San Diego Zoo every single year to admire the 4,000 animals – including some 650 different species – who live on this 40-hectare site. The animals are held in open-air enclosures, which seek to replicate their natural environment as closely as possible.

Located in Mission Beach, SeaWorld® was founded in 1964 to great popular acclaim and it remains a family favourite to this day. One of the most appealing aspects of the park is the interactive dimension to many of the exhibits. There are a number of tanks which allow you to touch and feel some of the resident mammals, and to feed them too. You can even direct the performing bottlenose dolphins at Dolphin Point. Alternatively, arrange getting into the water with the magnificent beluga whales for a fantastic experience.

Spend summer days enjoying the calm waters and gorgeous scenes of Mission Bay, a saltwater lagoon just north of downtown San Diego. This 4,200-acre (1,700-hectare) bay features pristine beaches, water sports for all ages and park attractions that bring summer to life.

The seaside resort of Mission Beach first started to attract holiday-makers during the 1920s, when many of its beach-front homes were built. This busy, wealthy village has grown in popularity ever since, but has managed to retain its warm, period atmosphere. Admire the sea rolling in as you stroll along the busy boardwalk which follows the length of the beach. You’ll always find plenty of buskers, street acrobats and other artists plying their trade here, and it's also a popular spot with roller-bladers.

Spread across 486 hectares of parkland, the sprawling Balboa Park offers a fantastic array of walking and cycling routes and green spaces as well as a celebrated zoo. It also houses several art galleries and museums, alongside a number of theatres and eateries.

Just north of San Diego’s city centre lies the affluent neighbourhood of La Jolla and conveniently located in the middle of this charming, hillside community is the beautiful, sheltered beach of La Jolla Cove. This small, picture-perfect bay sits protected by high sandstone cliffs on either side and is a safe and popular place for families to come and enjoy a day on the beach. Scripps Park offers a striking elevated view of the town from its clifftop walkway and make sure to keep an eye out for the sea lions sunning themselves on the rocks below too.