SoCal Field Trips

Awe, San Diego!  It is a beautiful city home to numerous picturesque beaches and alluring coastal landscapes.  However, did you know that San Diego is also a very kid-friendly city that caters to a broad and diverse range of interests and subjects.  Wherever your children’s interest may lie, you’re sure to find a place in San Diego, that will provide them with deeper insight, engagement and inspiration.  From the fine arts, including classical, contemporary and folk art, to science and natural history, San Diego offers an abundance of options for children.

Therefore, I have compiled a list of 75 kid-friendly places in San Diego County that love little visitors and hosts field trips for students.  Some of them are free.  Some cost a few dollars.  But as always, you know your children best, so please call ahead of time to make sure it is an appropriate venue to take your own family.

75 Field Trips in San Diego For Students

1. Adobe Chapel – San Diego

The Adobe Chapel was originally built in 1850 as a home, and was converted to a church by Don José Aguirre in 1858. After having been bulldozed for street realignment in the 1930s, the WPA rebuilt the adobe chapel in 1937.

Much of the interior artifacts from the original chapel have been retained, including the tabernacle, the altar with its beautiful marbleized finish, some woodwork including pews and doors, and José Aguirre’s tombstone is laid in the floor.

Open Saturday & Sunday, 12-4pm and by appointment.

2. Barona Cultural Center & Museum – Lakeside

As San Diego County’s first museum on an Indian reservation dedicated to the perpetuation and presentation of the local Kumeyaay-Diegueño Native culture, the Barona Museum offers a unique educational journey for visitors of all ages.

The Museum’s collection represents thousands of years of history—some objects dating as far back as 10,000 years—and it demonstrates the artistry and skill of the hemisphere’s first inhabitants.

The Museum is excited to present a series of fun and educational classes that reflect upon native cultural traditions of San Diego County Indians.  Classes are open to the public and are held at the Museum.

3. Bates Nut Farm – Valley Center

Bates Nut Farm in Valley Center provides families the opportunity to spend time on a working farm.  While there, you will learn how the farm transformed itself from a groove of walnut trees to a full fledge retail business today.

Take a tour and discover how nuts get from the tree to your table.  Tours are available for groups of 15 or more.  Call 760-749-3333 for reservations.

4. Birch Aquarium at Scripps – La Jolla

Birch Aquarium at Scripps is the public exploration center for the world-renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the aquarium features more than 60 habitats of fishes and invertebrates from the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest to the tropical waters of Mexico and beyond.  An oceanographic museum showcases research discoveries by Scripps scientists on climate, earth and ocean science and includes five dozen interactive elements.  Field Trips for students are offered year round.

5. Bonita Museum & Cultural Center – Bonita

The Bonita Historical Society is dedicated to preserve, for public education and enjoyment, the culture, history, art, crafts, and aesthetic facets of the region, specifically El Rancho de la Nacion in South San Diego County.

The Bonita Museum contains two large galleries for visitors to view cultural exhibits. The front gallery presents a portion of the museum’s permanent collection which depicts the history of the Rancho de la Nacion – the Sweetwater Valley. The larger second gallery presents changing exhibits such as local Fine Arts and other local history.

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