Art projects and animal encounters. Surfboards and keyboards. Trains, planes and automobiles? Those, too. Lions, tigers and bears? You bet.
It is Kids Free San Diego time again, when the county’s cultural institutions, aquariums, parks and other hot spots offer special deals for kids ages 12 and under through the month of October.
The 2020 version was scaled down, since many venues were closed due to COVID-19. But Kids Free is back at full strength in 2021. And with the year we’ve all had, the places are as excited to see you as you are to see them.
“We were closed for what felt like forever. It’s been really hard to hold on and catch up,” said Bobbi Brink, founder and director of Lions Tigers & Bears, a big-cat and exotic-animal rescue and sanctuary in Alpine.
Lions Tigers & Bears is also usually home to many visiting humans, but it was closed for more than a year due to COVID-19. It is open again and ready to make the best of Kids Free San Diego by introducing kids of all ages to these exotic animals and their important rescue stories.
“Getting people out here and getting them educated about exotic animals is priceless,” Brink said. “And getting kids involved is so important because they are the next generation that will be helping the animals.”
Like other participating institutions, Lions Tigers & Bears is offering one free kid’s ission for each paid adult ission. And because it is October, there are also some seasonal activities that will be the fodder for months of memories to come.
‘Pick any subject … we have something for you’
From free meals at local restaurants to special welcome gifts at local hotels, keeping tabs on the Kids Free offerings is a good challenge to have. And you won’t be navigating alone.
For a dizzying list of where the Kids Free deals are, head to the San Diego Tourism Authority website (sandiego.org) for ideas on where to stay, eat and sightsee. The website also has the able coupons you will need for your discounts.
For an in-depth look at the Kids Free offerings at San Diego’s museums, aquariums, gardens, and historic sites, bookmark the San Diego Museum Council’s Kids Free San Diego guide (sandiegomuseumcouncil.org). The many options for exploring, learning and routine-busting offered by the 20-plus institutions will make you wish October was more than 31 days long.
“I just spoke to the Rotary Club in La Jolla on Friday, and I was telling them to pick any subject, and we have something for you,” said Bob Lehman, the San Diego Museum Council’s new executive director.
“For so many people, when they think of museums, they think of Balboa Park. We want them to know that we are all the way up to the California Surf Museum in Oceanside and all the way down to the Living Coast Discovery Center (in Chula Vista) and the Tijuana Estuary.”
The council’s guide is divided by neighborhoods, including sections for Balboa Park, North County, East County and the South Bay. The entries include tips from the institutions on the ideal age ranges for young visitors, how much time you should plan on spending there, other special discounts, and information about special events they have planned for the big month.
Events like the Mingei International Museum’s free sugar-skull piñata program on Oct. 17. And the Halloween day performance by the San Diego Shakespeare Society, which the San Diego Museum of Art is hosting in its sculpture garden.
Or the spooky adventure at the Maritime Museum, where visitors are invited to solve the mystery of the ghost ship Mary Celeste, which was found abandoned at sea in 1872. The museum’s stately Californian sailing ship will stand in for the Mary Celeste.
The Maritime Museum’s ghost-ship mystery event happens Oct. 29 through Oct. 31, which is also the last Kids Free weekend. But for explorers who can’t wait to get out of the house, the adventure is just beginning.
“We are excited about getting a bigger infusion of people after opening and closing four times,” said Theresa Smullen, director of marketing for Maritime Museum, whose fleet also includes the Star of India and the San Salvador.
“One of the things we have discovered is that people don’t know that our ships have all these fascinating exhibits. They don’t know that they can go below deck and move from ship to ship and find themselves in a different place and time. We’re just thrilled that people are coming back.”
Kids Free San Diego runs through Oct. 31 at participating venues. Offers may vary and reservations may be required, so check your destinations’ websites in advance. Go to the San Diego Tourism Authority (sandiego.org) to your coupons. Go to the San Diego Museum Council (sandiegomuseumcouncil.org) for a Kids Free San Diego museum guide.
