Anything Fun and Free , or Inexpensive to Do Around Here?

Join a moms' group (you can find a bunch on Meetup.com). A lot of times, they organize playdates at local parks or people's houses. It's a nice way to make friends for you and your child(ren).

Balboa Park has free museum Tuesdays. Each week, a rotating group of museums offers free admission to the public on Tuesdays. The complete free Tuesday schedule is here: http://balboapark.org/calendar/detail.php?EventID=370

There are a bunch of playgrounds around San Diego you can check out. There's a list here: http://sdplaygrounds.com/

The San Diego Continuing Education system offers free indoor and outdoor classes for children up to five years old and their parents. I don't think the spring term schedule is out yet, but you can find more information on the classes here: http://www.sdce.edu/class-schedule/class-schedule.php (You'll want the ones under "Child Development.")

Welcome to San Diego! :)

Hi M.-

Jae gave great suggestions. I did the Continuing Ed classes for both my kid's. They have both an indoor class that is at a set location, and an outdoor class that always meets at a different park or trail. The classes are FREE and fun, and I have met families that I am still friend's with, and my kid's are 10 and 13!! They also have a Cooperative Preschool that starts at 3 that really prepared my kid's for kinder.

Aside from that I would also say hiking in Mission Trails Park. Cowles Mountain is there and also the Dam. Kumeyaay Camp Ground is really pretty and the tent sites are cheap, and it's in San Diego County!

Good luck and welcome to San Diego!

http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com/calendar/san-diego-c...

they send out new e-mails once a week with the goings on around town.

also, pick up a Free San Diego Family Magazine, they come out once a month and have tons of great things, oh here is their website
http://www.sandiegofamily.com/

Thank you for asking this question b/c I loved reading all of the advice too!

We go to the San Marcos Library every Wednesday morning for Toddler Storytime. It has been such a cool tradition for my girls. Each week has a different theme. A librarian reads a few stories & sings interactive songs in between each. At the end, the kids get a stamp, and they send us home w/a craft, pertaining to that theme. It's about 30 minutes. Then, we color, play w/puzzles, & read books afterward. I really look forward to it.

I'm sure whichever library is closest to you offers something similar. They also have a preschool story time, if your kids are older.

Enjoy this amazing county, all of the great things & people it has to offer. All my best!

Check out your local library and Borders Bookstore. They have a bunch of fun free activities.

Join the Zoo/Wild Animal Park. For our family (2 adults, a 4 and 2 yo) it costs under $100 for the whole year. We alternate going to the zoo and wild animal park. There is lots to do and see at both places. They often have free or inexpensive things for the kids to do.

Sea World has good deal where you buy the annual pass and they give you the second year free. You can buy the passes at a discount rate at Costco for $80 a person.

Check out your local YMCA. We've taken a few classes and my son had a blast. Planning to sign my daughter up for a dance/gymnastics class next session.

Also check out your local city classes.

You have many fabulous suggestions here! I just have to reiterate one that was mentioned by the person before me. She suggested Queen Califia's Magical Circle in Escondido. We went there for the first time last week; it is really more incredible than words or pictures on the internet can convey. The detail was just amazing and the kids had a fabulous time! There is a great park there as well.

Don't forget whale watching at Cabrillo National Monument as well! It's a fun drive and there are some great tidepools nearby.

Barnes and Noble in Oceanside (and probably others) has fun events, namely pajama night on Fridays. The kids have a story read to them and they (as the title implies) get to come in their jammies. I believe there is also something on Saturday mornings.

It's not free, but there is a ferry that you can take from San Diego over to Coronado. It's a fun little trip. There are also a lot of outdoor concerts in the park and movies in the park as we get closer to summer. Check signonsandiego.com for those listings. They are free and quite fun.

Hope you enjoy your new activities!

Welcome M. - you are going to love it here!! You've gotten great suggestions so far, and I have a few more...Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas is free ($1 for parking) the first Tuesday of every month, and it has two fabulous areas for kids.

We got passes to Legoland that we use 1-4 times a week!! My kids love it, and it was totally worth every penny! They have a cheaper "Mom's Club" that is pretty inexpenside and allows you to go just on Thursdays.

We take our kids to Old Town, Seaport Village, and Balboa Park to look around.

The San Diego Children's Museum is free once a month - you can go to their website to see which Sunday it is.

There are PARKS GALORE here!! Some of our favorites - Kit Carson in Escondido - be sure to go see the Queen Calafia Exhibit there - AMAZING! Hidden Canyon Park and Aviara Park in Carlsbad, Simmons Family Park and San Elijo in San Marcos, there are so many in every little town around here!

There are also 2 Chuck E Cheese's in North County, that aren't cheap, but you pretty much have the whole place to yourself during the week.

Playwerx in Carlsbad and Kidsville in Poway are two non-cheap fun places to go with kids too!

Enjoy and have fun!

M.