San Diego Botanic Garden with Kids – An Enchanting Place for Families
San Diego Botanic Garden is an enchanting place for all ages. For families, it offers not one, not two but THREE children’s gardens full of hands-on activities. In total, you’ll find over 30 themed gardens here. There are also plenty of walking paths surrounded by plants and flowers from around the world. As multi-year members, my family has spent many, many happy hours exploring these beautiful grounds. This botanical garden is truly one of San Diego County’s best hidden gems. Highlighting some of our favorite gardens, here’s what you need to know before you visit San Diego Botanic Garden with kids or without.
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San Diego Botanic Garden Overview
Formerly known as Quail Botanical Gardens, the San Diego Botanic Garden is located in Encinitas — a little over a half-hour drive north from downtown San Diego. Plan to do a lot of walking up and down hills through the garden’s 37 acres. It should take you between 45 minutes to three hours to explore all of the gardens, depending on your pace and interests.
Seeds of Wonder Children’s Garden
The Seeds of Wonder Children’s Garden is all about simple pleasures for toddlers and young kids. For example, children can pretend to be mommy or daddy in a child-sized wooden house outfitted with a kitchen and utensils.
When my children were little, their favorite part of the Seeds of Wonder Children’s Garden were the miniature trains. We spent hours watching those choo-choos chug through the garden.
Kids can also get their hands dirty doing a bit of gardening. A sandpit hides small plastic dinosaurs perfect for little hands to dig up. They can also transplant tiny succulents from one container to a take-home plastic pot, filling it up with a wee bit of soil, and then spraying their new treasure with a spritz of water.
Sometimes you will find a bucket of soapy water in the Seeds of Wonder Garden. Use all sorts of wands for wondrous bubble play with your kids.
Hamilton Children’s Garden
This children’s garden is much bigger than the cozy original. It is geared toward a slightly older audience of school-aged kids. The Hamilton Children’s Garden has less greenery and shade, but it is ever-so-fun nonetheless. The centerpiece is Toni’s Tree House, complete with rope bridges, tunnels, and a spiral staircase for exploring.
The Incredible Edibles section of Hamilton’s Children’s Garden teaches kids about the plants and herbs we eat. Meanwhile, the Pencil Arbor and Bonsai Sketching Area is equipped with coloring sheets and a trellis on which children can hang their creations. Garden Rhythms encourages children to make music with instruments made from items found in nature like rocks, sticks, and water. The Spell & Smell Garden is filled with labeled potted plants, each of which starts with a different letter of the alphabet. Additionally, you’ll find a labyrinth, a sundial, and a giant tic-tac-toe board in this sprawling garden.
Junior Quail Trail Garden
San Diego Botanic Garden’s newest children’s garden, the Junior Quail Trail, is an obstacle course of sorts. Kids and adults alike can balance, walk, jump, and climb through a variety of elements formed from natural objects. On our most recent visit, my teens asked me to time them zipping through this garden to see who was faster for a little competitive fun.
Tropical Rain Forest
After visiting one or more of the children’s gardens, you can meander through the rest of the gardens. All are beautiful, but one of my personal favorites is the Tropical Rain Forest. I love Hawaii and this feels like a wee slice of Polynesia in San Diego. This is a great place to sit on a bench to listen to the sound of the waterfall and breathe in the sweet scent of oversized flowers in a lush landscape.
Subtropical Fruit Garden
A visit to the Subtropical Fruit Garden is entertaining and educational. Children can see with their own eyes how some of their favorite fruits actually grow on trees; they are not manufactured in a factory and delivered to grocery stores just so people can eat them! Look for bananas, apples, oranges, and more.
Mexican Garden
The Mexican Garden is a darling spot filled with plants in a fiesta of colors. There is also a fountain decorated with painted Mexican tiles and sculptures of a mariachi band and a flamenco dancer formed from greenery.
Bamboo Garden and Bamboo Pond
A walk through the giant stalks of bamboo in the Bamboo Garden feels otherworldly. Read the signs aloud to the kids so they can learn that Bamboo is actually a grass that can grow up to 30 feet in one season!
Be sure to stop by the Bamboo Pond, a refreshing little oasis. It is filled with lily pads, turtles, and a hoppy frog or two.
Old World Desert Garden
Those unfamiliar with desert landscape should walk through the Old World Desert Garden to get a peek at cactuses, succulents, and bright desert flowers. Just be sure to keep toddlers in their strollers in case they want to pet the prickly plants!
California Gardenscapes
Of course, you will want to explore California Gardenscapes during your visit. Here, you can view the pretty plants native to San Diego and beyond in California.
San Diego Botanic Garden Tips
The San Diego Botanic Garden holds special events throughout the year, like their concert series in summer and a Garden of Lights holiday celebration in December.
The Gift Shop and Nursery sells gardening tools, plants, wind chimes, and gardening books. For families, the bad news (or good news?!) is that there are very few toys or souvenirs for the kids. Plan to bring your own water and snacks since their café has closed.
San Diego is so stuffed with wonderful things to do that this family-friendly attraction often gets overlooked. If you get tired of the hustle and bustle of a theme-park-packed vacation, then a San Diego Botanic Garden visit gives the whole family a chance to slow down and connect with nature.
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Do you have any questions about visiting San Diego Botanic Garden with kids or without? Let us know in the comments below!
Is outside food allowed?
Hi Dana – I have brought snacks for my kids to San Diego Botanic Garden over the years with no problems. There is a small coffee shop that sells snacks on-site, which was closed for a while due to the global pandemic. During that time, their rules said outside food was allowed. They never check bags going in for food or anything. As long as you don’t roll up with a huge cooler, you should be good to go!