Home is Where the Navy Sends Us

  4/5 stars Great thing to do! Ages: All Timeframe: All day or just an afternoon Websites: https://visitoceanside.org/blog/tips-for-taking-the-coaster/ Let’s ride the train!  We took a day trip, riding the coaster train from Santa Fe up to Oceanside and back. (1 hour each way) The kids had a blast climbing aboard sitting on the second story, watching the view roll past and simply being on a train.  It was a cloudy day when we went and the views of the beach were not as exciting as I had expected them to be (why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5). There is a good portion of the ride inland, and when you do get near the beach it isn’t actually that close. Still a bit of a distance from the train.  The train has open seating so you find an empty seat and it’s yours. Snag the left side for the ride up and the right side for the ride south for the beach views.   *Note, you will want to get on the train in Santa Fe (downtown San Diego) it is the first stop and you will more likely be able to ge

⭐⭐⭐✰✰  3/5 stars ok place to visit! All ages 1-2 hours Website:  https://sandiegoairandspace.org/museum/gillespie-field-annex      We drove out one Saturday morning to the Air and Space Museum annex. We enjoyed the museum in Balboa and so thought to check this one out as well. I gave it 3 out of 4 stars because it's mostly just a parking lot for old planes. But my kids actually really enjoyed visiting. So don't let the low rating deter you, especially if you're a plane lover. You also can't beat the price $5 per adult kids are free.  It's ok volunteer run, and they all have stories to tell or information about airplanes to share if you ask them.  There is one hangar with some beautiful planes and memorabilia on the walls, then two long outdoor rows of military and private planes parked some you can go right up to and touch, climb inside   I'm the front is a nice bench and about 5 or 6 little tricycle airplanes littles can peddle around in. My 6-year-old was a li

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰  4/5 stars Good place to visit  Ages: 6 and under Time: 2 hours Website:  https://www.pumpkinstation.com/ Today we went on a preschool field trip to the Pumpkin Station. Arrived about 9 am and there was only one or two other families with littles there other than our field trip class. Take note that by 10:30 three other school busses showed up and dropped off field trippers from other preschools and kindergartens and lines formed making it harder for the single families to get to everything. Go early if you can. Also take note that their website says, "giant slides" and "inflatables" but these were not at the Rancho Bernardo location. Maybe some of their other locations have more activities that older kids would enjoy. I did not bring my stroller in because I knew some of the activities would not be stroller friendly (hayride, train ride, pumpkin patch, sunflower cutting) but the main area is flat, and I did see a family there with a stroller.  Just know you w

 Helpful Links: Naval Station Newport Housing Info & Resources | MilitaryINSTALLATIONS (militaryonesource.mil) NAVSTA Newport Homes | Rental Homes in Middletown, RI NAVSTA Newport Homes | Rental Homes in Middletown, RI | Floor Plans Housing at a Glance: Coddington Cove:   All ranks;  military retirees; DOD employees; general public, 3-4 bedrooms Farragut field:  All ranks;  military retirees; DOD employees; general public Fort Adams:  All ranks;  military retirees; DOD employees; general public     Near downtown Newport Greene Lane:  All ranks;  military retirees; DOD employees; general public     Near Middletown RI, 10-15 min commute to base Hart Field:  All ranks;  military retirees; DOD employees; general public Melville:  North: All ranks;  military retirees; DOD employees; general public; 3 Bedrooms                        South: E9 , O4, O5 (4-bed) & O6 (4 and 5-bed)     Near Portsmouth, RI 15 min commute to base     Naval Hospital: O6, 5 bedrooms Coasters Harbor Island:

Newport Polo Green Animals Topiary Garden Bristal Car show Rail Explorers Melville Ponds hike Escobar Farm (Fall Corn Maze, 4th of July fireworks) Roger Williams Park Zoo Glen Park Father Travassos Park (Splash Pad) Freetown Splash Pad Colt State Park Blithwold Masion Buttonwood Park Zoo Southwicks Zoo Mystic Aquarium Seagulls baseball games Cars and Coffee Cliff Walk 2nd beach (great for littles) Newport beach Naval Base sailboat rentals Newport Car Museum Providence Childrens Museum Boston Aquarium Boston Tea Party Ship/Harbor Save the Bay exploration center Newport Masions Restaurant Week Newport Library RI Comic Con

           For those who live in the Murphy Canyon/Tierrasanta area, here is a list of grocery stores commonly frequented. Also check out our google maps list HERE Situated between two commissaries, about a 15-minute drive north or south.        -32nd street: Larger, busy on the weekends and afternoons, best time to go is during the week in the mornings.  The entrance ID check can get quite backed up; large number of retirees shop here as well.     - Miramar Commissary a little smaller, and less crowded on average.  Drive through Starbucks plus some fast food close by.  Beginning of 2022 their gas prices were consistently lower than anywhere else in San Diego County.   -Tierrasanta shopping center has UPS store, goodwill donation center, Starbucks (No Drivethru), rite aid, and smart and final. -Costco, Ikea and Lowes are close together off of the friars road exit. -Target has a few different locations.  My favorite is the one at Grossmont (two stories not very crowded, but it is a bit

 Helpful Links: Naval Base San Diego Housing Info & Resources | MilitaryINSTALLATIONS (militaryonesource.mil) Family Housing (NBSD) (navylifesw.com) Apply Now | San Diego (Naval Complex) (livelmh.com)     The privatized military housing in San Diego is run by Liberty Military Housing (Be Aware this was Formerly called "Lincoln Military Housing"; the housing company that was in the news for mold and other lovely housing issues.  Just be aware of what you are getting into.  That being said, I am currently in this housing (1 year, and have not had any major issues).      Housing at a Glance: E1-E6 Aero Ridge :  E1-E9, Pet Friendly, Off Base     Floor Plans: Floor Plans | Aero Ridge (livelmh.com) Orleck Heights:   E1-E9, Pet Friendly, Off Base     Floor Plans: Santo Terrace:  E1-E9, Pet Friendly, Off Base      Floor Plans:     Commute Time:                 32nd Street: 20-                 North Island: 20-                 Miramar: 15-                 Point Loma: 20- Chestert

  ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ 4/5 Stars! Good place to visit! Website:  The Playground for Kids | Indoor Playground | Kids Parties & Open Play, in La Mesa, California (theplayground4kids.com) Age Range: 0-9 yrs. Time: 1-3 hours     While searching for a better Target to shop at we stumbled upon this indoor play place.  It is in the Grossmont center, a cute little outdoor style mall.  They have a two-story target on one end, and a Walmart on the other.  A Barnes and Noble, Panera, Cold stone, and a U paint ceramic.  I also spotted an adult only wine and nail bar that I'll have to go back and check out.  It is one giant room filled with inflatable bounce houses, giant ball pits, climbers, small slides, and a toddler play area.  In the center is table and chairs for snacks or for caregivers to set up their laptops while the littles play.  My husband particularly likes the massage chairs scattered amongst the inflatables.        The kids do need grippy socks to play but you can purchase them at the coun

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 Stars! Great place to visit! Website:  Pacific Southwest Railway Museum – Dedicated to preserving the railroad history of the pacific southwest and San Diego (psrm.org) Age Range: All Ages Time: All Day      Choo Choo! All Aboard!  We recently drove out to Campo to ride the train and I'm so glad we did!  The kids had a great time not only riding the train, but also exploring their superb train museum.  We rode on the Golden State ride, their classic weekend round trip.  We ended up being the only ones on the train, The Ticketmaster and guide was very friendly and knowledgeable about the locomotive we were riding and about the Pacific Railway in general.        I was able to bring my single stroller on the train with us.  It was a bit rough getting it up into the train, but it made it. I would never have been able to bring my double side by side.  We also brought lunch onboard and ate during the trip.  Views of the dessert landscape were nice, and we even saw the border w

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ 4/5 stars! Good place to visit! Website:  https://www.niwa.org/ Age range: all ages Time: 1-2 hours         The Japanese friendship garden is a beautiful 12-acre oasis in Balboa Park. We had the opportunity to visit during the cherry blossom festival. It was gorgeous and we had a great time, but lessons learned about the crowds this garden draws and how we may try to do it differently next time.   Out of pure luck I decided to purchase VIP tickets, they were only a few dollars cheaper.  I knew I’d have the kids with me and wanted to cut down online time so I figured the special entrance would be worth it. Turns out it was most definitely worth it. When we arrived (20 minutes before opening) the parking lots were already packed, and we had to circle a bit to find parking.  As we left the parking lot, we ran into a large crowd standing on the sidewalk.  A very large crowd and as we continued to walk towards the garden, I realized this crowd was actually a line, a huge ginormous li

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 stars Great place to visit! Website:  Old Town San Diego Kid Age: All Ages Time 2-all day depending      There is a lot to do in Old Town.  You could spend an hour or all day and into the evening here.  Gardens, specialty shops, restaurants for lunch or dinner, tourist shops, historical sites, museums, it has a variety of amusements.  We went with out-of-town family and had a great day.  Parking was easy first thing in the morning (10 am), but when we left around 4:30pm cars were circling the parking lot trying to find spaces. Nightlife and dinner parking may be more difficult to come by.          We headed over to Cafe Coyote for lunch, on our way there we saw another restaurant with a viewing window of some lovely ladies making homemade tortillas.  Our wait was very short, the service was quick, and the kids all received their food within 10 minutes of sitting down and ordering.  The margaritas were tasty and fun.  I would definitely recommend trying them out.       After

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ 4/5 stars Good place to visit! Website:  San Diego Botanic Garden | Encinitas, California (sdbg.org) Kid Age: All Ages, depending on interests Time: 2-3 hours      Four miles of trails and paths to walk along.  Nature lovers will surely enjoy strolling along checking out the variety of plants.  Be aware there are some steep climbs, I pushed my double stroller up a few on a particularly hot day, not a fun experience.  So, I would suggest the deeper exploration and walking be done by baby wearing and during the cooler months/days.  There is also a little garden shuttle run by volunteers. (It was not operating on the day I visited).   I found this little gem through some other moms in the area, they have a fantastic little kid play area.  It's not far from the entrance and relatively close to the bathrooms.  Art easels, giant chalk board walls, a natural music area, sand pits, and my sons favorite; a small running stream he can splash in and race his boats down.  We spent 2 hou

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ✫  4/5 Stars Good place to visit! Website:  Birch Aquarium at Scripps | Home (ucsd.edu) Kid Age: All Ages Time: 2-3 hours     Beautiful little aquarium.  We've been to many an aquarium, and while some exhibits are truly beautiful, others could use some improvement.  I find the price to be on the higher side for what you get.  Definitely consider a membership if you will be going more than once, your most cost-effective option.  There is a small parking lot out front (free) Bathrooms are before you enter as well as a small snack kiosk.      The aquariums to the right of the entrance are truly beautiful and well put together.  This last trip we went in the afternoon and the octopus was wiggling all over its tank, the sea turtle was out and about and most of the fish seemed quite lively.  The Giant kelp tank was definitely the highlight.        The outside touch tank area has many little tides pool exhibits but they seemed more just decoration, hard for the littles to climb up a

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 stars! Great place to visit! Website:  Cabrillo National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Kid Age Range: All ages, except you'll need to baby wear at the tidepools (no stroller access) Time: 1-3 hours depending on how much time you decide to spend playing in the tide pools, or if you stay to watch the film.       This state monument honoring Cabrillo who was essential in mapping out San Diego Bay.  A small museum dedicated to the story of the 16th century exploration, ship equipment, and stories of the time.  There is a statue and plenty of beautiful views from the tippy top point of point Loma.  Easy stroller access all throughout the small welcome center, museum, and monument.  Easy access to clean public restrooms.  You can take a stroll up the walking path to the lighthouse.  The light house is small and charming, quick to explore.  Note that the lighthouse itself is not stroller friendly for obvious reasons (small narrow staircases) but the small muse

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 stars great place to visit. Must See! Website:   Plan Your Visit | San Diego Zoo Kid Age Range: All Time: All Day/Multiday experience      Truly the largest Zoo I have ever been to.   Prices and tickets vary, we purchased season passes.  Living in San Diego for this tour means we will have plenty of opportunities to go and seems to make the most sense to us as a family.  We have been to this zoo about 5 times this year, and still have not seen everything they have to offer (it is that big!). Important preparations for those with littles.  Definitely bring a stroller for little feet, unless you plan on riding the bus throughout. (I use a large side by side double stroller; it has fit through and into everywhere in the park so far with only a few tight squeezes) There is ALOT of walking.  There are some hills that are very steep.  I wish they would have the hills marked on their maps, especially the direction of the up/down for those of us pushing kids about.  When headed to th

  San Diego Zoo     - Plan Your Visit | San Diego Zoo     - Our Review found Here! Safari Park     - San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance | Home page     - Active duty free     -Very large, lots of walking     -Carousel on site Cabrillo National Monument     - Cabrillo National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)     -Our Review found Here! Sunset Cliffs Balboa Park    Japanese friendship garden           -  Japanese Friendship Garden | Balboa Park          -Our Review Here! Harbor Cruise Whale watching on Whistleblower Old Town     - Old Town San Diego SHP (ca.gov)     - tourist shopping     -Our review found Here!   Aerospace museum Gillespie field Annex     -  https://sandiegoairandspace.org/museum/gillespie-field-annex      - Our review found Here! San Diego Botanical Garden      -  https://sdbg.org/      -Our Review found  Here! Butterfly Farms      -  https://www.butterflyfarms.org/ USS Midway Tour Childrens Pool Seals Coaster train ride -  https://gonctd.com/services/coas