After our Humanitarian Trip in Mexico, we stopped in San Diego for a few days to relax before heading back to snowy Utah. I love finding the BEST deal on tickets and hotel stays but have always been weary of discount sites. I don't know what it is, but I don't trust them for some reason. Well, our friends at Get away Today are here locally in Utah and I decided to do a little research and see if they really do have good deals. Guess what! They are legit. Get away Today has THE BEST DISCOUNTS for all things San Diego, hotels, LegoLand, Seaworld, the Zoo! You name it. They've got it. And they specialize in Southern California, so they really are the best for a San Diego trip. Check out more discounts at the end of this post.

When we plan a trip, our first stop is The Salt Project of course. I always like to check posts we have about a specific location so I can be sure to add things we want to do. Then we used Get away Today to book a stay at the beautiful Residence Inn in San Diego. The location was perfect. We were just minutes from every single activity during our stay. And they had an awesome heated pool and hot tub which is a must for our family. The pool is always the highlight of any trip with our crew.

We stopped at a few favorite spots and tried out a couple new places too. It really was the perfect ending to a long trip.

Putting our new Teton bags to good use. Harmony and I have both been on the hunt for some good inexpensive duffel bags for all of our road trips this year. These Tetons are big, durable, and have 3 extra pockets to help with organization. They are going to get a lot of use this year!

This is the only photo I got at our stay at our beautiful hotel. We had so much fun at the pool and, you know, making sure the beds were satisfactory.

#1

Our first day was rainy and we were tired from our service in Mexico. So we decided to take things slow and look for something to do inside. I've always wanted to visit the USS Midway and it was the perfect rainy day activity. If you live in Utah, you can go to a similar museum HERE for FREE! So at first I was a little disappointed that we just dropped $70-$80 to see a bunch of planes. But as the tour went on, we were able to go into the belly of the ship. It was pretty mind blowing . My grandpa served on a similar ship during WWII. I couldn't help but imagine him living there and going about life, going days without seeing the light of day. 

You can see and touch most of the ship and get inside some of the planes.

The kids earned their wings after answering all of their questions right.

#2

Next stop was our favorite Balboa Park. This is a great FREE activity. You could spend an hour or an entire day! And there are several museums on site to visit.

These Morton Fig trees are so amazing to explore.

#3

Then we headed to see the seals and birds at La Jolla caves and Shell beach.

#4

Next up, another FREE favorite, the Mormon Battalion historic site and Old Town.

The Mormon Battalion is such a cool place to visit. A FREE interactive museum about the Mexican American War and the the amazing story of soldiers that helped settle San Diego. You can also pan for gold and get a FREE souvenir photo at the end.

We had to get a photo of Breckyn here. We were here 3 years ago, look how much she and that cactus have grown!

#5

Then we stopped in Coronado to see the S.S. Monte Carlo shipwreck of 1937. We missed low tide, so we didn't see much of it. But if you can find a super low tide (under -1) you'll be able to see more.

(above 2 photos by Aldryn Estacio)

The shipwreck can only be seen at low tide so be sure to download a free tide app before you go. It is located in front of the Coronado Shores condos. There is FREE parking a public beach access right next to the condos.

#6

Our finally stop on our way back to Utah was Seven Magic Mountain in Nevada.

Sadly, I have nothing to share as far as awesome places to eat in San Diego. The food in Mexico was incredible. But San Diego was a bust. We hit a couple places that were sadly not good enough to recommend to you guys. Hey, you win some, you lose some. But we did make a quick stop at Shake Shack in Vegas on our way home and let me tell you, I CANT WAIT until they open one in Utah (coming soon). It was the best fast food burger to date. They fries were amazing, the chicken bites were, dare I say better than Chick-fil-a? I dont know, I didn't try one, but my son said they were. And the custard. I love me some custard. So Shake Shack was by far the best food from our trip. Better luck next time.