Try the Aerospace museum in Balboa Park. It's a good place for children age 3-10, including a special hands on area and space to run around for younger ones.

Children age 5-14 will dig the Reuben H. Fleet Space Centre, also in Balboa Park. They have a 360 degree cinema with short-length films on offer.

Hire surfing, kayaking or skating equipment near Belmont Park. Also check out the roller coaster there, or head south to Imperial Beach, or north to Torrey Pines beach for a quieter scene.

Torry Pines State Park(drive north on La Jolla Shores Drive) features crumbly cliffs and some of the world's oldest and most fragile trees.

Birdwatchers will enjoy Torrey Pines, Point Loma, and the San Diego River basin, especially during the winter.

You can tour a decommissioned Naval Aircraft carrier, the USS Midway.

The Star of India is a local favourite.

Then there's the deserts in the east of the county, and the quaint mountain town of Julian. Go whale watching February to June, or hire a bike to ride any time of the year.