Best Things to Do in Carlsbad, California with Kids

If you're heading to Southern California with kids, be sure to make a stop in Carlsbad! This coastal town along the Pacific Ocean is a great place to visit for the entire family!

We recently completed a Southern California road trip for my son's 6th birthday, starting at LEGOLAND in Carlsbad and hitting La Jolla, San Diego, and Palm Springs. I gave each of my kids a chance to decide where they wanted to go on a birthday trip, and since my 7-year-old chose LEGOLAND Florida for his birthday in 2022, my 6-year-old decided he wanted to try LEGOLAND in California!

We decided to make a fun road trip out of it, stopping at all of the main tourist attractions in the area. We allotted 2 nights of our week-long trip to Carlsbad. We had just enough time to hit the highlights, but if you want to spend more time exploring this gem of a town, you should stay for a minimum of 3 nights.

Here are the top things to do with kids in Carlsbad California, plus some nearby adventures just a short drive away.

Because we only stayed 2 nights, we didn't get to try everything in Carlsbad, so we picked a few fun things to do and added them to our itinerary.

LEGOLAND California Resort

LEGOLAND was the entire reason for our visit to Carlsbad, so we spent the most time here. The cool thing about this theme park is that it caters to kids ages 2-12, which makes it the perfect place for families!

I'll be honest and say that LEGOLAND didn't immediately appeal to me before we visited the Florida park in 2022. I had grown up going to Disney and loved the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal, but I had never really given much thought to LEGOLAND.

That is until my kids started showing an interest in LEGO. The more sets the kids got and the more I saw them use their imaginations to build fantastic creations, the more I started to see why visiting the theme park would be so much fun.

We opted to stay at the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel on-property, so we were just steps away from the amusement park. The hotel itself is a great spot to hang out with a playground out back, several restaurants on-site, LEGO pits everywhere for kids to play with, and even a slide instead of stairs in the lobby of the Castle Hotel.

One perk of staying on-property is that breakfast is included in the price of your stay. It's a buffet-style breakfast, and all we had to do was reserve our time slot ahead of time. There was a plethora of options including cereal, pastries, fruit, pancakes, waffles, and savory items such as bacon, eggs, breakfast burritos, and more. The options vary by day, so you'll even get a little bit of variety if you stay a few nights.

In my opinion, staying at the Castle Hotel or the LEGOLAND Hotel is the best way to experience the LEGOLAND theme park because it just makes the whole experience so much easier. You don't have to worry about transportation, parking, or beating the crowds.

We spent a full day at the LEGOLAND theme park riding the rides, shopping for LEGO sets, meeting LEGO characters, and building our own race cars out of LEGO. Naturally, this was my son's favorite thing to do during the entire trip, and I would highly recommend LEGOLAND to anyone with younger kids. Even my toddler was able to ride many of the rides, and because everything is kid-oriented, you're able to relax as a parent.

In addition to the theme park, you could also buy combination tickets to include Sea Life Aquarium or the LEGOLAND Water Park. We did not visit either during our time at LEGOLAND since we were already planning to visit an aquarium in San Diego, and because the weather was too chilly for water park fun during our stay in late April.

Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park

Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park was a last-minute addition to our itinerary, but I'm so glad we decided to go! My mom came along on this trip with us, and she absolutely loves visiting historical sights, so I thought it would be worth a stop.

Leo Carrillo, who I had never heard of before our visit, was a Hollywood television and movie star in the 1950s. He constructed this California-style rancho as a retreat for his family, and would often invite friends and coworkers out

The park is 27 acres with a Visitor Center, hacienda, caretaker's cottage, main house, and other historic buildings. The park is free to visit, and you can wander around at your leisure, and there's even a guided tour PDF you can download from the website. We also found that there were plenty of workers around that were more than willing to share their knowledge.

The highlight for the kids was certainly the free-roaming peacocks around the park. Even if they weren't necessarily interested in the history and culture aspect of Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park, at least they could search for brightly colored peacocks on top of the buildings!

Be sure to wear sturdy shoes - some of the pathways aren't necessarily the smoothest. And bring your camera! There are lots of cute and Instagrammable nooks and crannies around the park.

Carlsbad Flower Fields

You absolutely must add the Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch to your Carlsbad itinerary if you're visiting between early March and early May. Our visit just so happened to coincide with the bloom of the Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers since we arrived right at the end of April.

I personally wanted to see the flower fields since I had seen them on Instagram and thought they looked beautiful, but I wasn't sure if the kids would enjoy them. I scheduled the flower fields to be our first stop after dropping our bags off at the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel. That way if the kids were bored or not having any fun we could leave right away and go back to the hotel to enjoy more kid-friendly activities.

I was so mistaken! We had to drag the kids away when it was time to leave instead of the other way around! There was a fun scavenger hunt the kids could participate in. They just had to look for the colored flags around the flower fields to find a table with a small stamp they could use to mark off a space on their scavenger hunt, which they absolutely loved!

In addition to the scavenger hunt, there is a playground, a maze, an illusion garden, and a tractor ride which are all kid-friendly things to do. There are picnic areas and food to purchase if your kids are hungry.

The kids were also amazed at the seemingly endless fields of flowers stretched out before them in colorful patterns. They kept requesting pictures with every color of flower! I, of course, happily obliged.

If you plan to be in Carlsbad in spring, definitely be sure to check out the Carlsbad Flower Fields! There's really something for everyone there, and it ended up being one of our favorite things we did on the trip!

Carlsbad Village

I love a cute downtown area as much as the next traveler, but I will say that we didn't find many shops that I felt were kid-friendly. The area seemed to be very trendy and cute with lots of unique restaurants and bars, so I would definitely want to go back with girlfriends or with my husband.

With kids, though, we just did a lot of walking in search of something I knew the kids would eat. We finally decided on American Heroes & Brew on Carlsbad Village Drive, which was a casual pub with sandwiches and a few kid-friendly options.

I'm sure we missed some family-friendly gems, but at that point, we were ready to get to our next destination.

Things to Do in Carlsbad with Kids that We Didn't Get To

As I mentioned, our time in Carlsbad was limited, so we didn't get to everything that we were interested in. I had a few of the following items on my "maybe" list, but we simply ran out of time to do it all. If I were able to return to Carlsbad, here are some of the locations I would be sure to check out:

South Carlsbad State Beach

If you're in search of sandy beaches and ocean views, South Carlsbad State Beach is one of the best options for families. It's located 3 miles south of Carlsbad and is a great place for swimming, fishing, and playing in the sand. There are even picnic tables so you can bring your lunch and have a picnic.

The weather was gloomy and chilly during our visit, so we did not prioritize going to the beach. However, if you're there during the summer months with warmer weather this might be a fun option for kids.

Museum of Making Music

I saw this museum listed as one of the best things to do with children in every article I read about the best things to do in Carlsbad for families. There are many different types of musical instruments on display, and you'll get to listen to music from different eras and diverse cultures.

General Admission for this museum is $15 per person, and kids ages 3 and under are free.

Batiquitos Lagoon

Batiquitos Lagoon is the coastal wetland near Carlsbad complete with numerous paths for walking and running, as well as a nature center where you can learn about the plants and animals found in and around the lagoon. This would be a great place to bring a stroller and go for a nice long walk with your little ones to get out in nature and learn about the local flora and fauna.

Carlsbad Premium Outlets

If you like to do some shopping with your kids, or you need something to do on a rainy day, the Carlsbad Premium Outlets might be the perfect spot for you. With upscale stores like Tory Burch and Michael Kors to familiar brands like Banana Republic and Nike, there's a little something for everyone. And, of course, you can get your fix of Starbucks or stop for a bite to eat at one of several restaurants.

It's not the most unique place to go in the Carlsbad area, but we actually almost ended up stopping there since we didn't pack enough warm clothes for the chilly 65-degree weather we ended up getting on the trip. I still wish we had had enough time to go because I ended up being freezing for half the trip. Lesson learned!

Easy Day Trips from Carlsbad

One of the great things about Carlsbad is its ideal location and proximity to other popular spots in Southern California. We used it as a jumping-off point for our Southern California Road Trip, and here are some of the nearby places you could add to your Carlsbad itinerary.

La Jolla

La Jolla ended up being one of our favorite spots on our road trip thanks to La Jolla Cove! The area is spectacularly beautiful, but the most appealing part for kids is getting to see the sea lions jockeying for position on the rocks. It's adorable, and we couldn't stop laughing at all the noise they were making.

You can also walk down to the beach area to get a closer look at the sea lions (but not too close) and dip your toes in the water. The rocky coastline is so unique, and we ended up staying for hours just taking it all in.

Get there early - like before 9 a.m. - if you want to find some free street parking. There are coffee shops across the street from the lookout areas along the beach so you can grab your coffee and pastries with a view after you're done gawking at the sea lions.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla. This was my first hotel booked on points! I used my Ultimate Rewards from my favorite travel credit card and transferred them to Hyatt to book this hotel for only 12,000 points per night. They had s'mores kits and lots of family games to play near the pool area.

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

We hiked the Guy Fleming Trail at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. It was stunning with the seaside cliffs jutting out above the Pacific. I read many articles stating that the hike was super easy for toddlers, and most of it was. But there are some areas where all that stands between your toddler and the steep dropoff is a rope, so bring a baby or toddler carrier if your little one tends to run away.

Also, be aware that there are rattlesnakes at Torrey Pines. We actually saw one on the side of the road as we were walking to our trailhead. Thankfully a park ranger had the area roped off. Just be smart and wear close-toed shoes on the trail!

San Diego

There is so much to do in San Diego, from the epic San Diego Zoo to the USS Midway Museum, from Balboa Park to walking around charming downtown San Diego. You'll definitely want to visit San Diego with a GoCity card to save money on all of the attractions.

Los Angeles

While we didn't stop in Los Angeles on this trip, in the past we've visited the beautiful Santa Monica Pier, stopped at the TCL Chinese Theater, and checked out the Hollywood sign. There are tons of beautiful beaches and cute beach towns around Los Angeles, so this could be another fun stop near Carlsbad.

Notes from our Carlsbad Trip

Here are my honest thoughts:

Personally, I enjoyed Carlsbad, but I wouldn't plan an entire trip around it. There are so many other things to do and see in the area, and Carlsbad just doesn't have a ton to do other than LEGOLAND and the flower fields if you visit in spring. It's a nice quiet town, charming, and beautiful, but make it one stop on your trip if you're wanting a full week-long itinerary.

Also, note that Carlsbad can be chillier than you would think as a beach town in Southern California. With the marine fog and the ocean breeze, we found ourselves reaching for pants and sweaters more often than shorts and tank tops. For some people, that's the perfect temperature. But just be sure to check the forecast before you visit, and know that this may not be the sunniest beach trip you thought it would be. (Or maybe you'll get some beautiful beach days if you visit in summer!)

As I stated above, LEGOLAND is quickly becoming a favorite family destination, so definitely consider spending a day there even if you're slightly skeptical. If your kids enjoy LEGO at all, I think you'll be convinced by how family-friendly the park is.

What to Bring

Here are a few items I was glad I packed or wished I had packed:

Comfortable walking shoes
Sandals or water shoes if you go to the beach
A rain jacket
A few sweaters and sweatshirts
A pair of jeans (wish I had packed this!)
My mirrorless camera. I love my iPhone, and I think it takes great pictures. But there's something about the quality of the photos from my mirrorless camera. Worth it to bring along!
A lightweight stroller that folds up easily. The Zoe Tour+ really fits the bill for us, and it was so nice that my daughter had a comfortable place to nap while we continued to go sightseeing. If you use my affiliate link for a Zoe stroller you'll automatically get $15 off a purchase of $20 or more
LEGO minifigures to trade at LEGOLAND