Southern California Road Trip Itinerary for Families — A Mom Explores | Family Travel Tips, Destination Guides with Kids, Family Vacation Ideas, and more!

This year I let each of my kids choose a destination for their birthday trips. I didn't give them any guidelines (though I did give myself veto power), but they all chose a theme park!

My oldest daughter turned 9, and she chose the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Orlando. My son turned 7, and he chose LEGOLAND Florida.

Though it wasn't exactly on her birthday, I took my youngest daughter to Disney World before she turned 3 so we could experience Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party while her ticket was still free.

That left my 3rd oldest son. His birthday was in April, and he was the last kid to choose his birthday trip destination. Inspired by his older brother, he decided he wanted to visit LEGOLAND for his 6th birthday.

Since we had already visited LEGOLAND Florida (you can read all about our trip here), I decided to take him to LEGOLAND California, and extend the trip to visit San Diego and the surrounding areas, as well as Palm Springs!

I put together a 1-Week Southern California Road Trip itinerary full of the best things to do with kids in the area. We partnered with Chevrolet and borrowed a Chevy Blazer to make our road trip possible.

The Blazer is a midsize SUV with an 8-inch touch screen and rear vision camera that made navigating both big cities like San Diego and through the desert on the way to Palm Springs a breeze on our trip. We always try to borrow a vehicle from Chevrolet whenever we take road trips somewhere new because we find all of their safety features and technology to be so family-friendly!

Hopefully, you find some inspiring ideas and helpful tips as you plan your family’s trip to this area.

Disclosure: Chevrolet loaned us a complimentary vehicle for our Southern California road trip in exchange for editorial consideration. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Southern California Family Road Trip Itinerary Overview

Day 1: Land in Los Angeles and drive to Carlsbad. Check into LEGOLAND Hotel.

Day 2: LEGOLAND California

Day 3: Carlsbad, Torrey Pines State Natural Preserve, and La Jolla

Day 4: Explore San Diego

Day 5: La Jolla Shores and Drive to Palm Springs

Day 6: Explore Palm Springs

Day 7: Drive Back to Los Angeles to fly home

Trip Details

Getting There

If you're exploring Southern California, you have a few options for airports to fly into:

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
San Diego International Airport (SAN)
Palm Springs International Airport (PSP)
Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR)
John Wayne Airport (SNA)

Depending on where you fly into, you can easily adjust this itinerary to make it more convenient for you! We flew into LAX since flights there ended up being the cheapest.

From there we picked up our Chevy Blazer and slowly made our way south for the next few days until we ended up in San Diego. Before we arrived I was a little bit nervous about navigating the traffic in LA. Usually, my husband does the majority of the driving when we take road trips. But this time he was home with the older 2 kids while I explored Southern California with our 2 youngest.

I will say, though, that the Chevy Blazer ended up being the perfect vehicle for our group. There was plenty of room in the second row of seats for the 2 car seats we brought along (highly recommend investing in this travel car seat for toddlers. It's lightweight and narrow so it fits in plane seats, too).

The cargo area was so spacious, which I really appreciated as a mom. I pack VERY light (my 2 kids and I had all of our clothes for the week in one carry-on suitcase), but we still had a stroller to fit back there with the suitcases and backpacks.

And finally, the touch screen made it easy to navigate the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, while my kids appreciated the multiple USB ports in the vehicle so they could charge their tablets after a long morning of flying.

Day 1: LAX to Carlsbad

We landed at LAX around noon, immediately picked up our Chevy Blazer, and headed for Carlsbad. You could easily arrange to see a few signs in Los Angeles, though! On a trip we took in 2018 we visited the Santa Monica Pier, TCL Chinese Theater in downtown Los Angeles, and saw the Hollywood Sign from a distance.

I've also heard great things about Griffith Park and the Griffith Observatory which are supposed to be really fun for the whole family.

But as I mentioned, on this trip we were very focused on getting to LEGOLAND so we could check into the hotel as soon as possible! We stayed at the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel, and by the time we picked up our vehicle, made it through LA traffic, and drove around an hour and a half on the Pacific Coast Highway, our room was ready for check-in!

Once we explored the hotel for a bit, we went in search of some dinner, then visited the Carlsbad Flower Fields. I wasn't sure if the kids would be bored or not, but it ended up being one of the most fun things we did on our trip! They have little passports for the kids to fill out with stamps at each station, which the kids loved.

I was blown away by the sheer number of flowers and the variety of colors. It's truly an activity for the entire family. Make sure you wear shoes you don't mind getting dirty, since the pathways are not paved and pretty dusty. There's also a butterfly garden, a playground, and a maze for the kids to explore!

As a side note, I wanted to quickly point out the Safety Alert Seat feature on the Chevy Blazer. As I was backing out of a parking space, another car came flying past out of nowhere. The Blazer I drove came with Rear Park Assist, which alerts you to a possible collision when you're in reverse. The seat even pulses on whichever side the threat is detected. Because of this feature, I was able to react quickly and avoid harm. When you're driving in an unfamiliar destination on a road trip, whether it's in a parking lot, a highway, or in a downtown area, you need all the help you can get to stay safe!

We finished the day with an early bedtime at the hotel.

Day 2: LEGOLAND California

On our first full day in California, we spent the day enjoying the LEGOLAND amusement park for my son's birthday. I would venture to say that LEGOLAND is one of the best day trips from either LA or San Diego for families with young children. It's the perfect place for kids ages 2-12, and after taking both of my boys for their birthdays (one on their 7th birthday and one on their 6th birthday), I can confidently say that this is a park made specifically for kids.

We had the best time riding the fun rides, going shopping for new LEGO sets, meeting LEGO characters, trading Minifigures with Model Citizens (employees), and seeing the LEGO replicas or major cities in Miniland USA.

What I really enjoyed about staying at the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel is that it comes with a free buffet breakfast, a playground in the common area, and the fact that it's literally steps away from the theme park. The park doesn't open until 10 a.m., so it's really a relaxed atmosphere, and you don't feel like you need to plan the entire day out like you do at Disney World or Univeral Studios.

Keep an eye out for my review on LEGOLAND California and the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel, but in the meantime, you can check out my posts on LEGOLAND Florida and the LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel in Florida.

Day 3: Carlsbad, Torrey Pines, and La Jolla

Day 3 was more of a road trip day. We began our day with one last free breakfast at LEGOLAND before checking out and beginning our adventures.

Our first stop was Leo Carrillo Ranch in Carlsbad. It's a 19th-century hacienda and weekend retreat that belonged to Hollywood actor Leo Carrillo. It's fun to stroll the grounds and learn about the glamorous life of Leo Carrillo and his family.

You'll also see peacocks freely roaming the grounds. The Spanish-style buildings are so beautiful, and you'll have plenty of photo opportunities with the kids, too! Leo Carrillo Historic Park is free to visit, and I highly recommend adding this short stop to your itinerary.

Next, we walked around Carlsbad Village and ended up grabbing some lunch at a local bar and grill. You can stop for a drink, ice cream, lunch, or shopping in Carlsbad Village.

I'm glad we fueled up because our next stop was Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. This state reserve is home to our country's rarest pine tree, the Torrey pine. The scenery is nothing short of majestic with towering seaside cliffs set against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean.

After reading up on the best hikes to do with younger children, I settled on the Guy Fleming Trail. It's a 2/3-mile loop trail with 2 sweeping vistas. There were definitely a few points where we were walking next to a steep incline, so it's important to keep your little ones close and on the inside part of the path. If you have a toddler that likes to run away, make sure you hike with a baby carrier or a toddler carrier. We like the Lillebaby for younger toddlers and babies and the Freeloader for older toddlers.

2 notes for those planning to visit Torrey Pines and do the Guy Fleming Trail:

You do have to pay for parking, but don't stop at the main parking lot. There is a small parking lot at the Guy Fleming Trailhead. We didn't know this and ended up hiking around half a mile straight uphill to get to our trailhead. The kids were already exhausted and crabby by the time we got to the trail. Luckily, the amazing views made up for it!
Wear close-toed shoes because there are rattlesnakes in the area. We actually saw one on our way up to the trailhead! There was some sort of safety officers or park workers already there blocking off the area where the rattlesnake was spotted. I was wearing hiking sandals and instantly regretted my decision. Thankfully we didn't see any more snakes, and everything turned out fine, but tennis shoes or hiking boots are probably a better option.

After our hike, we checked into 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 have lots of family games by the pool, firepits and s'mores kits, and a Starbucks in the lobby! We really liked this hotel as a home base for exploring La Jolla and San Diego.

Day 4: San Diego, Balboa Park, and USS Midway Museum

For our day in San Diego, we used the Go San Diego card to save money on the many attractions to visit. Thanks to GoCity for gifting us 2 Go San Diego cards to test out! My mom and I used the 2 gifted GoCity cards but determined that with the ages of my kids, it would be cheaper to buy their tickets individually. You can do the math ahead of time to see which attractions you're visiting and if it's worth it for a toddler or little kids. I would say it's definitely worth the money for adults and teenagers!

San Diego Zoo

Our first stop was the San Diego Zoo, one of the best zoos in the country! We found it to be very worthwhile for a visit. We spent about 3 hours there, but you could easily make a whole day out of it! I especially loved the tour buses available for free! We had read before our visit that you should do the tour bus first thing in the morning to avoid waiting in lines.

That was the best advice! We got on one of the first tour buses of the day, and it was a really cool way to get the lay of the land and see some of the animals at eye-level since the bus is double-decker and we rode on the top. Since it was still pretty early in the morning, many of the animals were still active before the heat of the day set in.

Another unique thing about the San Diego Zoo is that you can ride the Skyfari Aerial Tram from one end of the zoo to the other. Since the zoo has such a large footprint, it's nice to be able to get around without having to walk everywhere. If your stroller is on the smaller side you can even take it on the aerial tram with you.

As I mentioned, the zoo is a popular spot, so be sure to arrive right as it opens to avoid the crowds and the heat.

Balboa Park

Balboa Park is actually right next to the zoo, so if you have a good parking spot at the zoo, I would keep it and just walk to Balboa Park. I ended up driving our Chevy Blazer around for an hour trying to find parking at Balboa Park and was SO thankful for the Safety Alert Feature and Rear Park Assist as I was attempting to park in some pretty tight spots.

Balboa Park is free to visit and is a great place to go with kids. Balboa Park is dubbed San Diego's Back Yard thanks to a myriad of experiences from museums and art galleries to parks and trails. You can also find restaurants and food trucks, so it would be easy to spend an entire day here.

It was a Saturday and pretty crowded during our visit, plus we knew we still wanted to go to the USS Midway Museum, so we didn't end up staying super long at Balboa Park. We grabbed lunch, wandered around, watched the performers, and perused the art at Spanish Village.

USS Midway Museum

Our last stop on Day 4 in downtown San Diego was the USS Midway Museum. This museum is located on an actual U.S. naval aircraft carrier, so I wasn't sure how kid-friendly it would be. It ended up being one of the best places we visited on our trip! There are self-guided audio tours for both adults and children, and kids can work on the Junior Pilot Program to keep them engaged!

There are several spots in the museum with hands-on technology, and we spent quite a bit of time playing with the controllers. The kids were also fascinated by the bunk beds on the ship and definitely had to test them out.

While my mom and I were fascinated by the history and stories of heroism, the kids loved anything hands-on that they could climb on or touch, and there were plenty of options for that. If you go up to the top of the ship you'll find planes you can climb in and take pictures with. That might have been our favorite place on the ship!

The USS Midway Museum is also included on the Go San Diego card.

Day 5: La Jolla Cove and Palm Springs

La Jolla Cove

This was our last morning in La Jolla and the San Diego area, so we decided to head to La Jolla shores to see the sea lions!

At certain times of the year, you can find tide pools to play in, but when I looked it up online, I saw there we weren't there at the right time for it. That was no problem, though. We were just excited to see the beautiful coastline and watch the adorable sea lions in their natural habitat.

My best piece of advice for visiting La Jolla Cove is to get there early because then you should be able to find free street parking right next to the beach. We arrived around 9, and it was already quite busy, and we had to pay $40 for a parking spot. Ouch!

I did feel like the steep price tag was worth it, as this was a great spot to spend the morning. The kids absolutely loved watching the sea lions (and listening to them!), and we were all giggling and having a blast for a few hours while we took in the beautiful shoreline and the sea lions' antics.

Birch Aquarium

When we had our fill of La Jolla Cove, we hopped in the car and visited Birch Aquarium, since we wanted to make the most of our Go San Diego card. We enjoyed watching the sea horses and seeing the giant kelp forest, I did feel like the Birch Aquarium was a little underwhelming compared to some of the other aquariums we have visited around the USA.

There are tide-pooling experiences that are unique to this area, and I feel like taking the time to get hands-on at the Tide Pool Plaza would make the experience worth it.

For us, though, we were cold and ready to get to Palm Springs, so we didn't end up spending much time by the Tide Pool Plaza (which is outdoors).

Palm Springs Aerial Tram

By early afternoon we were en route to Palm Springs. Our plan was to check in at our hotel (Hyatt Palm Springs - also booked on points!), then head over to see if they had any tickets left on the aerial tram. Everything I was reading online said that the spots fill up fast, so be sure to book tickets online. They were sold out by the time I went to book them, so I decided it wouldn't hurt to just go in person to check it out.

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We arrived at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway just before 6 p.m., and they had plenty of tickets left. The Aerial Tramway is located in Mt. San Jacinto State Park, and is the largest rotation tram car in the world! You'll ascend over two miles to the Mountain Station where you can grab something to eat and enjoy the views outside.

Be aware that it is MUCH colder at the top of the mountain than down below in Palm Springs, so be prepared with a sweatshirt or jacket! For that reason, we didn't stay outside for very long when we reached the top.

The Aerial Tramway is just a short drive from downtown Palm Springs, and we loved watching the sunset as we descended back into the valley. It was an unforgettable experience!

Day 6: Hiking, Swimming, and Shopping in Palm Springs

Our original plan in Palm Springs was to make the hour drive to Joshua Tree National Park to do some hiking and enjoy the scenic drive, but we were already exhausted from our packed schedule and knew the kids would not be up for that. I think if we had scheduled one more day in Palm Springs, we absolutely would have made time for it, but this time we decided to stay close and try a more local hiking trail.

(If you're interested in visiting other California national parks, check out my articles on Death Valley National Park and Sequoia National Park)

I was up early and loved watching the sun rise over the palm trees while I sipped coffee from the balcony of our hotel, and did a little research on what some of the best kid-friendly hikes in the area would be.

We ended up hiking Palm Canyon inside Indian Canyons. You do need to descend a footpath into the canyon, which was probably the toughest part of the trail with young children. However, when you reach the bottom you're met with a paradisical babbling brook in the shade of the California Fan Palms. It feels like an oasis in the desert, and we had a great time slowly wandering along the hiking path with the kids.

After that, we headed back to the hotel to cool off in the pool with the kids. It was the perfect way to spend the early afternoon in the desert, and the kids enjoyed splashing in the pool for an hour or so.

Our afternoon consisted of walking around the main street in Palm Springs shopping for souvenirs, ducking into candy shops, and eating at restaurants and ice cream shops.

Another main attraction in Palm Springs is the Living Desert Zoo, but since we had just visited the San Diego Zoo we decided not to visit.

We really enjoyed having a relaxed day in Palm Springs, and wished we had scheduled at least one more day in the area to experience everything the town has to offer!

Day 7: Cabazon Dinosaurs and Road Trip Back to Los Angeles!

This was our last day in California, so we checked out of our hotel and packed up the Chevy Blazer. We made a brief stop at the Cabazon Dinosaurs before making the long drive back to LAX. The Cabazon Dinosaurs are a quirky roadside attraction just outside of Palm Springs.

You can do what we did and just take a few pictures outside with your dino-loving kids, or you can pay to go inside the park and climb up inside the T-Rex. We were in a hurry to catch a flight so we decided to skip the park this time.

We dropped our Chevy Blazer off, then caught the shuttle to the airport and said a sad goodbye to California. There's so much to explore in the area, and we can't wait to go back and do more! Here are some ideas that you could add to my itinerary! Some of these items we've done before, and some are destinations we haven't been yet, but would like to visit.

Other Southern California Road Trip Stops

Beaches: If the weather during your visit is warmer than it was for us, you could plan to spend some time at one of California's beautiful beaches. Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and Long Beach are all on the way from LA to Carlsbad, so they would make a fine stop for the beginning of your road trip. We really liked visiting Santa Monica Pier on a previous trip to Los Angeles with the iconic Ferris wheel in the background of our photos.
Santa Barbara: I've always been obsessed with Santa Barbara, and I finally got to visit for the first time in 2018! I had 3 young kids at the time, ages 1, 3, and 5, and was worried that it wouldn't be kid-friendly. I was so wrong! I loved every detail of the American Riviera, from the whitewashed buildings to the Spanish tile stairs. The Harbor and beach were both lovely, and we had the best time exploring the Mission, the downtown area, and the MOXI Museum - one of our favorite museums we've visited with kids in our travels! Read: What to Do in Santa Barbara with Kids
Other Theme Parks: Of course, you could easily replace LEGOLAND with Universal Studios or Disneyland, or add them on for a theme park-filled itinerary! I haven't been to Disneyland since I was a kid, and I've never been to Universal Studios in California, but I have plenty of guides to Disney World and Universal Orlando.
If you're interested in another road trip itinerary with a stop in California, check out The Ultimate Family Road Trip from Las Vegas to Death Valley.

Thanks again to Chevrolet for making our road trip adventures possible on this trip! I commented so many times throughout our trip how nice it was to have the Blazer for its safety features and for all of the space families need in a road trip vehicle. It’s such a great vehicle for families, and we enjoyed every second of our trip in it!