Must-See California Theme Parks & Attractions

San Diego is packed with great things to see and do including these top theme parks and attractions.

SeaWorld San Diego

Spread across 190 acres on beautiful Mission Bay Park, SeaWorld is known for its amazing animals, interactive attractions, aquariums, rides, beautiful landscaping and education programs for all ages.

Join us Dec. 6 and 7 in beautiful Balboa Park for the City of San Diego's largest free holiday festival. The family-friendly December Nights celebration brings visitors and locals together to enjoy the lights, the sounds, the attractions and, of course, the amazing food.

Join the Museum of Us for a pop-up poetry-making lab with San Diego’s 2024 Poet Laureate, Jason Magabo Perez. These pop-up writing labs are included with admission, and visitors are invited to drop-in at any point during the labs to participate. All are welcome! 
 
Jason Magabo Perez, Ph.D., will lead three creating writing labs in the Hostile Terrain 94 exhibition. Visitors will engage with the exhibit through the creative process of writing poetry, and explore poetry-making techniques like ekphrasis, cut-up, documentary, and collage. 
 
Learn more at museumofus.org/blog/poetry-making-labs-with-poet-laureate. 

Waterfront Playground Experience with Pirates. The perfect treat for out-of-town visitors and locals alike! These popular 90-minute performances are staged aboard the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s 16th-century Spanish galleon San Salvador. Guests will be fully engaged in pirate theatrics at the dock and underway on San Diego Bay. This hilarious interactive show puts visitors right in the middle of the pirate action. Participants will be sworn in as part of the ship crew, trained how to navigate, sword fight, bail water from a sinking ship, escape from the King’s Jail, swab the deck and other pirate skills. 

General admission included, making the experience an excellent value and opportunity to explore the waterfront museum fleet and exhibits before or after your Boarded experience. Choose from two shows at 10:30 a.m. or 12:45 p.m. 

A Very Furry Christmas at Sesame Place is a festive, family-friendly celebration with everyone’s favorite Sesame Street friends.