Kids Go Free October San Diego: 30 Best Deals 2025

October is the best month of the year to be a San Diego mom because kids get FREE admission all month long nearly everywhere in San Diego. This is meant for San Diego residents and visitors to San Diego who can both take advantage of our world-class family attractions. 

Almost every attraction participates as well as many restaurants who offer free meals, hotels, and more. Click here to see the full list of 98 participating attractions from Visit San Diego. This is all thanks to the San Diego Museum Council who also run half-price October and Museum Membership Swap May. 

And GUESS WHAT! You know all those Halloween parties I’ve been posting about? Those are included in the Kids Go Free October promotion as well so it’s the perfect time to check them out!

First I will list my top 30 places to check out with kids during Kids Free October. Then I will list the best deals (most expensive tickets, so most money saved). Finally, I will list every Kids Go Free October attraction, hotel, or restaurant in San Diego organized by region.

Scroll to the bottom to find the full list of participating sites.

30 Best Things To Do During Kids Go Free October in San Diego County

1. San Diego Zoo
2. San Diego Zoo Safari Park
3. SeaWorld San Diego
4. LEGOLAND California Resort
5. Sesame Place San Diego
6. Belmont Park
7. Birch Aquarium at Scripps
8. Fleet Science Center
9. USS Midway Museum
10. Maritime Museum of San Diego
11. New Children’s Museum
12. San Diego Natural History Museum
13. San Diego Museum of Art
14. San Diego Air & Space Museum
15. San Diego Automotive Museum
16. San Diego Model Railroad Museum
17. Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
18. Mingei International Museum
19. Museum of Making Music
20. Living Coast Discovery Center
21. San Diego Botanic Garden
22. Water Conservation Garden
23. California Surf Museum
24. Comic-Con Museum
25. Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum
26. Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum
27. Warner-Carrillo Ranch House
28. Brain Observatory
29. Children’s Museum of Discovery (Escondido)
30. San Diego Archaeological Center

Best Deals During Kids Go Free October San Diego

LEGOLAND California

The Deal: One kid free per paying adult.  Click here to redeem.

About LEGOLAND: LEGOLAND is the best amusement park in San Diego! 

Here is why Legoland is awesome. It’s less focused on the rides and more on the creative play stations and stuff built out of Legos. When it first opened, it had a few rides built around it’s miniature LEGO city. Slowly the park has built up around the original display to include more rides, movie theaters, and now a water park and aquarium. They are constantly adding to and improving LEGOLAND with brand new playgrounds, Dino Valley, a Ferrari Build and Test area, and their seasonal Halloween festival Brick or Treat!

The San Diego Zoo

The Deal: During the month of October only, kids 11 years old and younger are free. Up to 5 free tickets for kids per paying adult. Get tickets here.

About the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park: One of the main draws for San Diego is The San Diego Zoo! Everyone knows America’s Finest City has one of the best zoos in the world. If you’re wondering if this zoo is worth the hype, it is. With 3500 animals representing 650 species, this zoo has the most variety of any zoo in North America! They recently opened a new exhibit called Adventure Basecamp. It’s a portion of the zoo just for kids with an interactive play structure and splash pad. We also love the Skyfari Tram and bus tour here. Don’t miss the Skyfari aerial tram as it’s included with admission!

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park

The Deal: Kids go free under age 11, no ticket required. See more here.

The San Diego Safari Park: The San Diego Zoo has the Safari Park beat for variety of animals and plants. They are both owned by the same company and an annual pass will get you into both. However if you are buying day tickets make sure you buy for the right park!

I prefer The Safari Park because:

1. The nature! The San Diego Zoo is in Balboa Park which is in the middle of the city. The Safari Park is located in the Escondido hills and the remote setting is absolutely gorgeous.
2. The animal experiences! The Safari Park has tons of up close animal experiences. My favorite is the kangaroo exhibit.
3. The crowds. The SD Zoo is always more crowded because it’s more famous. Every time I’ve visited the Safari Park I feel like we get the animals all to ourselves especially when we get there in the morning.
4. The rides! The Safari Park Africa Tram is AMAZING. It’s included with admission and you get to drive right by the animal enclosures. 

The USS Midway

The Deal: Two kids under the age of 12 can go free with one paying adult. 5 and under are free all year if that helps for my larger families! See offer here.

About The USS Midway: I highly recommend taking kids to this aircraft carrier turned museum. Here’s what you need to know when visiting with kids.

1. There is an audio guide specifically for children. It was a big hit with our kids.
2. This is a touch everything museum meaning kids can sit in the control chairs and press all the buttons to their heart’s content.
3. All boat exits to the water are very well covered by thick glass and secure fences.
4. There are elevators for strollers but you will have to park your stroller to explore the tunnels of the ships. There is an attendant to watch it.
5. Our favorite room was the miniature helicopter room with small scale helicopter models right at toddler level. We had a few incidents where one child tried to break free and run back to that room.
6. We also loved the anchor room where our kids had tons of fun climbing on the giant anchor chains.
7. The docents were very kind and answered my children’s very specific questions about plane machinery.
8. We spent two hours there but we could have easily spent three.

Belmont Park

The Deal: One free kid wristband (under 48 inches and/or under the age of 12) with the purchase of one adult wristband. Redeem at the ticket booth or online with the code KIDSFREE on their website. 

About Belmont Park: Belmont Park is such a fun seaside amusement park! It’s less crowded than the other theme parks and more budget friendly as it is free to enter. You have the option to pay per ride or get their unlimited wristband for $60 for adults or $55 for kids.

The wristband covers not only the rides but a large ropes course, laser tag, ziplining and a whole host of other fun activities. You can easily spend a whole day here. Pair it with a visit to the nearby Bonita Cove Park and a sunset on the beach!

During this promotion they will be running their Beachside Fall Festival which includes Trick or Treating and a pumpkin patch! See the full schedule of activities here. We love the Beach House restaurant nearby for kid-friendly dining.

The San Diego Natural History Museum

The Deal: Two kids under the age of 12 get in free with one paying adult. Does not include access to the movies, but they can be added for $5/person. You have to print out this coupon or show it on your phone.

About The Natural History Museum or The NAT: The NAT covers the history of San Diego starting in prehistoric times. Kids will love the dinosaurs, the maps, and the animal exhibits! They have a cute children’s area at the back with toys and space for crawlers. In the back left corner as you enter there’s an exhibit with reptiles and spiders right at kid level!

The Fleet Science Center

The Deal: One free kid under 12 with a paying adult! Redeem offer here.

The Fleet Science Center: This science museum is a favorite in our family! We love Kid City upstairs, their new Survival exhibit, and their IMAX theater. There’s a push button science area where you can touch a tornado or experiment with electricity! Don’t forget to make it back to Studio X where they have different science experiments for kids almost every day of the week. They also have a huge ball pit in the top level that opens an hour after the museum opening. People are usually lined up and they only let in a few kids at a time so make sure you’re there at opening if you want to go!

The New Children’s Museum

The Deal: One free child per paid adult. Redeem coupon here.

About The New Children’s Museum: You will love visiting The New Children’s Museum! Nestled in the heart of downtown San Diego, it’s a place that everybody who comes to the area loves. It has a unique blend of experiences that combine art, play, and just being a kid and moving their bodies! They also offer many fun events throughout the year. The downtown location allows for lots of opportunities to expand on the outing before or after visiting.

I actually have a blog all about the museum, you can read that here: 10 Things To Know Before Visiting The New Children’s Museum in Downtown San Diego

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Children’s Museum of Discovery (Escondido)

The Deal: Two kids under 12 with one paid adult. Redeem offer here.

The SDCDM: The San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum (SDCDM) in Escondido is a hidden gem. It’s amazing for babies, crawlers, toddlers, preschoolers, early elementary school age kids AND parents. It offers space for children to play and learn yet it’s small enough that it’s easy to supervise your children as they explore freely. I love that I can interact with my children as they learn through OR sit back and chat with a friend as we both observe our kids.

I have a blog about this museum as well, read that here: 7 Tips for Visiting The San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum in Escondido

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Sesame Place San Diego

The Deal: One free child per paid adult. Redeem offer here. This includes The Count’s Spooktacular!

Sesame Place: Sesame Place is essentially a waterpark with some rides. During the month of October they have a really cute Halloween party called The Count’s Spooktacular.

If you’re visiting during October, the water rides will still be open. You (the adult) are going to want your swimsuit. Flip flops are fine instead of tennis shoes; it’s not that big. They’ve slapped a Sesame Street overlay on a lot of the Aquatica (water park that used to be here) rides meaning there are big slides for older kids too!

Life jacket rentals are free. Some rides require life jackets for kids of certain heights. You can also bring your own floatie but it MUST be marine approved. They check to make sure at security.

The food was subpar and overpriced ($16 for a mediocre hamburger). Bring snacks in for the kids and go eat somewhere else afterward.

The character meet and greets were great! Don’t miss Elmo in the room near the merry-go-round at the entrance. I recommend starting with the dry rides (they are all little kid carnival-type rides) and then changing everyone into swimsuits.

The Maritime Museum

The Deal: One free kid under 12 per paid adult admission. Redeem here. 

The Museum: Waterfront Park and The Maritime Museum are right next to each other and make a great combo visit. The park has a splash pad and great views of the boats if you don’t want to tour the actual museum. We found metered street parking pretty easily.

Don’t miss the B-39 Submarine, the HMS Surprise (used for filming Master and Commander!), the San Salvador, and of course The Star of India! You can climb all around the ships, touch everything, and even use the periscope in the submarine. Open 10-5 every day. Last entry at 4 pm. I would expect to spend 2 plus hours there, more if you have a kid that is into boats.

$10/kid $20/adult. They do participate in Kids Go Free October. There are options for add-on pirate boat rides too!

SeaWorld San Diego

The Deal: One kid per full-priced adult ticket (ages 3-9). Redeem offer here. 

About SeaWorld: SeaWorld is wonderful because it works for a range of ages. Older kids will love the giant roller coasters. Younger kids will love the Rescue Jr area. All ages will love the animal shows and learning more about animals!

Our favorite area for kids here is the brand new Rescue Jr. area to the right of the entrance. They have some playgrounds and cute shows and kid rides! We also love the feeder fish at the front and the manta ray touch tank by the manta roller coaster.

During October they have their cute daytime Halloween event which the Kids Go Free pass works for!

Other deals to check out:

Kayak rentals to see the sea lions in La Jolla, The Air & Space museum in Balboa Park, the Living Coast Discovery Center in Chula Vista, kids eat free at Casa Guadalajara in Old Town San Diego, California Surf Museum, and special deal at San Diego Mission Bay Resort! I have The Brain Institute and the Archeological Center on my list for this year!

Full List of Activities and Deals By Region for Kids Go Free October San Diego

(scroll for restaurants and hotels as well)

Coastal / La Jolla

1. Birch Aquarium at Scripps
2. La Jolla Historical Society
3. Kids Cruise Free San Diego Whale Watch
4. Mt. Soledad National Veteran’s Memorial
5. Museum of Contemporary Art

North County Coastal / Carlsbad / Encinitas

1. Museum of Making Music
2. California Surf Museum
3. Encinitas Historical Society and 1883 Schoolhouse
4. LEGOLAND® California Resort
5. San Diego Botanic Garden
6. Mission San Luis Rey
7. Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum
8. Kids Ride Free at Dynamite Electric Bike Tours
9. Whale Watching at Oceanside Adventures

North County / Escondido / Inland North

9. California Center for the Arts, Escondido Museum
10. Mission San Luis Rey Museum (Oceanside / North County)
11. Heritage of the Americas Museum (El Cajon / inland-north)
12. San Diego Archaeological Center (Escondido area)
13. Children’s Museum of Discovery (Escondido / North County)

Balboa Park

14. Fleet Science Center
15. San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat)
16. San Diego Museum of Art
17. Museum of Us
18. San Diego Air & Space Museum
19. San Diego Automotive Museum
20. San Diego Model Railroad Museum
21. MOPA @ SDMA (Museum of Photographic Arts)
22. Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
23. Mingei International Museum
24. San Diego History Center / Junípero Serra Museum / Marston House Museum
25. Japanese Friendship Museum
26. Comic Con Museum
27. Centro Cultural de la Raza
28. World Beat Cultural Center

Downtown San Diego

27. USS Midway Museum
28. New Children’s Museum
29. Maritime Museum of San Diego
30. Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House
31. Nautical History Gallery & Museum
32. Navy SEAL Museum San Diego (
33. San Diego International Airport (listed as a participating site/promotion)
34. J.A. Cooley Museum
35. Marston House
36. Chinese Historical Museum
37. Old Town Trolley Tour

Coronado / Point Loma

1. Coronado Historical Association
2. Kids Ride Free at The Gondola Company
3. Kids Fish Free at H&M Landing in Point Loma
4. Kids Free at Cabrillo National Monument
5. Visions Museum of Textile Art
6. Kids Ride Free at San Diego Speed Boat Adventures

Mission Bay / Mission Beach

1. Free Helicopter Tours at Corportae Helicopters of San Diego
2. Kids Cruise Free City Cruises and Flagship Cruises
3. Belmont Park
4. SeaWorld San Diego

South Bay / Chula Vista / Border Region

65. Bonita Museum & Cultural Center
66. San Diego Archaeological Center (Escondido — listed above but sometimes supports southern programming)
67. Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center
68. Living Coast Discovery Center (Chula Vista — also listed above)

Inland

1. Kids Fish Free at Lake Jennings
2. Barona Cultural Center and Museum
3. Warner-Carillo Rancho House
4. La Mesa Depot

Where Kids Eat Free in October in San Diego / Participating Restaurants Kids Go Free

1. Carnitas Snack Shack
2. Crab Hut Kearny Mesa
3. Bistro 39 Restaurant and Bar
4. Casa Guadalajara
5. Crab Hut Mira Mea
6. Hasta Manana Cantina
7. Marina Kitchen
8. Rancho Bernardo Inn
9. Shores Restaurant La Jolla
10. Studio in La Jolla
11. The Original 40
12. The Smoking Gun
13. Vessel Restaurant
14. The Waffle Spot
15. Blue Wave Bar and Grill
16. Pacific Terrace
17. Firefly Eatery and Bar
18. Humphrey’s

Where Kids Stay Free in October in San Diego / Participating Hotels Kids Go Free October San Diego

1. Free Kids Welcome Gift at Glorietta Inn
2. Kids stay and eat free at Best Western Zoo / Seaworld
3. Kids eat free at Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Old Town
4. Kids Eat Free at Courtyard San Diego Downtown
5. Kids Eat Free at Hilton San Diego Airport – Harbor Island
6. Kids Free Bikes and Bags at Ocean Park Inn
7. Kids Free at San Diego Mission Bay Resort
8. Kids Free at Town and Country Resort (this would be my top choice, they ahve waterslides and a great location by public transit and Sea World)
9. Kids Stay and Eat Free at Porto Vista Hotel
10. Kids Stay, Play, Eat Free at Bahia Resort Hotel (and 25% off!) (other top choice, this is a nice hotel).
11. Kids Free at Catamaran Resort in Mission Bay and free kids meal at Coastal Kitchen