11 Best Things To Do In Julian With Kids for 2025
Julian is a small mountain town about an hour east of San Diego County. San Diegans flock there in the fall to pick apples, taste apple pie, and generally experience seasons because we don’t have those in Southern California. The heart of Julian is the small-town charm around their Main Street, but there’s so much more to Julian than just that spot! It makes a great day trip or you can even stay for the weekend. Here are the best things to do in Julian with kids.
The Best Things to do in Julian with Kids
- Pie Test
- Explore Downtown Julian
- Tour the Mine
- Go Apple Picking
- Visit Miner’s Diner
- Hike on a kid-friendly trail
- Fort Cross Old Timey Adventures
- Oasis Camel Dairy
- See the Milky Way
- California Wolf Center
- Lake Cuyamaca Park
But First, Parking
If you’re new here, parking is my love language. I won’t go unless I know where to park. Parking can be tough especially on a fall Saturday. There’s a large cheap paid parking lot we’ve had luck with. To find it turn right after the Julian Pioneer Museum on 4th Street and go up the hill.
Pie Test on Main Street
Julian is known for their apples, so begin your adventure by taste testing apple pie at the bakeries along Main Street. Our strategy is to get pies early in the day because lines get long in the afternoon as more people arrive. This is a place where it’s socially acceptable to have three slices of pie before 10 am.
Historic Main Street is super cute. Make sure to check out their Town Hall and Pioneer Museum! There are a series of quaint shops and a gift shop to get prizes for the kids or souvenirs. We liked the candy shop in particular.
Four bakeries to not miss:
- Julian Pie Company: This one consistently has lines out the door and around the corner. They also ship their pies into San Diego grocery stores (I have seen them at Baron’s and Von’s!) but the pies don’t taste quite as fresh from the stores versus the bakeries.
- Mom’s Pie House: Mom’s Pies is a hidden gem and the owners are amazing! They have two locations, the one on Julian’s Main Street and a standalone one as you drive into Julian. Do not and I repeat do not miss their apple cider. Just don’t let the kids drink too much. It’s made of pure apples with no additives and not diluted with water. It will do to your digestion system what inhaling 4-5 apples will do.
- Julian Cafe: Julian Cafe and Bakery is my personal favorite because they have an apple pumpkin crumb pie with a huge helping of pure vanilla ice cream. It doesn’t rank the highest in the Yelp reviews, but I thought it was the most delicious.
- California Mountain Bakery: This one is not actually in Julian proper. It’s one town over in Wynola. If you’re going to Fort Cross (more about Fort Cross later in this post!) it’s right next door. The apple pie here was voted “Best Apple Pie in California.” I did like it, though I also appreciated their berry pies!
Tour the Mine
From Main Street head uphill and check out the tour of the mines. It’s super fun because the Julian Mining Company tour guides turn on the personality! The mines are an intricate path of tunnels from gold rush times.
It can be a little scary with small kids because they have a point in the tour where they turn out the lights completely and you’re plunged into pitch black. You can’t even see your hand in front of your face.
Our young children were fine, I just held them during that part. Mostly the kids were entranced by the mines, the mine equipment, and the gold panning at the end.
Visit Miner’s Diner
Apparently you CAN get tired of pie after your fourth slice. When that time inevitably happens, check out Miner’s Diner. My favorite is their bison burger but they also have good melts! When you walk in, make sure to look up to see the model train going around. They also have a candy shop and an old fashioned soda fountain.
Go Apple Picking
Apple picking season goes from late August to early October. It’s easy to miss because it’s still hot and you aren’t quite thinking about fall yet! I recommend following the apple orchard you want to visit on Instagram as they will post updates! I also share their updates to my page. Apple picking season is over for 2024, they had a smaller crop this year.
Three Best Apple Orchards
- Volcan Valley Apple Farm: This one is our personal favorite! It’s larger and has a few different varieties of apples. Try to go on the first day when they are open for picking as they run out quickly! I like this one the best because the main event is apple picking and I don’t have to worry about paying more for add-on experiences.It’s $5 for entry and $15 for the apple bags. Ages 5 and under are free! Currently they do not require a reservation. Do not miss their apple cider!Note: you need to drive from Julian Main Street to get here. It can be a very windy road so bring Dramamine and barf bags.
- Julian Farm and Orchard: This apple picking experience has a lot more to do, like tractor-pulled hayrides, petting zoo, a pumpkin patch, U-Pick berries etc. You have to buy tickets for every individual thing, so if you go you will probably end up spending money on more than just apples. The U-Pick apple tours are actually by reservation only, so follow this link to sign up for updates for when reservations go live!
- Crosscut Farm and Orchard: This farm is a Mom and Pop family run organization! This year (2023) they are open September 16-24th only. You must make reservations online. It’s $5/person and that fee includes an apple cider pressing demonstration and a brief intro to apple farming. For a 7-8 lb bag of apples it’s $20.
Another tip: it’s actually quite warm there, so leave your fuzzy fall boots and flannel jackets at home. Or bring them and have a photoshoot, I am not the boss of you. But you’re going to be warm picking apples. This is San Diego, not the East Coast.
Hike on a kid-friendly trail
Julian has many beautiful hiking trails, or you can drive another hour to Anza Borrego State Park and hike there. We loved the natural beauty of Anza Borrego! The two hikes we have done there are the The Slot Canyon Trail (1 mi out and back through a 40 foot high slot canyon, can also be done as a 2.5 mi loop) and The Wind Caves (0.9 mi out and back hike to cool caves!). The wind caves may require AWD to get there.
If you would like to stick closer to Julian, here are some ideas for the most popular hikes! Make sure to check out Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve for a great way to get outside with the kids.
Fort Cross Old Timey Adventures
Last but certainly not least is Fort Cross Old Timey Adventures. We went to Julian many times before discovering this gem! You pay for the day and then get to participate in a series of farm activities and survival skills such as tomahawk throwing or axe throwing, rock-climbing wall, slingshot paintball, archery, and more! They also have a reptile experience (have you ever fed a chameleon?) and a petting zoo! This is great for older kids and younger kids alike.
Their Autumn Jubilee in the fall and their Lilac Festival also amazing events! They are pretty good about social media, so follow their Instagram to get the latest info.
In order to go, you need to reserve a time online and it’s $22/person for the experience. I would say that is well worth it for all the things they pack into your reservation slot. They also have a few U-pick experiences available depending on the season!
Their Autumn Jubilee is excellent and they gave me a 25% off discount code for you. It’s SANDIEGO.MAMAS and will give you the discount for tickets at checkout!
Oasis Camel Dairy
On the way out to Julian, if you look closely, you’ll spot Oasis Camel Dairy! They are currently reservation-only, but it’s a very cool place to check out.
See The Milky Way from a Dark Sky Community
Julian is one of Southern California’s only Dark Sky communities, meaning you can see the stars really well if you happen to be there at night!
California Wolf Center
This wolf rehabilitation center is open for tours! At $30 per person for the one-hour tour, it is a bit pricey but all tour proceeds go toward wolf rehabilitation. The kids definitely will not forget seeing wolves in real life!
Lake Cuyamaca Park
This is a great place to check out Julian’s beautiful nature and fall leaves! There are also lake activities in the summer.
Thanks so much for reading!
If you find any of this information to be incorrect or need updating, please send me an email to sandiegomamas@gmail.com or a DM on Instagram to @sandiego.mamas . There is a reason I chose to call this San Diego MamaS (plural) not San Diego Mama. It takes our whole mom village (which now includes you!) to make sure I can disperse the best information for your family.
Sharing this post helps the mom behind you and helps my page grow! Please feel free to share this link with any other mom who might need it.
Oh I also send out a monthly email with dates of all the events coming to San Diego and my top suggestions for outings for that month. Planning all the fun for your family is a hard job, let me help you! You can find info on signing up for that at the top of the page.
