Despite sometimes being confused for some sort of Lego museum, LEGOLAND has long been a top draw among Southern California’s highly competitive theme park scene. 

While Lego of course features prominently — there are some impressive examples of Lego construction as well as creative working of Lego into the rides and activities – LEGOLAND is a fully-functioning theme park. It boasts a wide variety of rides and things to do, with many of them having interactive components that put kids and parents alike in the middle of the action. Particularly for families with younger children, the park is sure to be a hit.

Even more so this year with the opening of a water park within LEGOLAND. Water has always been a prominent part of the park. There is an area called Pirate Shores for example as well as rides like the Aquazone Wave Racer. But the new water park takes it to a new level. There’s “Twin Chasers” - two side by side transparent water tubes that kids and adults can rocket down as well as “Kid Creek” which is geared for the little ones get their splash on (don’t forget the swim diapers!). LEGOLAND has a great overview of the water park HERE where you can read all about the many features and thrills within the newly opened water park.

If you are thinking about going, you should consider a Go San Diego Card. For the price of the card you not only get free admission to LEGOLAND, but also get free admission to the San Diego Zoo, the Wild Animal Park, the USS Midway, Birch Aquarium - there are 50 things in all covered by the card (you can see the full list of what’s covered by free admission HERE). 

The Go San Diego Card also gets you a 25% off discount on the LEGOLAND water park. Normally admission to the water park is an extra $12, but with the Go San Diego Card, you not only get free admission to LEGOLAND (normally $67), but the water park is only $9.

Ciao Bambino, a site dedicated to helping families get the most out of their travel experiences, recently had a client try out the Go San Diego Card to see how it works first hand.

The results of their experience with it are written up here. One thing they not surprisingly liked was the ability to see and do things in San Diego for less: “I love savings like this—literally money saved with practically zero work. It’s like finding cash under your pillow.”

Sounds good to me too! Get all the details on the Go San Diego Card here, and a complete list of the 50 participating museums, sights, and tours — including SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, Legoland, and a lot more.

SeaWorld is now part of the Go San Diego Card program, joining over 425 sights, parks, museums, attractions, and tours that accept Go City Cards and Explorer Passes as an entry ticket. These sightseeing passes allow customers to pay one low price and then get multiple admissions, saving money and time in the process.

“As San Diego’s number one tourist attraction, we’ve welcomed over 130 million visitors since we opened in 1964,” said Marilyn Hannes, SeaWorld’s vice president of marketing. “We look forward to working with Smart Destinations to help us welcome the next 130 million.” SeaWorld will now be an included admission on 3, 5, and 7 day Go San Diego Cards.

The Go San Diego card leverages Smart Destinations networked ticketing platform to put all of a destinations top sights and attractions onto a single smart card. The card then works as the holder’s ticket to the participating sights. In addition to SeaWorld, the Go San Diego Card provides free admission to 50 of San Diego’s top museums, tours, and attractions for one low, flat price. The card comes with a full-color guidebook and also provides restaurants and shopping deals. Smart Destinations has Passes in 14 other locations across North America, with its smart cards being accepted at attractions ranging from a whale watch in Boston to Chicago’s Field Museum to surf lessons on Waikiki Beach.

“With SeaWorld added, the Go San Diego Card has everything people want in terms of things to do in San Diego,” said Cecilia Dahl, founder and President of Smart Destinations. She added that SeaWorld joins the San Diego Zoo, LEGOLAND^©, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, the U.S.S. Midway Museum, and the Museum of Art in the Go San Diego Card Program. In addition, the Card covers a number of tours and cruises as well as excursions to surrounding areas (even a day trip to Tijuana).

A great deal on your trip to San Diego. Use the Go San Diego Card during the day and save on eating out during San Diego Restaurant Week.
Enjoy cuisine that delights your palate and defines the art of dining in San Diego during Restaurant Week. Choose from over 180 of San Diego’s best restaurants and enjoy a 3-course meal for $20, $30 or $40 per person. Need a holiday gift idea? Restaurant Week also offers Visa giftcards, perfect for your loved ones or yourself. Or pair a giftcard with a hotel stay and create a relaxing culinary getaway perfect for unwinding after the holiday season.

For more information: http://www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com/

The San Diego Zoo unveiled the name of its 15-week-old giant panda during a ceremony on Tuesday. The 13.2-pound cubs Chinese name, Yun Zi, which means son of cloud, was one of five names posted on the Zoos Web site during a four-day period in which people around the world could vote. Son of cloud received 28 percent of the 17,526 votes cast, beating out names that meant blissful San Diego, little dragon, extraordinary bear and eternally blessed. The name, son of cloud, recognizes his mother, Bai Yun, whose name means white cloud.

The San Diego Zoo’s brand-new Elephant Odyssey exhibit is fun in mammoth proportions! Opening on May 23rd, 2009, this new exhibit takes people on a progression through the evolution of the Elephant. The new exhibit starts with a blast to the past and discover extinct animals from 12,000 years ago, then meet their relatives living today.

Watch keepers caring for elephants, meet a camel, and have your picture taken beside life-size statues of extinct animals. Asian elephants, jaguars, lions, condors, sloths, pronghorn, tapirs, and more show off in this 7.5-acre exhibit packed with activities and close-up animal encounters!

The San Diego Zoo is included in the cost of a Go San Diego Card. For the latest and on this exciting addition to one of the world’s greatest zoos, see the Elephant Odyssey site.

The site has a new top navigation bar that allows customers see all of the Go Cards and Explorer Passes offered by Smart Destinations. Previously, each Card had its own distinct site which meant most customers were not even aware they could get Cards in destinations such as Miami, New York, Chicago, Oahu, and Orlando.

In addition customers can learn how the card works, where it is accepted, read reviews by other customers, and see all the additional shopping and dining discounts all from one page.

Images and descriptions have been upgraded, navigation streamlined and improved, and other changes have also been made to the site to help customers plan their trip and get the right Card.

Smart Destinations reports that demand for the company’s attraction passes has not only been strong, but actually accelerating in 2009 as more and more people are looking to travel smarter. The fact that Go Cards and Explorer Passes let people into the top museums, tours, and attractions for a single money saving price makes sense in any economy. 

The expectation is the new site will further contribute to continued strong growth. The company was named by inc. Magazine as one of the 500 fastest growing companies and took the top spot among travel related companies.

New this year is an unedited Saturday night party - “Buskers After Dark” - to showcase untamed busker arts mingled with deejay grooves. The Busker After Dark party is an 18 and older event that will run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday April 18th.

These types of festivals are incredibly popular across the globe and in Seaport Village is hosting the only one of its kind in Southern California. The public will vote for the top three acts and can receive prizes themselves just for voting!

The event will run Saturday and Sunday, April 18 - 19, 2009 from 12 - 5 p.m. It’s free of charge, although buskers are known to accept tips, and a great way to enjoy the day outside on the San Diego waterfront and close to a number of attractions where you can round out the day using your Go San Diego Card.

Learn more about the Busker Festival at the Seaport Village site.

Starting in April, the Go San Diego Card is offering SEA LIFE Aquarium by LEGOLAND, Go Car Navigational Tours of the city, Little Italy Walking Tours, and new special offers to the pass. 

In addition, the new Children’s Museum has opened with outstanding reviews, and is joining the Go San Diego Card program.  The amazing new facility is right in the heart of downtown.  This eco-friendly building is packed with interactive experiences that will entertain your children for countless hours.  Each and every exhibit has been specifically created to enhance the child’s mind and creativity; not only will they have fun, but they’ll learn and develop social skills by working and interacting with other children.    If you are visiting with children in San Diego, don’t miss the opportunity to spend a day at the museum.  The New Children’s Museum is included on the Go San Diego Card starting 4/1.  Enjoy unlimited access to San Diego’s top attractions, for one low price with the Go San Diego Card.

January 11th to the 16th will see over 150 of San Diego’s restaurants participating in the 5th annual San Diego Restaurant Week. Three course meals priced at $20, $30, or $40 per person depending on the menu and location. Spend your days with your Go San Diego Card experiencing the best San Diego has to offer and then spend the evenings indulging your taste buds. For more details including a list of participating restaurants, menues, and more see the Restaurant Week Web Site.