A Love Letter to SoCal: 12 Things We Can’t Wait to Do Again

Hit the beach! We'll never again gripe about finding parking and lugging all the sand toys and snacks to set up camp at the beach with our kids. We want to build sand castles, splash in the waves, run up and down the coastline, boogie board and bask in the sunshine.

Experience LEGO Movie World for the first time when it opens! Spend time at home watching The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, because this new land immerses you into the LEGO Movie universe and places you on the streets of Bricksburg. We can't wait to buckle up for the Masters of Flight ride, enjoy the rush of falling from Unikitty’s Disco Drop, explore Benny’s Play Ship, ride a fully reimagined carousel, and meet Emmet and all of his friends in Emmet’s Super Suite apartment!

In the meantime we'll keep busy at home doing LEGOLAND's Building Challenges! 

Hit the road to meet up with and hug our favorite characters at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Pile into jeeps to ride Indiana Jones Adventure, slide into cars to race around Radiator Springs and cozy into boats to ride Pirates of the Caribbean and It's a Small World. Cheer and wave on the streets of Disneyland while watching the Magic Happens Parade. Wait in line for a sweet and refreshing Dole whip. Gather to watch fireworks above Sleeping Beauty's castle. Feel the magic again.

In the meantime, we'll be watching this virtual viewing of the Magic Happens Parade and enjoying this series of Learning & Activity Sheets from Disney, Pixar and National Geographic to tide us over.

Yell "wheeee" on Belmont Park's Giant Dipper rollercoaster, stop in The Sweet Shoppe for some homemade fudge, and giggle til it hurts on the Tilt-A-Whirl.

Catch up with our favorite animals at San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Take a peaceful journey on the Africa Tram to see how the rhinos are doing and ride the Skyfari Aerial Tram for a bird's eye view of the Zoo. 

In the meantime, we'll be enjoying San Diego Zoo's virtual spring break activities, watching all our favorite creatures on the live zoo cams, and exploring the butterflies via a livestream of Butterfly Jungle.

Take several spins on the Balboa Park carousel. We'll hop on a different animal every time! A jumping horse, an ostrich, a pig, a lion, a camel... all the creatures!

Hike down to the water at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. Breathe in the gorgeous ocean views while pausing for shade beneath the beautiful Torrey Pine trees.

Cheer on the San Diego Padres at a home baseball game. But first, stopping at KidsFest before a Sunday game to watch our kids jump in the bounce houses, get their face painted and get a balloon animal. We also can't wait to dig in to Cardiff Crack Nachos and chomp on The Slugger Dog while we root for the home team.

Climb aboard our favorite locomotives at Poway Midland Railroad for a fun trip around Poway Park. Taste our way through the neighboring Poway farmer's market to pick a fresh bouquet of spring flowers, relish a fresh baked croissant, and fill our baskets with a bounty of fruits and vegetables from local farmers.

Decisions, decisions! We eagerly anticipate choosing between all of the amazingly clever and unique ice cream flavors on a monthly rotation at Salt & Straw. We think we'll order a double, or even a triple scoop just so we can make up for lost time! We'll know the true meaning of "we all scream for ice cream."

Soak up some serene nature therapy at the San Diego Botanic Garden. We long to stroll among towering trees, marvel at exotic plants and flowers, climb up and explore Toni's Treehouse and watch our kids play outdoors in the Hamilton Children's Garden––pushing miniature boats down the mountain stream, and drawing in the art garden.

Wind our way through Balboa Park's museums. Behold the dinosaurs at the San Diego Natural History Museum, let our kids' imaginations soar at the San Diego Air & Space Museum, watch their minds light up at Fleet Science Center, and just relish the chance to walk through beautiful Balboa Park while museum-hopping. We also can't wait to share an order of Truffle Parm fries on a lunch stop at Panama 66.