We chose to stay north of San Diego in Carls- bad, both because we could score cheaper hotel rates and we knew several families who raved about Omni La Costa Resort and Spa . In addition to typical hotel rooms for up to four, they offer larger rooms to comfort - ably fit families of five, plus villas with fully stocked kitchens. We made use of most of the eight (yes, eight!) outdoor swimming pools, especially the family pool with a sandy beach entry and splash landing pool complete with two large water slides, a smaller slide and a splash pad. Three restaurants, two coffee shops/cafes and poolside bars (in season) gave us plenty of dining options without hav - ing to leave the resort, a major plus on our first night when we hit the pool and grabbed pizzas from the marketplace. Day 2 Another reason we opted for the Omni is its proximity to the mecca of Carlsbad, LEGOLAND . To fuel up for a full day of fun, we stopped first at Beach Plum Kitchen in Carlsbad, where old-fashioned buttermilk pancakes and waffles, migas with chorizo and roasted bell peppers and choose-your-hash with options like mushroom and spinach or house-cured pork belly are beautifully presented and top-notch tasty. Don’t miss the blueberry muffins with buttery crumble topping or the homemade pop tarts. To get kid-free admissions to LEGOLAND, tickets must be purchased online ahead of time, and the park only allows one free kid admission per paid adult admission. Arriving about an hour before official opening is key (hint: the gates actually open about 30 minutes early); while rides are only open to hotel guests, early rope drop allowed us to get the lay of the land, check out the gift shop and plan our day.
Our adventure junkies loved the thrill rides, while our youngest most enjoyed driving school, commanding his own LEGO car. Mainland USA is a must-see, with iconic cities built with intricate details. We all loved spotting our favorite fairy tales come to life in LEGO form as we drifted through Fairy Tale Brook and the interactive fun aboard submarines in LEGO CITY Deep Sea Adventure, where we competed in a scavenger hunt on touch screens. For dinner after a fun-filled day, we chose Karl Strauss Brewing for its location near LEGOLAND, family-friendly menu and indoor/outdoor dining options. One of SoCal’s most famous local breweries, Karl Strauss offers everything from indulgent “Mac on Tap” featuring a variety of mac and cheese combinations to spicy salmon or chicken quinoa rice bowls. The kids’ menu included burgers, mac and cheese, chicken and even fruit and veggies (some in our party were happier about this than others).
June 14 10am-3pm Myriad Gardens (Devon Lawn) Celebrate your "Cool" Dad!
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VISITING THIS LEGO MECCA WAS A HIGHLIGHT OF OUR SAN DIEGO TRIP.
METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / JUNE 2020 27
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