Summer Fun in San Diego

One of the best times of my life was my summer vacation in San Diego with my wife and daughter last year. We had a blast, and we didn't even hit half of the fun spots in town. Also, the weather couldn't be better. The humidity is so low, that I was surprised to read in the paper that the previous day's temperature topped 100 degrees. It didn't feel that hot at all. Here are some of the highlights of a summer in San Diego:

SEA WORLD

When I was growing up, we had a Sea World that was practically in our back yard in Aurora, Ohio. Unfortunately, the park was bought out several years ago, and now it's part of a larger traditional theme park called Geauga Lake. So when we were planning our vacation, San Diego leaped to the top of the list, because we wanted our daughter to see Shamu.

One of the best things about Sea World are the opportunities to interact with the animals. We got to pet and feed the dolphins, and we even got to touch some stingrays. My wife was a little scared, because the rays reminded her of the alien sea creatures on the TV series Invasion.

At night, there was a really fun stage show to end the day on the right note. I hope my daughter brings her kids to Sea World when she grows up.

SAN DIEGO ZOO

This is one of the biggest and most famous zoos in the world. Its animals have made numerous appearances on The Tonight Show. When we visited, the biggest attraction was the Chinese panda exhibit. Zoo patrons stood in line to see the pandas as if they were waiting to ride a roller coaster. We even got to feed my favorite animal - the giraffe, and we got to experience a fly-by from a flock of macaws.

One word of warning: this is a very big zoo with some enormous hills, so it's not easy to get around if you use a manual wheelchair. Now, every time I struggle to help my wife up a hill, she says, "Hey, this isn't as tough as the San Diego Zoo."

LEGOLAND

This was the highlight of the trip for our 3-year-old. It's a theme park with rides and attractions for kids of all ages. Grownups will have a great time, too, simply by strolling through Mini-Land, which features amazing Lego sculptures of famous places. We enjoyed a boat tour that took us past Lego re-creations of the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Sydney Opera House and Mount Rushmore. I wrote all about Legoland right here.

Make sure you visit the puppet show with Kevin Johnson, the ventriloquist from the first season of America's Got Talent. He and his bird friends, Clyde and Matilda, put on a very entertaining show. You can learn more about Legoland right here.

SPORTS

In the summer, you can catch the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. The topography of San Diego also makes it a great spot for golf. The 90-plus golf courses in the area cover desert, seaside, valley and other challenging terrains. You can learn all about San Diego's golf courses right here.

FOURTH of JULY

Hornblower Cruisers offers a special fireworks cruise on San Diego Bay for $99. The three-hour cruise offers dinner, drinks and music. You can order tickets at www.hornblowerholidays.com.

SAND CASTLES

The U.S. Open Sandcastle Competiton will take place on July 29 at Imperial Beach Pier. You can get creative or simply marvel at other sand builders' prowess. Learn more at www.usopensandcastle.com.

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed in a quiet town to the north of San Diego called Oceanside. I would recommend it, because it's a quick drive down south on Interstate 5 (or "the five" as those Californians call it). Oceanside has a nice little shopping district with some good restaurants right down at the harbor. I wrote about it for the AC right here.

For more highlights from San Diego, you can read the experiences of the AC's Jessica Elliott and Lenore Danesco.