It's a common gripe in our go-go world: families are too fragmented, kids are busy with their organized sports, parents are working long hours, yadda, yadda, yadda. And between high-tech diversions like video games and the Internet, not to mention hanging at the mall, you'd think good old family fun is a lost activity. But it's not, and old school fun is still available - you just have to look a little harder.
Some fun family activities may seem like relics from another time, but that's what makes them fun. Even more concerning: a lot of these activities are fading from our landscape, destined to be just another generational memory (can you say drive-in?. So it's even more important to expose our children to these bits of Americana, because if we don't, they'll only know bowling as something you play on a PlayStation.
Here are my top picks for ways to have fun with your family around San Diego:
Bowling
Yes, it's as old as the hills, and it might seem like your Aunt Biddy's activity. But who doesn't have fun bowling? You don't have to be good, and bowling centers are doing their best to jazz up with late night rock 'n' bowl hours to attract the hipster crowd. Yep, bowling is cool! Best Bets are:Kearny Mesa Bowl, Sunset Bowl in Clairemont, Mira Mesa Lanes and Parkway Bowlin El Cajon, and Brunswick Premier Lanes in Chula Vista.
Drive-In Theaters
Our mild weather allows us to make use of the ultimate car culture icon, the drive-in theater.
But with the high cost of real estate, these testaments to high-school revelry are a dying breed, at least in San Diego. There are only a couple left in the county, so hurry and pack up the kids with some goodies and blankets! Best Bets:Santee Drive-in, Harbor Drive-in in South Bay.
Miniature Golf
Forget about that six hour round and that outrageous green fee - your kids will get bored, anyway, with a round of regular golf. But miniature golf - that's another story. Yes, the clown faces and windmills are still waiting for your putt, but places to roll the ball on the green carpet are becoming fewer and fewer. Best Bets: Luckily, there are still a few places that incorporate mini-golf into their facilities, the biggest being Boomers! family fun centers, with locations in El Cajon, San Diego, Escondido and Vista, and Fun-4-All family fun center in Chula Vista.
Go Karts
For a kid, there's nothing like being able to drive before turning 16. Of course, we're talking about go karts and not cars. Even if you're an adult, it's still pretty thrilling to race go karts on a winding track. Years ago, nearly every community had a go kart track, but you can still find a few around town. Best Bets:Boomers! fun centers has go karts at each of their locations, as does the Fun-4-All fun center in Chula Vista. But if you want real speed, there are a couple of indoor tracks that offer souped up go karts: Miramar Speed Circuit and K-1 Speed Racing in Carlsbad. Both offer state-of-the-art karts and top-notch facilities.
Roller Skating
Believe it or not, before the mall became the de-facto place for teens to hang out on the weekend, the roller rink was the gathering place. And for lots of people, young and young-at-heart, it still is. There aren't many around town (venerable Roller Skate Land in Santee recently shut down), but you can find a few, even though you may see as many in-line skates (roller blades) as you will traditional roller skates. Best Bets:Skateworld in Linda Vista. Also: Skate San Diego in National City.
Some fun family activities may seem like relics from another time, but that's what makes them fun. Even more concerning: a lot of these activities are fading from our landscape, destined to be just another generational memory (can you say drive-in?. So it's even more important to expose our children to these bits of Americana, because if we don't, they'll only know bowling as something you play on a PlayStation.
Here are my top picks for ways to have fun with your family around San Diego:
Bowling
Yes, it's as old as the hills, and it might seem like your Aunt Biddy's activity. But who doesn't have fun bowling? You don't have to be good, and bowling centers are doing their best to jazz up with late night rock 'n' bowl hours to attract the hipster crowd. Yep, bowling is cool! Best Bets are:Kearny Mesa Bowl, Sunset Bowl in Clairemont, Mira Mesa Lanes and Parkway Bowlin El Cajon, and Brunswick Premier Lanes in Chula Vista.
Drive-In Theaters
Our mild weather allows us to make use of the ultimate car culture icon, the drive-in theater.
But with the high cost of real estate, these testaments to high-school revelry are a dying breed, at least in San Diego. There are only a couple left in the county, so hurry and pack up the kids with some goodies and blankets! Best Bets:Santee Drive-in, Harbor Drive-in in South Bay.
Miniature Golf
Forget about that six hour round and that outrageous green fee - your kids will get bored, anyway, with a round of regular golf. But miniature golf - that's another story. Yes, the clown faces and windmills are still waiting for your putt, but places to roll the ball on the green carpet are becoming fewer and fewer. Best Bets: Luckily, there are still a few places that incorporate mini-golf into their facilities, the biggest being Boomers! family fun centers, with locations in El Cajon, San Diego, Escondido and Vista, and Fun-4-All family fun center in Chula Vista.
Go Karts
For a kid, there's nothing like being able to drive before turning 16. Of course, we're talking about go karts and not cars. Even if you're an adult, it's still pretty thrilling to race go karts on a winding track. Years ago, nearly every community had a go kart track, but you can still find a few around town. Best Bets:Boomers! fun centers has go karts at each of their locations, as does the Fun-4-All fun center in Chula Vista. But if you want real speed, there are a couple of indoor tracks that offer souped up go karts: Miramar Speed Circuit and K-1 Speed Racing in Carlsbad. Both offer state-of-the-art karts and top-notch facilities.
Roller Skating
Believe it or not, before the mall became the de-facto place for teens to hang out on the weekend, the roller rink was the gathering place. And for lots of people, young and young-at-heart, it still is. There aren't many around town (venerable Roller Skate Land in Santee recently shut down), but you can find a few, even though you may see as many in-line skates (roller blades) as you will traditional roller skates. Best Bets:Skateworld in Linda Vista. Also: Skate San Diego in National City.