OCTOBER: What To Do With Kids In San Diego (Oct. 2024)
October Adventures are here! Which ones will you go on this month?! 🤸🏻♂️ 📚 🎬 🦅 🎃 🍭 🎭 🌟 🌅 🏫
October's List of What To Do With Kids in San Diego
Here are all the fun kid-friendly events and seasonal happenings for these lucky San Diego kids in October.
Contents:
🤸🏻♂️ Kids are FREE in October
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🤸🏻♂️ KIDS FREE in OCTOBER 🤸🏻♂️
Kids get in FREE to TONS of local San Diego attractions, museums, restaurants and more! The offer is generally 2 free kids per 1 paid adult, but each has their own rules. All the info and details you need are on my website. more info
🍔 IN-N-OUT READING PROGRAM 🍔
Oct. 5 - Nov. 16, 2024. The In-N-Out "Cover to Cover" reading program is back! Children will earn 1 free hamburger/cheeseburger for every five books or 300 minutes read, up to three awards allowed! Sign up through SDPL. more info
🎬 OCTOBER OUTDOOR MOVIES 🎬
ROOFTOP CINEMA CLUB: starts at $11+
These are one of my favorite fall activities! Watch an outdoor movie from the 4th floor of The Hilton Grand Hyatt hotel downtown next to Seaport Village. Kids can attend movies before 4pm; films that start after 4pm are for ages 13+ only. They have a full concession snack bar with drinks and dranks. Bathrooms are inside the hotel down the hallway, so make sure kids go before the movie starts.
Note: these are "silent" movies in that you wear provided headphones to hear the movie, so if your headphones are off you won't hear the movie. Headphones fit best for ages 5+. The padded Adirondack chairs are first come first serve, but every seat is a good seat. There's plenty of space between rows for kids to get up and wander around if they need to and to park strollers.
Check their website for movie trailers and to see the full schedule of movies for 18+ after 4pm for date nights or friends night out. more info
Save 20% with my code: "famdiego20" (expires 9/30/24, but will be extended soon).
Below are OCTOBER movies before 4pm (kids allowed):
🔸 *Fri 10/4/24 at 5pm - Nightmare Before Christmas (*Ages 13+ only)
🔸 Sat 10/5/24 at 1pm - Inside Out 2
🔸 *Sat 10/5/24 at 4pm - Jurassic Park (*Ages 13+ only)
🔸 Sun 10/6/24 at 12:30pm - Despicable Me 4 (*dog-friendly showing)
🔸 Sat 10/12/24 at 3:45pm - Hocus Pocus
🔸 Sun 10/13/24 at 1pm - Inside Out 2
🔸 *Sun 10/13/24 at 4pm - Ghostbusters, 1984 (*Ages 13+ only)
🔸 Sat 10/19/24 at 1pm - Despicable Me 4
🔸 Sat 10/19/24 at 3:55pm - Scooby Doo (*dog-friendly showing)
🔸 Sun 10/20/24 at 1pm - Nightmare Before Christmas
🔸 Sun 10/20/24 at 3:15pm - Hocus Pocus
🔸 *Fri 10/25/24 at 5pm - Nightmare Before Christmas (*Ages 13+ only)
🔸 Sat 10/26/24 at 1pm - Inside Out 2 (*dog-friendly showing)
🔸 Sun 10/27/24 at 1pm - Coraline
🔸 *Sun 10/27/24 at 4pm - Hocus Pocus (*Ages 13+ only)
🔸 *Thur 10/31/24 at 5pm - Nightmare Before Christmas (*Ages 13+ only)
Good To Know:
Doors open 30-60 min before showtime, seats are first come first served based on your ticket type; every seat is a good seat! Even those in the back. Arrive early to play yard games, order food & drinks and get your wireless headphones set up; and to plan for extra time getting there.
Parking:
Park in the Manchester Grand Hyatt self-park parking garage (bring your parking ticket with you to get it validated after the movie for reduced parking rate, I think it's $11. If you don't get it validated you'll have to pay the full rate.) Plan on 10 minutes to walk from the parking garage, through the hotel and up the escalator to the 4th floor and down the hallway to get there. Don't worry, the signs are well posted, but just plan extra time to get there in time. ;)
OUTDOOR MOVIES IN THE PARK: Free!
These outdoor movies are held at various parks around San Diego County through the end of October. Dress the kiddos in their pjs and BYO lawn chairs, blankets, pillows, food, snacks & drinks. They're all FREE and some have bouncies, face painting, games and other fun activities and movie snacks. Each location has different activities that are available so check the schedule online for each venue's lineup.
Check website for changes, exact location & venue info. more info
Movies will start 15 minutes after sunset.
Pre-movie activities start at the time listed.
Smoking and alcohol are prohibited.
All dogs must be on a leash.
🔸 Saturday 10/5/24
5pm - Haunted Mansion - Waterfront Park, downtown
Activities: costume contest, games, bounce house, music, and dancing
🔸 Friday 10/11/24
5:30pm - Coco - Nobel Community Park, UTC/La Jolla
Activities: arts & crafts, as well as a community resource area
6pm - The Greatest Showman - North Park Mini Park
Activities: DJ/music, as well as arts & crafts
🔸 Saturday 10/12/24
5pm - The Goonies - Hilltop Recreation Center
Activities: arts & crafts, inflatable jumpers, DJ/music, and a photo booth
5:30pm - Coco (in Spanish) - Felicita County Park, Escondido
Activities: arts & crafts, as well as a community resource area
6pm - Kung Fu Panda 4 - Hellhold Canyon County Preserve
Activities: arts & crafts, as well as inflatable jumpers
6pm - Hocus Pocus - Lake Morena Campground
Activities: Join Park Rangers in making small Witch Brooms. Broom materials will be provided. Enjoy decorating and getting into the Halloween spirit with our Park Rangers. Be prepared for a spooky good time.
🔸 Friday 10/18/24
4:30pm - Trolls Band Together - MacArthur Park
Activities: games and vendors
5:30pm - Casper - Doyle Community Park
Activities: music and games
6pm - Rear Window - Heritage County Park, Old Town
Activities: n/a
🔸 Saturday 10/19/24
4pm - Hotel Transylvania 4 - Mira Mesa Community Park
Activities: inflatable jumpers, arts & crafts, DJ/music, and a photo booth
5pm - Hocus Pocus - Otay Lakes County Park
Activities: costume contest and pumpkin decorating before the movie starts
5:30pm - Monster House - Mt. Hope Cemetery
Activities: arts & crafts
6pm - The Nightmare Before Christmas - Life Oak County Park
Activities: n/a
🔸 Friday 10/25/24
4pm - Hotel Transylvania 2 - Ocean Beach Rec Center
Activities: mini carnival, as well as arts & crafts
4pm - The Nightmare Before Christmas - Torrey Highlands Neighborhood Park
Activities: inflatable jumpers, music/DJ, and arts & crafts
5pm - Hotel Transylvania - Pacific Beach Rec Center
Activities: arts & crafts
6:30pm - Trolls Band Together - Presidio Recreation Center
Activities: inflatable jumpers, as well as arts & crafts
🔸 Saturday 10/26/24
5:30pm - Ghostbusters: Afterlife - Agua Caliente County Park
Activities: n/a
5:30pm - Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island - Horse Creek Ridge County Park
Activities: n/a
5:30pm - Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation - Standley Community Park
Activities: arts & crafts
🔸 Friday 11/1/24
5pm - The Book of Life - Old Town State Park
Activities: Celebrate Dia de Los Muertos with Old Town San Diego State Historic Park! Visit our historic altares de Muertos, add a tribute to a loved one on our community altar, create a sugar skull, and explore our art installations.
🎃 PUMPKIN PATCH GUIDE 🎃
It's time for Fall Y'all and that means pumpkin patching to its fullest! My guide has them all listed from farms, to corn mazes and ABC. (updating soon)
🍭 TRICK-OR-TREATING GUIDE 🍭
San Diego has some pretty fun places to trick-or-treat. Think parks, museums, lakes, malls and more. Info on my website. (updating soon)
🦅 HAWKTOBER 🦅
Celebrating raptors that live & migrate through San Diego in October. Attend a Hawktober workshop featuring these majestic species at parks, campgrounds and wilderness preserves all over the county. more info
🌟 IMAGINARIUM 🌟
Sept. 14 - Nov. 10, 2024. Imaginarium “Where Light Meets Magic” is an interactive walk-thru magical light journey with millions of lights, enchanted forests & creatures, light mazes & tunnels, infinity mirror rooms, circus performances and more. Tues-Sun, 7–11 pm. Through Nov. 10. $16 ages 3-12, $21 for 13+. more info
🌅 SCRIPPS PIER SUNSET WALKS 🌅
Sept.-Oct. 2024. Join Birch Aquarium on a private walking tour of Scripps Pier at Sunset. Learn about sharks, see plankton under microscope & dissect a squid! Registration required. more info
AGES: 9+
COST: Reg $40; Member $27
DATES: Oct. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 27; between 5-7pm
🏫 SDUSD SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAM OPENS 🏫
Oct. 1 - Nov. 4, 2024. If you want to enroll your kids into another school besides your local school, you have until Nov. 4 to "choice" them in via lottery. It's a complicated system based on luck, all you need to know is on my website. more info