Ten family-friendly car trips in Southern California

Smart parents know they don’t need to roam far from home to find smart, family-friendly adventures.

All you need is a tank of gas and some good directions. Here are 10 staycation ideas from Jack Brandais, author of “Weekend Driver San Diego: Day Drives in and Around San Diego County” and creator of the Web site weekenddriver.com. His guidebook is available in bookstores and online.

There are endless possibilities for making these “smart” trips. Here are a few ideas: Have your child help plan the route. Estimate how many miles you will travel and how much you will spend on gas. Research the history of the area you will visit.

Ready to hit the road?

This is the perfect day trip for train lovers. The museum, located about 45 miles from downtown San Diego, is open on weekends for walking tours and train rides. (You could even ride the Bunny Train April 4, 5 and 11.) Tickets for the train are $15 for adults, $5 for children 6 to 12 and free for children 5 and under.

For information on the museum and train schedule, go to sdrm.org.
For details on Jack’s suggested route to the museum, check out this story on cruising Highway 94.

Here’s a sample from the story: Over the 54 miles from the Jamacha Junction to Boulevard, the highway snakes through the mountains and valleys of southeastern San Diego County, and communities with names like Jamul, Dulzura, Potrero, and Campo, close to Mexico before ending in Boulevard. There are plenty of places to eat, plus parks, campgrounds, and lots of twisting, rugged driving.

You can also take a more direct route (these directions are from the museum Web site): Head east on Interstate 8 from San Diego for about 45 miles. Exit at Buckman Springs Road and proceed south for about 10 miles. At the intersection with State Route 94, turn right and proceed westbound for about 1.5 miles until you cross the railroad tracks. Turn left onto Forrest Gate Road and follow the signs to the museum.

The Tijuana Estuary offers a beautiful glimpse into California’s marshlands. More than 370 species of birds, including the endangered California Least Tern, Least Bell’s Vireo and California Brown Pelican, have been sighted at the estuary and its nearby river valley.

The center, which is open Wednesday through Sunday, offers nature walks and bird watching walks on weekends that begin at the Visitor Center. For more information, go to the Tijuana Estuary’s Web site.

And here’s a story Brandais wrote for his Web site on the Tijuana Estuary and other fun stops in the South Bay. If you have a GPS device, you can even download directions from Jack’s site for a small fee.

Directions: Take Interstate 5 south to Imperial Beach and exit on Coronado Ave (not the Coronado Bridge). Turn right and continue continue approximately 2.5 miles. (Around 13th Street, Coronado Avenue will turn into Imperial Beach Boulevard.) Turn left on 3rd Street at the stop sign, then left on Caspian Way which leads into parking lot. Parking is free.

The Chula Vista Nature Center also offers a lovely look at our coastal life. Interactive exhibits cover the history, geology, ecology, natural history and bio-diversity of the Sweetwater Marsh and San Diego Bay. Exhibits include a shark and ray tank, aviaries with waterbirds, hawks and owls, bird watching platforms and drought tolerant gardens that attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
The nature center is open Tuesday through Sunday, year-round. For more information, go to the Chula Vista Nature Center’s Web site.

Directions: From Interstate 5, take the E Street exit in Chula Vista and go west. Follow the signs to the Nature Center’s parking lot, located at 1000 Gunpowder Point Drive.

For an upclose look at small creatures living along our coast, you can’t get any better than the Point Loma Tide Pools on the western edge of the Cabrillo National Monument. During low tide, pools form along the area’s rocky depressions, and if you’re lucky, you could see flowery anemones, elusive octopi, spongy deadman’s fingers and many other creatures. 

For more information, go to the Cabrillo Monument’s Web site. There are tide tables on the site to help you coordinate the timing of your visit.

Directions: From Interstate 5 South, take the Rosecrans/Highway 209 exit. Stay on Rosecrans for several miles until you reach Point Loma. Turn right on Canon Street and continue until Catalina Boulevard/Cabrillo Memorial Drive, where you will turn left. Continue all the way to the end of the street. For additional directions, go to the Cabrillo Monument site.

Hey, we’re in San Diego County, so why not one more jaunt along the coast, this one for a trip back in time to a classic roadside diner, the 101 Cafe in Oceanside.

“They haven’t changed it much, so it’s a lot of fun,” Brandais said.

The cafe, which serves burgers, shakes, sundaes and other diner fare (and has a kids’ menu), began as a small 20-seat diner in 1928. It draws its name from the old Highway 101, which back in the day was the main route from San Diego to Los Angeles.

For more information, go to the 101 Cafe Web site or consult an article Brandais wrote on a day trip down the San Diego County’s north coastline beginning in Oceanside. (GPS directions are available for a small fee.)

Directions: Take Interstate 5 to Oceanside Boulevard and turn right. Continue to South Coast Highway and turn right. The cafe is located at 631 S. Coast Blvd.

For a step back in time, the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum is a great choice. The museum, located on 55 acres, has more than 20,000 pieces of equipment from 1849 to 1949. Exhibits include horse-drawn farm equipment. Consult the museum Web site for special events, including spring and harvest festivals and Civil War reenactments.

“Some of the steam engines are 150 years old,” Brandais said. “It just blows kids away.”

The museum is open daily. There is a modest entry fee.

Directions: Take Interstate 5 to state Route 78 east. Exit Melrose Drive and turn left to 
North Santa Fe Avenue. Turn right on North Santa Fe Avenue and continue to Museum Way, where you will turn right. Directions from other points of the county are available on the Antique Gas and Steam Museum Web site.

If you are looking for a road trip with plenty of twists and turns, consider driving De Luz Road between Temecula and Fallbrook. (Probably not the best choice if your kids are prone to car sickness.) Brandais said the route will take you past avocado groves and some breathtaking canyons.

And out near the the northeastern edge of Camp Pendleton and in the Santa Margarita Open Space Preserve, the landscape looks much as it did when European settlers moved into this area in the 1880s.

Fallbrook has many shops and restaurants. And if you are in the mood for a great burger, Brandais suggested stopping at George Burgers in San Marcos.

Directions: Take Interstate 15 north to Temecula and exit at Rancho California Road and turn left. Continue to De Luz Road and turn left. Continue onto De Luz Murietta Road and then turn left (again) onto De Luz Road. This will take you to Fallbrook. Directions from Fallbrook are located on Brandais’ Web site, along with GPS directions that can be downloaded for a small fee.

The Ortega Highway includes twists and turns through Orange County’s picturesque backcountry. will take you from Temecula/Lake Elsinore to San Juan Capistrano. There are many places to stop for lunch along the way, including the Old Highway Diner, which Brandais recommended. For other great ideas, here’s a story Brandais wrote on touring the Ortega Highway.

If you are game for a short hike, Jerry Schad, author of “Afoot and Afield in Orange County,” recommended taking the San Juan Loop Trail.

Directions: Take Interstate 15 north to Lake Elsinore. Exit at Central Avenue/state Route 74. Turn left and follow the SR-74 west signs. Turn right at Collier Avenue and then left at Riverside Drive. Bear left to continue onto Grand Avenue. Turn right onto the Ortega Highway. Additional directions are available on Brandais’ site.

(with a side trip to Fonts Point if you are in a four-wheel drive vehicle)

For a taste of the desert, Borrego Springs and the surrounding Anza Borrego Desert State Park are great destinations, except during the summer unless you love the heat. Wildflowers during the spring attract visitors from all corners.

You will find directions to Fonts Point in an article on Anza Borrego on Brandais’ site. The area, he wrote, is named after Father Pedro Font, a Franciscan Friar who accompanied Spanish Conquistador Juan Bautista de Anza on his explorations through the valley. Anza opened up the desert route that the Spanish used as an overland supply route between Mexico and settlements as far north as San Francisco.

If you’d like to take a hike, Schad in his guidebook “Afoot and Afield in San Diego County” suggested Lower Hellhole Canyon.

Directions: Brandais’ favorite way to reach Borrego Springs is from Interstate 15, take Pala Road (SR-76) east past Lake Henshaw. Then make a left at SR-79 and a right at San Felipe Road (S-2). A left at Montezuma Valley Road will take you down to Borrego Springs.

Brandais’ final pick is another trip to the coast. Aren’t we smart to live in paradise? This one happens to be one of my (Ruth’s) favorite places to visit with my kids during the summer. The waves are perfect for boggie boarding or body surfing, and the beach is easy to access. The only downside: There’s a fee to park.

If you’d like to take a hike, Schad suggested serveral within the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.

Directions: Take Interstate 5 to Carmel Valley Road and head west. The parking lot for the north beach parking lot will be on the left side of Carmel Valley Road. The reach the main Torrey Pines reserve and south beach, continue on Carmel Valley Road and turn left on North Torrey Pines Road. Continue south about 1 mile to the south beach entry at 12600 N. Torrey Pines Road.