My son recently had his first birthday and as I was planning his party I discovered a variety of wonderful places to hold children’s (and adults’) birthday parties in San Diego.  Because of our beautiful year-round climate, many of the venues are outdoors.

Mission Bay Park has a variety of locations with large grassy areas, picnic tables – many with gazebo-like metal awnings, play grounds, barbeques and fire pits, and restroom facilities, with beautiful views of the bay.  We selected Ski Beach, which has all of the above mentioned amenities as well as a small sandy beach, for our son’s birthday and it was perfect!  The covered picnic area provided shade; the large grassy area was great for playing soccer, football, lounging on a blanket, and more; the play ground had many options including swings, slides and more; and the restrooms were clean and well-stocked.  It was sunny and warm on the day of our son’s party so we didn’t end up using the fire pit, but had brought firewood and the fixings for S’mores just in case.  The kids enjoyed playing on the grass, at the playground and at the beach and several of our guests also took a stroll in the sand.  I highly recommend this location for a birthday party for all ages!

Presidio Park is another beautiful choice for an outdoor birthday party.  Friends of ours hosted their son’s birthday at The Arbor, which has a large grassy area nestled in the pine trees, picnic tables and restroom facilities.  The trees provided areas of shade and most of the grassy area was in the sun.  The kids enjoyed playing in the grass.  There is limited seating so I recommend bringing chairs and/or blankets. 

Balboa Park has a plethora of both outdoor and indoor options.  The park is the largest urban cultural park in the nation and boasts 1,200 acres.  There is a seemingly endless supply of grassy areas to host a party; however some are closer to facilities than others.  If you’re looking for an indoor venue, one great option is the San Diego Model Railroad Museum at Balboa Park.  You can rent their party room for two hours and your guests can tour the museum and see all of the amazing model trains – fun for kids and adults alike!  The woman I spoke with at the museum said that the rental fee for the party room is $150 plus an admission fee of $3/guest over the age of 15.  If you haven’t been to the Model Railroad Museum; I highly recommend it!

The places listed above were those that I researched for my son’s birthday party.  For more ideas for birthday venues in San Diego, I recommend this article “The Top 10 Places to Have a Kids’ Birthday Party.”  Happy party planning!