Things to Do in San Diego

Powered by lightweight batteries, Ivan Stewart's electric bicycles propel riders around downtown San Diego at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. Hills and rough terrain won't slow down tours as the electric bikes tackle road obstacles with ease. The self-powered cycles can travel between 20 and 25 miles on a single charge, letting renters explore large parts of the city and its waterfront before needing to plug into a power source or capture stray lightning bolts.

At FunBelievable Play, British owners Lynne and Adriana introduce the San Diego area to “British-style” indoor play with playground equipment imported from the United Kingdom. Meeting all playground safety regulations, the 6,000-square-foot facility helps children use their imaginations while developing their physical and mental capabilities, and climbing structures and interactive games encourage social skills that come in handy when imaginary friends go off to college. A colorful three-level play structure hosts fun amenities such as tube slides, climbing walls, tiki-figure punching bags, and a ball shower, whereas the sports arena gives future athletes the chance to kick goals and shoot baskets. Wobbly walkers and toddlers enjoy more age-appropriate play in their own space, which scales down big-kid fun into an area littered with soft toys, a mini ball pit, and mini slides.

Parents can sip coffee in a lounge area and rest easy knowing their children are playing on equipment that's sanitized and inspected daily. The staffers are fully trained and have passed background checks, and many of them also are certified in first aid and CPR and boast an encyclopedic knowledge of cartoons.

Although Belmont Park has changed shape and modernized since opening in the 1920s, surviving vintage attractions such as the Giant Dipper roller coaster and the Plunge swimming pool stand as fun reminders of the park's family-friendly roots. Additionally, patrons can practice their security-evasion skills in the Vault Laser Maze Challenge or navigate the high-swinging Sky Ropes Adventure. While resting tired climbing muscles, guests can interface with a few electronic fun-creators with Belmont Park–arcade tokens. Players can thrash a button-festooned ax on Guitar Hero, or earn a cache of tickets from a plethora of play-to-win games to purchase sugary treats or noise-making trinkets. Once adrenaline glands have been depleted, visitors can indulge in the park's numerous additional amenities, such as dining areas, beach-themed shops, and a full-service athletic club.

Mira Mesa Lanes encourages players to test their underhand accuracy and on-key singing voice with ample alley space and an on-site karaoke bar. The alley hosts open-bowling hours throughout the week, along with league opportunities for men, women, male children, female children, and grandparents. After open sessions on Friday and Saturday evenings, Mira Mesa Lanes also enlivens its space with the music and flashing lights of Rock 'n' Bowl. And once the last frame finishes, the alley keeps the fun rolling with an arcade, café, and full-service bar.

Equinox Laser Tag is helmed by a team of laser-tag aficionados who have been playing since the sport's inception in the mid-80s. In their 7,000-square-foot indoor arena, they let visitors choose from a wide range of scenarios to play games of capture-the-flag, humans vs. zombies, or kittens vs. laser pointers among a variety of inflatable obstacles. Their facility also features outdoor battlefields where players can raid a mobile laser-tag trailer, equipped with enough barricades and infrared taggers to create a tactically challenging combat zone that suits up to 20 combatants.