Children's Pool
Children's Pool
4.5
About
It was supposed to be a children's pool, but the harbor seals took over and it's a main tourist and local attraction. Great picture spot.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience Children's Pool
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
205 within 5 kms
Attractions
144 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
- ltushlaOak Lawn, Illinois173 contributionsSo cool!Could watch the seals all day! Walking up, didn’t see any seals and was disappointed. My boyfriend suggested walking a little further and we saw them. 10 initially on a couple of rocks. Parking is tough but patience won out. So glad we didn’t give up!Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 8 October 2023
- Clarence And GSan Diego, California464 contributionsIt could have used with a couple more disabled parking spots.We visited the Children's Pool for the first time, and really enjoyed ourselves. We also found a somewhat close disabled parking spot to the Children's Pool. Nevertheless, it could have used with a couple more spots. I stayed up above but my partner went down on the seawall. I was worried about coming down here but it turned out well. As for Gonzalo, he said that it was a really great experience. As an aside, he also said amusingly, "It smelled a little fishy." It was a beautiful cool and overcast morning and there were about thirty seals on the beach. Fortunately, there were no people on the beach, which can often happen. I would have appreciated a little more disability access than the one parking spot in front of the Lifeguard Station.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 21 October 2023
- wren52681Gaithersburg, Maryland374 contributionsSeals!!!Arrived at children's pool beach to see the seals. It was about 5:30 when I arrived and when we got there, there were about 20 seals sleeping on the beach. They were so cute, and then some awful human being snuck up on them from the rocks and scared them and they all slid into the water. The beach is closed this time of year because it is pupping season, and they don't want the seals to be bothered. I am lucky I got there when I did because if I had arrived just 5 minutes later, they would have been gone.Visited January 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 21 January 2024
- aschoonoDeWitt, Michigan729 contributionsGreat place to see seals and sea lionsMy family stopped at the Children’s Pool on our way from San Diego to Los Angeles. Someone on our plane recommended stopping and seeing the seals. The kids loved seeing all of the animals. We saw seals at the children’s pool and then a short walk down the beach to Point La Jolla we saw all of the seals. It was lots of fun. A few places were very crowded and people were trying to get very close it the animals.Visited December 2023Travelled with familyWritten 24 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1 370 reviews
Excellent
792
Very good
366
Average
132
Poor
35
Terrible
45
Ponytail79
Lubbock, TX226 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
This is a sweet spot to stop for a quick viewing. The momma sea lions were teaching their baby’s swim skills and who knows what else. Fun to watch and take in the simplicity of it all. Totally free. Children’s Beach is closed to humans, it’s strictly for the sea lions to use for their “children”. I love that!
Written 6 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tootsiewest
Westerville, OH778 contributions
Sept 2020 • Couples
This is one of our favorite places to visit when we come to San Diego. It just makes me smile to see these beautiful, harmless creatures sunning themselves on the sand. The bellow of their bark as they waddle their bodies into the pack up onto the large rocks. It is a must see! Yes, they don't smell pleasing but their cuteness makes up for it!
Written 22 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gerundorchid
Tucson, AZ35 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
Definitely for children, adult groups will not enjoy this area. This is a nice cove with few small waves. You can’t see the horizon. There’s a pier just west of the pool where you can see it. I saw one seal there today.
Written 21 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DT-PEI
497 contributions
Jan 2020
Surprised to get street side parking, then walked the cliff side walk and came upon this area. The seals now own the beach. The sea wall allows one to get down close to them and observe active seals on the water side of the wall. Also saw sea lions, pelicans, surfers, snorklers, paddle boarders, a lobster fisher pulling traps as he/she was catching spiny lobsters (unlike the clawed North Atlantic lobster) just off shore. For those that wish to go down to the beach, there were several access points, but the beaches are just short segments.
Written 3 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Miss Valerie
Los Angeles, CA76 contributions
Jan 2020
We entered in our GPS without knowing: "Children's pool" as we left our hotel to sea a Sunset in La Jolla. Well, we had no clue that at this time of the Year (Jan 3rd), all the seals come here to reproduce and they close the beach. It is quite impressive to see this and so wonderful, especially at sunset time. There is right there a Kelp Sea where the Seal love to eat. That's their restaurant and that's why they chill there. As well you can find in that area the white sharks but mainly the shortfin mako sharks are more established. Those Mako sharks are also known as the blue pointer or bonito shark, is a large mackerel shark. The shortfin mako is on record as the fastest-swimming shark, capable of bursts of speed up to 18.8 metres per second.Je recommande vivement pour une belle experience de nature.
Une jeune femme qui travaillait au petit stand ou ils vendents des T-shirts nous a donne plein d'info et nous avons achete un petit phoque qui aide a cette mission de soutenir et proteger les phoques.
Une jeune femme qui travaillait au petit stand ou ils vendents des T-shirts nous a donne plein d'info et nous avons achete un petit phoque qui aide a cette mission de soutenir et proteger les phoques.
Written 13 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MelvinPusfinger
Temecula, CA692 contributions
Aug 2020
This is a pleasant place to spend an hour or two. This is especially the case if you have young children who do not like large waves. This location is not completely sheltered so there are small waves. And the surface area of the beach is not huge. Therefore, if you are very concerned about social distancing in the time of COVID-19, this is probably not the place for you. There is a ramp but it does not go all the way down to the beach. The last part is down very steep steps. Therefore, if you come here with a stroller, you need to haul it up and down the steep steps. But set all that aside, this is a nice location. There are a few parking spaces nearby that are three hours. Otherwise free parking is limited to two hours.
Written 29 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lynne
Salina, KS162 contributions
Nov 2021
We had no idea about this until we were lucky enough to be seated next to a local San Diegoan on the plane who told us about this. This was one of our favorite parts of the trip! I have never been so up close and personal with seals. It was amazing to watch them come in and out of the tide and sunbathe on the sand. We started at the Tide Pools and walked along all the way to end here at Children's Pool - highly recommended for anyone traveling to San Diego!
Written 15 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bobej
Litchfield Park, AZ569 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
Wanted to see the seals and sea lions do we drove over to the park early morning and found parking on the street. Not a lot of animals on the beach but it was nice seeing a few pups. We were told they come to the beaches in larger numbers from February through May so we were a little late.
Written 14 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gypsymamma
Minnesota804 contributions
Jul 2020
Walking to the end of the harbor wall and enjoying the surf crashing and the views was a nice way to end our walk along the La Jolla cliffs. When we were there the beach was open and several families were enjoying swimming in the little man-made bay. For a fun photo, have your friend stand at the very end of the wall and wait- it won't take long before a wave crashes up and soaks them :)
Written 30 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
P C
19 contributions
Nov 2020
Of course this beach is crowded! But what fun! The sea lions were coming on and off beach, fun to watch. The seawall was splashed from the turbulent sea causing much excitement for viewers on and off the seawall. A wonderful part of the coastal walk.
Written 16 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello, I was wondering if this attraction is free. I am working on planning a trip with children, and I am looking for as many free activities as possible! If anyone has any further suggestions, please let me know!
Written 2 March 2020
Yes it is free.
Yes it us free. It is called The Children’s Pool because the land was donated by Ellen Browning Scripps to have an ocean wall built to make a protective wall for children to have a place to learn to swim and play in the ocean. For decades it served this wonderful role in the community. For the past decade, though seals have taken it over as a pupping area and the fecal contamination makes it unsafe for humans to go in the water. The place is overrun with seals now. If you’d like to visit and see the seals, you’ll love it. As a local, we mourn the loss of a beautiful protected ocean access where families can go and children could swim safely. Now, the lawyers on both sides if the issues make plenty of money: environmentalists vs ocean access for humans as meant to be by the donor if the land
Written 13 April 2020
Why do animal rights fanatics hate and attack children and taxpayers who visit public beaches?
Written 26 September 2018
I don't know why. The pool was originally built for children but the sea lions and seals took it over. There was a sign there that said people should not approach mother seals because they might abandon their pups who will die. That is a reasonable rule that I am sure some break.
Written 26 September 2018
Why are you disturbing the seal habitat when they are having their pups? How insensitive can humans be? Humans should not even be allowed there. A disgrace! The seals are being harassed.
Written 19 August 2018
This is a public beach. It is protected by park rangers who monitor it at all times. People are not allowed to touch them or disturb them without repercussions. If you did your research BEFORE presenting this question, you would have seen that The Children's Pool is closed to the public September through May for the harbor seal's mating and birthing seasons. History lesson: Children's Pool was in fact built by humans for recreational purposes and to provide a safe place for children and families to swim and play. When the seals started using the beach for mating purposes, the area was declared protected during those months. It's a always a good idea to do your research before attacking people for visiting a public beach.
Written 19 August 2018
Is there anything else walkable in this area? Thinking of taking an Uber out here with my family to look at the seals. Anything else we can do before we Uber back home?
Written 10 May 2018
Yes , there is a lot to see and do . If you walk north you will go to Shell beach . Stay on the concrete patch along the shore . Lots of places to stop and view the shore and wild life.
Keep walking north and you will see a lot more seals right before you get to La Jolla Cove . If you walk up the Big hill you can go to some Local Restaurants too. We usually go midday. And or before sundown and watch the Sunsets.
Some also go to the local restaurants also to watch the sunsets . If you have your car , we usually can find parking spaces if you don’t mind walking a little,
Most spots have 3 hour limits near Children’s pool and the Cove.
Written 10 May 2018
Elide A
Miami Beach, Florida
Are there sealion in this period of the year? We'd like to come today with kids
Written 30 July 2015
Yes, there are sea lions and seals on this coast year round. You'll find seals at the Children's pool and the sea lions typically hand a little north of this at the Cove. You can usually find the sea lions by the smell (it smells like a barnyard near them). And so you can tell the difference between the seals and the sea lions. 1) the sea lions have front 'flippers' that they can use to walk vs the seals don't have them and have to do a 'belly roll' to walk. 2) the sea lions have ears vs the seals don't. 3) I think the sea lions have pointier snouts than the seals.
Written 30 July 2015
Showing results 1-6 of 6
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing