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
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  • ltushla
    Oak Lawn, Illinois173 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    So 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 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 8 October 2023
  • Clarence And G
    San Diego, California464 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    It 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 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 21 October 2023
  • wren52681
    Gaithersburg, Maryland374 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Seals!!!
    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 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 21 January 2024
  • aschoono
    DeWitt, Michigan729 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great place to see seals and sea lions
    My 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 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 24 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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
4.5 of 5 bubbles1 370 reviews
Excellent
792
Very good
366
Average
132
Poor
35
Terrible
45

Ponytail79
Lubbock, TX226 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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
3.0 of 5 bubbles
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
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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.
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
4.0 of 5 bubbles
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
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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
4.0 of 5 bubbles
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
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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.

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CHILDREN'S POOL (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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