Children's Pool Beach(Casa Beach, Casa Cove, Children's Beach)

Located in the central part of the San Diego city waterfront, Children’s Pool Beach is popular and has light brown sand. Children’s Pool Beach is also known as Casa Beach or Children’s Beach, and is situated on the southern part of the neighborhood of La Jolla. There are rocky reefs and rock formations present along the shoreline of Children’s Pool Beach – and the beach is famous for the breakwater seawall surrounding it which makes the waves here milder when compared to other La Jolla beaches. 

Children’s Pool Beach offers many amenities including lifeguards, showers, restrooms, walking paths, and concession stands. The beach is open for unrestricted public access from May 15 to December 15 – however, during the rest of the year it is used as a breeding ground and rookery by harbor seals, and city authorities discourage public beach access during this time to make it safe for the animals.

Children’s Pool Beach offers many fun activities including swimming, boogie boarding, wildlife watching, tide pooling, boating, kayaking, canoeing, boating, diving, beach-combing, and sunbathing. If you are planning to go into the water at Children’s Pool Beach, we recommend reviewing the water quality reports of the beach as the water here is often dirty. Children’s Pool Beach is a popular diving spot due to its has shallow reefs and seagrass beds which offer a vibrant array of marine life including garibaldi and sheepshead fish, eels, crabs, and lobsters. We recommend this diving spot for divers with some experience as the diving entry can be rocky. The main attractions on Children’s Pool Beach are the seals - the beach offers an interesting up-and-close encounter with harbor seals which are present here throughout the year. It is advisable to be careful while interacting with seals as they can get aggressive and attack you.

Getting to Children’s Pool Beach is easy - it’s located near the intersection of Coast Boulevard and Jenner Street. Free street parking is available along Coast Boulevard.

There are many attractions near Children’s Pool Beach. The Map & Atlas Museum of La Jolla exhibits an interesting collection of antique maps, some dating back more than 500 years. The Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography features interesting exhibits highlighting the diverse and vibrant fauna of the Pacific Ocean and also organizes many informative and fun events including summer camps for kids, academic lectures, and tours of onsite tidepools. The Stuart Collection is a set of 20 public art displays on the campus of the University of California San Diego which features works by reputed artists including Richard Fleishner, Robert Irwin, and Bruce Nauman.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Children’s Pool Beach. Eddie V’s Prime Seafood is an upscale restaurant that offers a variety of delicious seafood dishes and steaks. A great family-friendly option is Richard Walker’s Pancake House which offers excellent breakfast dishes including omelets, eggs benedict, pancakes, bacon, and sausages. Another good restaurant option is the modestly priced The Taco Stand which offers outstanding Mexican dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Children’s Pool Beach, there are many nearby options. The 4-Star La Valencia Hotel has Spanish architecture and offers a variety of amenities including a restaurant, a tapas bar, a pool, a hot tub, and a fitness center– and was also awarded Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Award in 2020. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Empress Hotel La Jolla which offers numerous amenities including an Italian restaurant, a fitness center, and complimentary continental breakfast. Another good and affordable hotel is the modestly priced 2-Star The Shoal La Jolla Beach which offers many amenities including a pool, a hot tub, and a fire pit.