🐙 For animal enthusiasts

• Birch Aquarium in La Jolla is offering two free child tickets; reservations are required + you must use the code KIDSFREE22 at checkout.
• Living Coast Discovery Center in Chula Vista is offering one free child ticket per paid adult.

Photo via Monica Garske + SDtoday

🌸 For nature lovers

• Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park is offering free admission for up to two kids.
• San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas is offering one free youth ticket for those age 18 and under.

🖼️ For artistic littles

• The San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park is offering free admission for two kids.
• Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego — both the La Jolla + downtown San Diego locations — are offering free admission for two children.

Photo via Monica Garske + SDtoday

🧑‍🚀 For niche interests

• The Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park is offering one free kid’s ticket for ages 6-12 — and this includes access to “Marvel’s Spider-Man: Beyond Amazing” + a few other special exhibitions.
• The San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park is allowing free admission for two kids.

🔬 For the science kids

• The Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park is offering one free child admission to the exhibit galleries.
• San Diego Archeological Center in Escondido allows two kids to get in free.

• Gaslight Steampunk Expo | Thurs., Sept. 29-Sun., Oct. 2 | Times vary | Mission Valley Marriott | $20+ | Dive into the world of steampunk with costumes, speakers, vendors + more. ⚔️
• ‘Game of Thrones’ Trivia Night | Thurs., Sept. 29 | 7:30 p.m. | Little Miss Brewing in La Mesa, Lakeside, Eastlake, Normal Heights, Escondido + Poway | $10 | “GoT” knowledge? Round up your team and win a cash prize; bonus points if you wear your house colors. 🐉

• Pumpkin Station: Opening Day | Fri., Sept. 30 | 9 a.m.-9 p.m. | Locations in Mission Valley, National City, Bonita, Del Mar + Rancho Bernardo | Free admission | Oh my gourd: These patches spanning the county open for the season with hayrides, a corn maze + a petting zoo, too. 🎃
• La Mesa Oktoberfest| Fri., Sept. 30-Sun., Oct. 2 | Times vary | La Mesa Village | Free | Games, dancing, eats, vendors + most importantly, German beer. 🇩🇪
• Hispanic Heritage Weekend | Fri., Sept. 30-Sun., Oct. 2 | Petco Park | $36+ | The Padres celebrate with a weekend of festivities and game packages that include a colorful, limited-edition Padres hat. ⚾
• The Haunted Hotel: Disturbance | Fri., Sept. 30 | 7-10:30 p.m. | 1288 Camino Del Rio North | $27.99+ | The creepy, annual attraction is back from the dead — running through Oct. 31. 👻

• Mira Mesa Street Fair | Sat., Oct. 1 | 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. | Camino Ruiz from Mira Mesa Boulevard | Free | Bring the family to enjoy local vendors, performers + activities. 🎈
• Carlsbad Oktoberfest | Sat., Oct. 1 | 12-8 p.m. | Carlsbad Strawberry Company | $5+ | Get all the fall vibes at this family-friendly festival —including beer, music, a pumpkin patch + a corn maze. 🎃
• Oktoberfest at One Paseo | Sat., Oct. 1 | 2-6 p.m. | The Lawn at One Paseo | $30+ | German fare, live music, games, a costume contest + curated tastes of brews, wine, and spirits — prost. 🥨
• “Coco” | Sat., Oct. 1 | 4:15 p.m. | Rooftop Cinema Club Embarcadero | $17.50+ | Follow Miguel’s adventure at this family-friendly screening. 💀

• 80º | Mostly sunny with light wind. | 0% chance of rain

• Rise: 6:41 a.m.
• Set: 6:36 p.m.

• Low: 5:17 a.m. + 6:39 p.m.
• High: 11:38 a.m.
• Water Temperature: 71º

• The County Board of Supervisors approved additional water resources for helicopters fighting wildfires in the backcountry. This includes “Heli-Hydrants” — 5,000-gallon, stationary water tanks connected to a municipal water source — that crews can use to refill a helicopter’s tank, leading to more frequent drops in remote, high-risk fire areas. 💧
• County leaders voted unanimously to establish the Pilot Shallow Rental Subsidy Program to help local, low-income senior citizens ages 55+ who are at risk of becoming homeless. The program will provide a monthly rental subsidy of $500 — for up to 18 months — paid directly to the seniors’ landlords. 🏘️

• The San Diego International Airport will receive $110 million in grant funding from the Federal Aviation Administration over the next 10 years for its ongoing New T1 project. The money will be used for airfield improvements including additional aircraft spots. New T1 construction is expected to be completed by late 2028. 🏗️

• The San Diego Bay Parade of Lights announced the theme and dates for its 2022 event: “FantaSEA on the Bay,” happening Sun., Dec. 11 + Sun., Dec. 18, at 5:30 p.m. The longstanding holiday tradition will feature a procession of ~80 lavishly decked out boats twinkling along San Diego Bay. ⛵

• Gin + seafood. That’s the focus at Mabel’s Gone Fishing, a new restaurant at 3770 30th St. in North Park. The menu includes raw oysters, big eye tuna, scallops, and more — while the cocktail list features gimlets, a variation on the negroni, and goblets of gin and tonics. 🦪 (Eater San Diego)

• The Padres Foundation + Sycuan Casino Resort are hosting their Shirts Off Their Backs fundraiser through Wed., Oct. 5, where fans can bid on camouflage Padres jerseys worn + signed by players like Jake Cronenworth, Manny Machado, and Yu Darvish. All proceeds support local nonprofits. ⚾
• San Diego Humane Society’s annual Fur Ball — a fundraiser to help the nonprofit in its mission to care for 40,000+ animals this year — returns this Sat., Oct. 1. The evening includes a cocktail reception, dinner, and music — and well-mannered, leashed dogs are allowed to attend with their humans. 🐶

• Winner, winner, taco dinner. Yelp’s list of “Top 100 Taco Spots” in the US includes four San Diego County shops: Tacos El Gordo + De Cabeza in Chula Vista, Mariscos Mi Gusto Es near City Heights, and Fernandez Restaurant in the South Bay. SD is well-repped, that’s for sure. 🌮 (Yelp)

• WalletHub says San Diego is No. 9 among the most vegetarian + vegan-friendly cities in the US. The list factored 17 metrics like the cost of groceries for vegetarians, the share of restaurants serving meatless options + salad shops per capita. Check out these local vegan eateries. 🥗 (WalletHub.com)

• The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation is hosting a free community health fair on Thurs., Oct. 6, from 5-8 p.m., at the Scottish Rite Event Center. The event will cover clinical research + how to find trial opportunities. Register ahead of time. 🩺

• We want to make sure that you’re catching all the sports coverage you need to join the conversation. As the fall season gets going, tell us what kind of sports content you want to see in SDtoday. By completing the survey, you’ll be entered in a drawing for a chance to win team-branded swag up to $100 in value.

• Exclusive birthday deals, shoutouts on our member wall, insider information from our team, discounts from our online shop — that’s just a few of the perks you get when you join the SDtoday Membership Program. Learn more + sign up for this new way to support local journalism. 💻

• Picture this: you’re staying in a luxury California coastline home, you’ve just finished dinner after spending the day at Cooks Beach (just a five minute walk away), and you’re enjoying a mug of tea while you watch the sunset along the ocean. Make that dream a reality at this seafront escape.*

• Trainual CEO Chris Ronzio recently chatted with Tony Jamous (CEO of Oyster®), who is leading the charge in making a global workforce more feasible through remote work. Listen to their conversation to learn how. 🎧 *