San Diego family guide

Things to Do in Bonita with Kids

Bonita is a leafy, horse-friendly pocket of the South Bay where families bike and stroll the Sweetwater River trails and the Bonita Road bridges. Kids love feeding the ducks and exploring the playground at Rohr Park, and the adjacent golf course and nearby Sweetwater Reservoir give weekends a quiet, semi-rural feel rare this close to the border.

Curated by Simir Shah

Reviewed & updated June 2026 · we check listings regularly, but hours and prices change — confirm before you go.

📍 Where Bonita is

Bonita sits in San Diego, Southern California. Nearest major airport: San Diego Intl (~11 mi / 18 km). It's roughly 119 mi (191 km) from Downtown LA and 9 mi (14 km) from San Diego — SoCal traffic can make a drive take far longer than the distance suggests, so plan around it.

Visiting? See SoCal at a glance, getting around and which airport.

💡 Local tip: Rohr Park has a miniature railroad run by the Chula Vista Live Steamers on select Sundays — check their schedule before you go.

Things to do in Bonita

Parks & Hiking

Rohr Park

Sixty acres of open lawn, eucalyptus groves, paved paths, playgrounds and an equestrian loop alongside the golf course. Parking along Sweetwater Road fills with birthday parties on weekend mornings — come before ten if you want a shaded table.

Free

Museums & Learning

Chula Vista Live Steamers

Volunteers run ride-on scale steam and diesel locomotives on a track inside Rohr Park, and anyone can hop on for free. Only two days a month, so put it in the calendar — and bring cash for the donation bucket, since the club runs entirely on it.

Free, donations appreciated

Parks & Hiking

Sweetwater Summit Regional Park

A big county park above Sweetwater Reservoir with camping, an equestrian staging area, picnic areas and miles of trail with valley views. It's exposed and hot midday in summer — go early and bring more water than you think you need.

$5 day-use parking

Parks & Hiking

Sweetwater Bike Park

A 4.2-acre county bike skills park with a kids' pump track, a beginner skill zone, flow trails and four jump lines scaling up to expert. Helmets are essential — the beginner pump track is genuinely doable for a confident five-year-old, the jump lines absolutely are not.

Free

Museums & Learning

Bonita Museum & Cultural Center

A small free museum on Sweetwater Valley history, with one permanent local-history gallery and one rotating art exhibit. It's a thirty-to-forty-five-minute stop, ideal to combine with Rohr Park, and the staff are good with school-age questions.

Free

Parks & Hiking

Sweetwater Bikeway

A flat paved multi-use path along the Sweetwater River linking the regional park past the golf courses and down toward the bay, connecting onto the Bayshore Bikeway. Park at Rohr Park and ride west — it's the mellowest stretch and gets you back to a playground and restrooms.

Free