Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Party with bunnies and chicks to pat

Let’s get out of the house on Easter

Gaston Morineau with Benito Bunny
Gaston Morineau with Benito Bunny

“We’re going to have 15 kids here for Easter?” asked Patrick, alarmed.

“Yup. Between your family and mine, it’ll be like our own little litter of bunnies.”

“We’ve got to get them out of the house,” he begged. I took pity on him.

Sponsored
Sponsored

For starters, there’s a Bunny Hunt on March 26 at the San Diego Botanical Garden in Encinitas (760-426-3036). “The Spring Party with Bunny is geared toward pre-school-age children,” said Suzanne Brueckner, senior youth manager at the Garden. “There will be two parties back-to-back: from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with bunnies and chicks to pat. Also crafts, such as decorating your own wearable bunny ears, potting a flowering spring plant, painting a ceramic bug, and making a mixed-media bunny collage. And if a young child’s attention span proves too short to finish all the activities, you can take the crafts home in a reusable shopping bag that we provide and finish them later.” Whiskers-and-pink-nose face-painting will also be available to go with those bunny ears. Pre-registration is required: $15 for members, $18 for non-members.

Easter Bunny at the San Diego Botanical Garden

The Bunny Hunt is named for the bunny-hop music parade through the Native Plant People Trail, across from the Seeds of Wonder Children’s Garden. “It lasts about ten minutes, and at the end, each child will find a lightly hidden stuffed bunny to take home. And our big, gentle bunny will provide a great photo op and hand out small bubble bottles. Other features that are always available in Seeds of Wonder are a play house, a small secret walled garden, a water-play area, a sand-play area, a tree trunk tunnel, a model train with Thomas character engine, and bubble play.”

Over at the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater in Balboa Park, puppeteer Gaston Morineau will give life to a bunny of his own in Benito Bunny’s Great Easter Egg Hunt. “It’s performed Muppet-style, with hand-and-rod puppets that are all made by me. The show tells a story about a bunny whose eggs get stolen by a sneaky fox. It’s about 25 minutes long and there’s live background music.” The show runs from March 23–27; cost is $5 general admission, $4 for seniors or military. Multiple showtimes.

If you’d prefer riding to hopping or watching at Eastertime, consider the March 26 Bunny Train at the Pacific Railway Museum in Campo. The Easter Bunny will board with you at the Campo depot and visit with passengers during the 72-minute ride through the mountains of East County. “It’s a diesel locomotive from 1943, pulling commuter rail cars from 1930 at a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour,” said Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association VP Martin Caestecker. “Right now, the lilacs are in bloom. The train crews are knowledgeable, and they will sometimes provide some history of the area and point out some of the main geological and historical features of the line.” The ride concludes at the museum’s display building, where two egg-hunts await: one for the younger kids with eggs in plain sight, and another for those who like a challenge. Kids can turn in the plastic eggs in exchange for sweets and other prizes. Tickets are $14 for children, $15 for seniors, and $18 for adults. The train departs at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. on March 26.

Last, we could try hunting Easter eggs by the sea at Belmont Park’s Easter Bash in Mission Beach (858-228-9283) on March 27. There are two hunts: one on the beach in front of the park’s Wave House running from 9 a.m. until noon ($5 per child; register and pay online), and another in the park itself, starting at 12:30 p.m. (free, no registration required). A Belmont Park employee explained that “some of the 10,000 eggs distributed throughout the beach and park are filled with candy, but 400–500 are filled with coupons for various activities throughout the park, things like single rides or treats. There will also be 25 special edition golden eggs. Inside those are coupons good for an entire day at Belmont Park: a combo wristband good for rides and attractions, ice cream, cotton candy, and a $20 gift card to spend at the Wave House.” Finally, there will be free photo ops with the Easter Bunny from 2–4 p.m. in front of the food court.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Trump disses digital catapults

Biden likes General Atomics drones
Gaston Morineau with Benito Bunny
Gaston Morineau with Benito Bunny

“We’re going to have 15 kids here for Easter?” asked Patrick, alarmed.

“Yup. Between your family and mine, it’ll be like our own little litter of bunnies.”

“We’ve got to get them out of the house,” he begged. I took pity on him.

Sponsored
Sponsored

For starters, there’s a Bunny Hunt on March 26 at the San Diego Botanical Garden in Encinitas (760-426-3036). “The Spring Party with Bunny is geared toward pre-school-age children,” said Suzanne Brueckner, senior youth manager at the Garden. “There will be two parties back-to-back: from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with bunnies and chicks to pat. Also crafts, such as decorating your own wearable bunny ears, potting a flowering spring plant, painting a ceramic bug, and making a mixed-media bunny collage. And if a young child’s attention span proves too short to finish all the activities, you can take the crafts home in a reusable shopping bag that we provide and finish them later.” Whiskers-and-pink-nose face-painting will also be available to go with those bunny ears. Pre-registration is required: $15 for members, $18 for non-members.

Easter Bunny at the San Diego Botanical Garden

The Bunny Hunt is named for the bunny-hop music parade through the Native Plant People Trail, across from the Seeds of Wonder Children’s Garden. “It lasts about ten minutes, and at the end, each child will find a lightly hidden stuffed bunny to take home. And our big, gentle bunny will provide a great photo op and hand out small bubble bottles. Other features that are always available in Seeds of Wonder are a play house, a small secret walled garden, a water-play area, a sand-play area, a tree trunk tunnel, a model train with Thomas character engine, and bubble play.”

Over at the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater in Balboa Park, puppeteer Gaston Morineau will give life to a bunny of his own in Benito Bunny’s Great Easter Egg Hunt. “It’s performed Muppet-style, with hand-and-rod puppets that are all made by me. The show tells a story about a bunny whose eggs get stolen by a sneaky fox. It’s about 25 minutes long and there’s live background music.” The show runs from March 23–27; cost is $5 general admission, $4 for seniors or military. Multiple showtimes.

If you’d prefer riding to hopping or watching at Eastertime, consider the March 26 Bunny Train at the Pacific Railway Museum in Campo. The Easter Bunny will board with you at the Campo depot and visit with passengers during the 72-minute ride through the mountains of East County. “It’s a diesel locomotive from 1943, pulling commuter rail cars from 1930 at a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour,” said Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association VP Martin Caestecker. “Right now, the lilacs are in bloom. The train crews are knowledgeable, and they will sometimes provide some history of the area and point out some of the main geological and historical features of the line.” The ride concludes at the museum’s display building, where two egg-hunts await: one for the younger kids with eggs in plain sight, and another for those who like a challenge. Kids can turn in the plastic eggs in exchange for sweets and other prizes. Tickets are $14 for children, $15 for seniors, and $18 for adults. The train departs at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. on March 26.

Last, we could try hunting Easter eggs by the sea at Belmont Park’s Easter Bash in Mission Beach (858-228-9283) on March 27. There are two hunts: one on the beach in front of the park’s Wave House running from 9 a.m. until noon ($5 per child; register and pay online), and another in the park itself, starting at 12:30 p.m. (free, no registration required). A Belmont Park employee explained that “some of the 10,000 eggs distributed throughout the beach and park are filled with candy, but 400–500 are filled with coupons for various activities throughout the park, things like single rides or treats. There will also be 25 special edition golden eggs. Inside those are coupons good for an entire day at Belmont Park: a combo wristband good for rides and attractions, ice cream, cotton candy, and a $20 gift card to spend at the Wave House.” Finally, there will be free photo ops with the Easter Bunny from 2–4 p.m. in front of the food court.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Mary Catherine Swanson wants every San Diego student going to college

Where busing from Southeast San Diego to University City has led
Next Article

Ben Benavente, Karl Denson, Schizophonics, Matt Heinecke, Frankie & the Witch Fingers

Troubadours, ensembles, and Kosmic Konvergences in Mission Beach, Del Mar, Little Italy, La Jolla, City Heights
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader