Photo courtesy Accessible San Diego

The beach is definitely my happy place, the huge ocean seems to carry my worries away.  I just wish it wasn’t such a challenge for my special needs daughter to enjoy it; all that deep, soft sand makes pushing a wheelchair just about impossible.  Did you know that many coastal communities have beach wheelchairs available to rent or borrow?  San Diego is one of those places, and it’s also one of our family’s favorite destinations any time of year.

According to Accessible San Diego, there are seven San Diego beaches that have beach chair programs: Coronado, Imperial Beach, Ocean Beach, Oceanside, La Jolla Shores, Mission Beach and Silver Strands.  These beaches have manual and/or powered beach wheelchairs to use for an hour at a time at no charge.  Yes free, my favorite price.  When you visit one of these beaches simply go to the lifeguard station and ask to use a beach chair.  They are fist-come first-serve, so the lifeguard will check one out to you or put you on the waiting list if none are available at that time. Talking to some cute lifeguards is a bonus!   I spoke to the Coronado Beach lifeguard station and was told that often times there is no waiting list, so you may be able to use the beach chair longer as long as you check in every hour.

Accessible San Diego is an amazing organization.  Their Access in San Diego Guide 2011 contains 44 pages of accessible lodging, restaurants, transportation, and more that can help you plan your next trip with confidence.  It’s definitely worth the price of $3 for the download or $5 for the booklet.  Stayed tuned, more San Diego travel tips are coming soon.