Inside, you get 2 drink tickets to use. The Lodgeman specialty drink was a highlight. I also very much enjoyed the frozen lemonade. There’s also an assortment of food that is offered as you’re walking; I saw cheeseburger sliders, chicken sandwich sliders, and fries. There’s also a macaron offered at the NCIS: Tony & Ziva stop, and Star Trek had a cool little magic trick display with a tasty drink (that does not require a drink ticket).
There’s more lines inside once you get through the major one, but most are fairly short. Mission Impossible is the biggest time-killer, so if you want to hit a majority of the activities, you’d have to skip that one. I certainly did.
This year’s is bigger than the previous years, using more of the back space of the venue.
Check out this offsite yourself at:
340 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
3. FX’s Alien: Earth (The Wreckage: Code Red)
I can’t speak much for the daytime version of this offsite, but the later “Code Red” version definitely is a lot of fun. It’s an immersive experience for any sci-fi fan. It definitely had me on edge for a few minutes, wondering where the encounter would go next. The actors do a good job at keeping things realistic, and it makes it a lot of fun. You get a delicious drink at the end.
The kicker is that the immersive experience doesn’t start until 4:30pm, and the line gets capped very fast. You’ll need to get there early to get in!
Check out this offsite yourself at:
1 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101
4. Doctor Who: The Black Archive
The Doctor Who offsite was the one I was personally most excited for, even if I wasn’t entirely sure what it would be. Similar to the Alien: Earth activation, the actual experience is only open for a few select hours, while the rest of the day is only a walk-through/photo experience. From 6-8pm, there’s a fun scavenger hunt within The Black Archive, where you help The Doctor with an important mission.
Instead of a booth at the convention center, all their merch is tied to the offsite this year. The lines during the day are extremely short, though.
The mission and the clues are different every night, so even if you already did it, you can return for a new experience tonight!
Check out this offsite yourself at:
100 E Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101
5. Peacock’s Twisted Metal
This one might be my favourite activation from recent memory.
The nice thing about this offsite is that there doesn’t seem to be a significant line to get in. There’s some lines within the offsite itself (bumper cars, ice cream, karaoke), but it’s not like the Abbott Elementary Block Party or The Lodge where you have to wait to get inside, then wait more to do the activities. I walked in right before 1pm on Friday and there was no line to check it out.
Inside, there’s plenty of cool cars to look at and take photos with, dressed-up actors who will pose with you, and Sweet Tooth comes out with an ice cream cart. There’s also karaoke, photo ops, and a bumper cars ride.
I wasn’t aware of the show prior to this year’s SDCC, but this activation might have sold me.
Check out this offsite yourself at:
450 2nd Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
