Every year in January, Pete has a work conference somewhere around the country, and good wife that I am, I totally invite myself along for the adventure. This year we headed to sunny San Diego, which we thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed!
I’ll admit that prior to this trip, I didn’t know a whole lot about San Diego. I was still excited; who wouldn’t be pleased about a trip to Southern California in the middle of winter. But the more research I did, the more excited I got, until I could barely wait to get out of the airplane and start exploring.
There is so MUCH to do in San Diego! We quickly had to start making some tough choices in order to come up with a reasonable itinerary. So please don’t treat this as an exhaustive list. We never made it out to Coronado Island, and we felt like we didn’t have time to do the famous San Diego Zoo justice, but we still managed in just a view days to try a wide variety of things, giving us a taste of all the wonderful city has to offer.
So here, in no particular order, are things we would recommend after our trip to San Diego.
Ocean Beach
Prior to Pete’s conference, we opted to get a small studio VRBO in Ocean Beach, which is where our exploration of San Diego started. It didn’t take us long at all to fall in love with the community. The area seems to cater to a mix of surfing enthusiasts and young up-and-coming couples. There are quite a few breweries–more than we could get to, in fact; our favorite was the Belching Beaver. And there was a wide variety of dining options, from ethnic to gourmet to extremely health conscious.
Our favorite part of Ocean Beach was how dog-friendly it was. Sadly, we had chosen not to subject our dogs to the stress (and ourselves to the expense) of flying them to California. But if we ever have the opportunity to road trip, they will totally love it here. Many of the bars and restaurants we visited allowed dogs. One even had complimentary dog biscuits. And, better yet, there was an entire beach dedicated to dogs, as well as several businesses that sprung out of that, including Dog Beach Dog Wash!
Sunset Cliffs
Just south of Ocean Beach, there is a 3/4 mile trail along the tops of some amazing red and orange sandstone cliffs. These wind and water sculpted rocks face due west over the Pacific, making them the perfect place to watch a sunset. If ever a place was aptly named, this is it.
Of course, many tourists gather here to watch the very impressive all-natural light show, but they aren’t the only ones. Locals went for runs and walked their dogs. Kids hung out drawing pictures in the sand. Couple spread out blankets for a romantic evening. And surfers scaled up and down the rocks to get to the water. The people watching at Sunset Cliffs is almost as good as watching the sunset itself.
And the sunset? Wow!
Balboa Park
Want to learn more about San Diego? Or local plant life? Or animals? Or natural science? Or automobiles? Or…well…anything? If learning is your goal, then you definitely want to spend a day or two at Balboa Park.
Built in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition, the current park is a collection of gardens, museums, and romantic Spanish Style buildings. It is also the home of the San Diego Zoo. And while you could totally spend an entire day at the zoo, or in any one of the museums (ranging in topics from Natural Science, Photographic Arts, Air and Space, Automotive, and Model Railroads, to name a few), I recommend dedicating some time just to walk the park itself, taking in the beauty of the various gardens such as the Japanese Friendship Garden, or learning about art from local artists in the Spanish Village Art Center. For more history of the park itself, stop by the free San Diego History Center for a video presentation.
Eat Mexican
I have always loved Mexican food, even the highly Americanized version that we get up in Montana. But I figured it would be even better in San Diego, seeing how it is only 17 miles from San Diego to Tijuana. And boy was I right!
And there was also plenty to be had, from street tacos to your regular sit down restaurants to the fancy establishments where you have to wait an hour to get a table. My personal favorite were street tacos from Roberto’s Taco Shop, just around the corner from where we were staying in Ocean Beach. It could have just been late night cravings, but those tacos really hit the spot.
Torrey Pines
True to form, Pete and I were looking for places where we could get out an explore this place that is so different from where we live. One of those places was Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve–one of the only places you can find the rare pine tree Pinus torreyana–in La Jolla, just north of San Diego proper. If you are looking for somewhere to get out and hike among the coastal rock formations, then this is the place to come.
The park is mostly a big hill, with two parking options. The first is at the entrance with access to the beach, and the second–our choice–was up the hill a ways with a variety of trails starting there. Most of the hikes at Torrey Pines are short (though not necessarily easy; some spots are quite steep), but we managed to piece together a decent loop by taking Beach Trail down to the shore and then hiking back up Broken Hill Trail.
These hikes offer some amazing views, as well as time at the beach (unless you arrive at or near high tide). Because the park is not extensive, I recommend just planning a half day trip there.
Birch Aquarium
Looking for something else to do with the other half of your day? Check out Birch Aquarium, also in La Jolla. Birch Aquarium is a perfect option for people like me who are interested in marine life, but aren’t really interested in going to Seaworld. There you can catch glimpses into more than 60 different marine habitats–and see creatures like sharks, jelly fish, and sea turtles–and participate in some interactive exhibits, such as a hands-on recreation of a tide pool (more below).
Our favorite part was discovering that there is such a thing as sea dragons, a relative of sea horses with a truly unique appearance.
Mission Trails
Our other big hiking adventure was at Mission Trails Regional Park. Located northeast of downtown San Diego, this 8,000 acre park offers nearly sixty miles of trails–along with camping and a Visitor’s Center–in native Southern Californian wilderness. The park includes Fortuna and Cowles Mountains and Mission Gorge between them. We opted to hike Fortuna, and had a beautiful sunny day full of stunning views and desert landscapes. The trail we chose was steep and rocky in places, but we didn’t mind, especially as we rewarded ourselves with some yummy Mexican food and a margarita afterwards. For those feeling a little less adventurous, there are plenty of other more accessible trails available.
Point Loma
We visited a number of tide pools during our trip–in Ocean Beach and La Jolla–but the one at Point Loma (part of Cabrillo National Monument) was my favorite. For those of you from land-locked places like me who don’t know what a tide pool is, tide pools are small puddles of ocean water left behind at low tide that can be home to different types of marine life (although tide pool dwellers can change some with each new tide). I liked Point Loma’s, because as part of the National Park system, it has signs and rangers present that can tell you about what you are seeing.
Unfortunately, when we got there, the tide was already too high for us to see some of the lower pools, but we did see several different types of barnacles. We also got to see some whales spouting off shore! I love whales, but while there are many whale watching tours available in the winter in San Diego, I am sadly very prone to motion sickness and have to depend on luck (and the keen eyes of a park ranger) to be able to see them from shore.
While you are at Point Loma, you can also visit the Visitors’ Center at the Cabrillo National Monument. Cabrillo was the first European explorer to land in at San Diego. There you can learn more about Cabrillo and the history of the area. We also enjoyed an overlook with a placard explaining which naval ships were coming and going from the base just south of the point.
Maritime Museum
For any one interested in naval history or ships, I whole-heartedly recommend spending a day at the Maritime Museum. Located on the bay near downtown, the Maritime Museum has ten ships ranging from sailing vessels to steam-powered ferries to submarines. And for $20 you can explore them all! Plus there is a full museum in the steamboat showing San Diego’s naval history as well as the history of some of the smaller vessels.
My personal favorite was the Star of India, the oldest active sailing ship in the world. She began her life about the time Lincoln was giving the Gettysburg Address as a cargo ship to India, then went on to haul emigrants to New Zealand, lumber to Hawaii, and fish from Alaska to San Francisco. Even today, the dedicated volunteers and enthusiasts at the museum still make a point to take her out on the bay once a year. Talk about a cool job!
My other two favorites at the museum were the Soviet submarine complete with an interactive lesson on the Cuban Missile Crisis and the HMS Surprise, the replica ship built for the filming of Master and Commander. I was honestly happy to spend the whole day poking around these ships, and if you share my love of old boats, make a point to visit this museum next time you are in San Diego.
Bay Cruise
Or if you prefer newer boats, you might try a cruise around San Diego Bay. As part of Pete’s conference, we had the option to go for a nighttime cruise on the California Spirit with Flagship Cruises, and we definitely jumped all over that. While the cruise provided an excellent dinner and a bar, was well as music and dancing, we chose to spend most of the tour up on top, enjoying the San Diego skyline.
Wondering why I would go on a cruise when just a few paragraphs ago I said I was incredibly prone to seasickness. I was a little nervous about this myself, but Pete argued that the bay was too sheltered to cause my stomach much trouble, and it turns out he was right. So even if you are normally leery of anything out on the ocean, consider giving this a try. The views are completely worth it!
Conclusion
So that, in a nutshell, was our trip to San Diego. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a more in-depth look at some of these awesome places.
What are some of the other great things to do in San Diego that we missed?
Shakespeare’s pub has the best fish and chips in America. Next to that, old town – the first structures in the area – is fun to explore (and drink in). I try not to miss the Cabe Store whenever I’m in the area and there are nearby kayak rentals too. Last but not least: the wineries tours all over the countryside there.
* cave, not cabe. It was a man made tunnel cut through the cliff to the ocean shore, where, during prohibition, folks smuggled alcohol into the area. For $5 you can retrace their steps.
Your listing and adventures were tremendous!