San Diego: Recreation
Sightseeing
San Diego and its surrounding communities offer a wide range of tourist attractions for every taste, from amusement parks to historic buildings and scenic wilderness.
Animals play a major role in San Diego's tourist trade. The world-famous San Diego Zoo, 100 acres of lush, tropical landscape filled with more than 4,000 animals representing some 800 species, contains some of the rarest species in captivity. Moving sidewalks, an aerial tramway, and open-air buses run through the exhibits. Highlights include giant pandas, Australian koalas, rare Chinese golden monkeys, a large reptile collection, a 1-acre children's zoo, and a beautiful free-flight walk-through aviary. Habitats have been crafted to replicate desert, tropical rain forest, savanna, scrubland, island, tundra, ocean and coastline, prairie and steppe, temperate forest and taiga, river, lake, and wetland ecosystems as closely as possible. Among the habitats are Ituri Forest, which simulates a four-acre African rainforest; Tiger River, an Asian rainforest; and Polar Bear Plunge, representing Arctic tundra. The zoo's newest exhibit, Absolutely Apes, features orangutans and siamangs living together as they would in the wild. Absolutely Apes is the first phase of the under-construction New Heart of the Zoo, which will be a three-acre Asian and African rainforest containing many rare and endangered animals in the center of the zoo.
The San Diego Wild Animal Park, a 2,200-acre preserve operated by the San Diego Zoo, is located 30 miles north of downtown. Designed to protect endangered species, the park features more than 3,200 animals living in natural habitats modeled after African, Asian, and Australian terrain. The park is known for its successful breeding of such species as the southern white rhino and Arabian oryx. Visitors can walk the park or use the monorail system that traverses through the heart of the park. During summer months, the rail system also operates after dark, and lamps light the active animal areas. Nairobi Village provides special exhibits, refreshments, and other services.
Sea World San Diego, home of Shamu the killer whale and Baby Shamu (the original Shamu died long ago, but his successors bear his name), is a 150-acre marine park, located along Mission Bay, that offers a number of marine exhibits, live shows, aquariums, the world's largest shark exhibit, playgrounds and rides, and the $25 million Places of Learning educational complex. Sea World's Wild Arctic area is a massive, multimillion dollar project combining motion simulation theater technology, live marine mammal viewing, and interactive educational exhibits. At Shark Encounter, visitors come face to face with sharks by walking through a 57-foot tube that
LEGOLAND California, located in Carlsbad, stimulates creativity and imagination through hands-on recreation. Six play areas feature attractions, rides, building opportunities, and more than 1,000 LEGO models. AQUAZONE Wave Racers, one of the park's rides, are "Wave Activated Vehicles Equipped with Radar Antennas Capable of Evading Random Sprays" as they hydroplane across wakes created by dual carousels. New in 2005 is Knights' Tournament, a unique robotic coaster ride that allows participants to choose their own destiny.
The center of San Diego preserves two separate historic districts representing two different periods. Old Town evokes San Diego's Spanish and Mexican heritage. Many of its nineteenth-century adobe buildings have been restored and filled with museums, shops, and restaurants. Old Town was preceded, in 1769, by the Spanish establishment of California's first mission and military fortress, on nearby Presidio Hill. Gaslamp Quarter is a 16-block restored Victorian district downtown, featuring antiques, arts and crafts, offices, shops, and restaurants. Two-hour walking tours of the district depart from William Heath Davis House, one of the area's first residences, on Saturdays.
Several of the original missions in the area, including California's first, Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá, which moved from Presidio Hill to its present site in 1774, still hold Mass and are open to the public for tours. San Diego Bay harbors the Star of India, a 100-year-old sailing vessel, and several U.S. Navy ships that are open to the public. At Point Loma the Cabrillo National Monument commemorates the spot where California was discovered and includes a restored lighthouse, a whale overlook, and a visitor's center.
The nearby 600,000-acre Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, east of San Diego, is a unique collection of geological formations, plants, and animals that has been described by Flower and Garden magazine as "a perfect first desert encounter." The Cleveland National Forest north of the city, and other local cliffs, mesas, and canyons offer an abundance of natural scenic pleasures, as do the many flower plantations in the hills outside of San Diego. Tijuana, Mexico, the most visited border town in the world, is an exciting and exotic adventure for shoppers, sightseers, and sports enthusiasts. The Mexican border is a 20 minute ride away, accessed by restored trackless trolleys that depart from the renovated Santa Fe Railway Depot in downtown San Diego.
Arts and Culture
San Diego's citizens and business community are very supportive of the arts. Drama, music, and the visual arts are important elements of the city's personality. Theater, in all its varieties, is available year round. Musical offerings range from formal affairs, symphonies, and operas, to oceanside picnic concerts under the stars and arena-sized rock concerts. Over 90 area museums as well as a number of small art galleries cater to the historic- and artistic-minded.
A large theater community is rising to national prominence in San Diego, and the area's proximity to Hollywood attracts many stars to the more than 40 innovative local theater companies. The centerpiece of San Diego culture is the Simon Edison Centre for the Performing Arts, called "one of the best theater complexes in the U.S." by Time magazine. It consists of the Lowell Davies Festival Theater, a large outdoor arena; the Cassius Carter Centre Stage, a 225-seat theater-in-the-round; and the Tony Award-winning 581-seat Old Globe Theater, a reproduction of Shake-speare's Globe Theater. The theatre complex stages classic and contemporary works throughout the year, with an emphasis on Shakespeare during the summer. Numerous other theater groups are located in the area, including the La Jolla Playhouse at University of San Diego at La Jolla, which stages plays and musicals from April through December at the university's 492-seat Mandell Weiss Theatre and 384-seat Mandell Weiss Forum; the San Diego Repertory Theatre, which produces progressive, culturally diverse plays at the Lyceum Theatre's 545-seat Stage Theatre and 270-seat Space Theatre; and the Lamb's Players Theater, which stages musicals, dramas, comedies, and adventurous world premieres, primarily at the company's 350-seat resident theatre in Coronado. San Diego has a thriving dinner-theater population as well.
Music and dance are also well-represented in San Diego. The San Diego Symphony performs classical masterworks, interactive performances, outdoor summer pops, family festivals, and community concerts, altogether more than 100 performances annually. The La Jolla Music Society presents visiting orchestras, soloists, and ensembles. The San Diego Chamber Orchestra presents its classical repertoire and Carnival Concerts Series (designed for families) at venues across San Diego County. The acclaimed San Diego Opera attracts star international performers; its grand productions at the San Diego Civic Theatre run from January through May. The California Ballet Company provides year-round contemporary and classical professional ballet, while historical and cultural dance exhibitions are offered by organizations such as the Traditional Chicano-Azteca Dance Circle, the Samahan Philippine Dance Company, the Pasacat Philippine Performing Arts Company, and Teye Sa Thiosanne, an African drum and dance company.
Balboa Park is the nation's largest cultural city park. Covering 1,200 acres, it is home to the San Diego Zoo, most of San Diego's museums, performing arts venues, and restaurants, as well as cultivated and wild gardens and a number of historic buildings and exhibits. In all, more than 85 cultural and recreational organizations are located here. The park was originally the site of the Panama-California International Exhibition in 1915 and 1916 (which celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal), and most of the buildings are restored exhibit halls from that period, serving as examples of Spanish Revival architecture.
There are 15 museums located in Balboa Park. Among them is the San Diego Museum of Art, established in 1922; it is the oldest and largest art museum in the region. Highlights of the museum's permanent collections include its Spanish baroque, Renaissance, and contemporary California paintings; Indian miniatures; South Asian art; and numerous works by Toulouse-Lautrec. Traditional and modern sculpture is exhibited in an outdoor garden. The Mingei International Museum emphasizes traditional and modern folkart, craft, and design from outside the United States and Europe. The Museum of Photographic Arts, devoted to collecting, conserving and exhibiting still photography and film, has a permanent collection of more than 7,000 works, as well as a state-of-the-art 226-seat movie theater, and a 20,000-volume library. The San Diego Natural History Museum features exhibits on local plants, animals, and geological specimens; in 2001, the opening of a new 90,000 square foot wing more than doubled the museum's size. The San Diego Aerospace Museum features aeronautical exhibits, from the dawn of flight through the space age. The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center houses more than 100 scientific hands-on exhibits, the nation's first Omnimax theater, a virtual reality attraction, and a motion simulation ride. The San Diego Museum of Man, devoted to anthropology, is comprised of a group of buildings documenting the history of mankind, Indians of the three Americas, and human birth, plus various temporary exhibits. The San Diego Model Railroad Museum is the world's largest operating model railroad museum, at 28,000 square feet; highlights include four massive scale model layouts and a toy train gallery. The San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum is the largest multi-sport museum in the country at 70,000 square feet.
Other attractions in the park include the House of Pacific Relations, a cluster of 15 cottages representing 30 nationalities, and the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, containing the largest outdoor organ in the nation, played on Sundays by a civic organist. The Spanish Village Art Center presents artists and craftspeople at work in buildings resembling a charming town square in Spain, and the San Diego Art Institute features prominent local artists.
The Junipero Serra Museum is located on the site where Father Junipero Serra and Captain Gaspar de Portola established California's first mission and military fortress, in Presidio Park overlooking Old Town. It displays exhibits covering the history of the San Diego area from 1562 to the present. The San Diego Maritime Museum, located on the waterfront, is comprised of three historic ships—the 1863 tall ship Star of India, the 1898 ferry Berkeley, and the 1904 steam yacht Medea —as well as numerous nautical exhibits. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD), with San Diego and La Jolla locations, presents more than 3,000 artworks, created after 1950, in its permanent collection; across the street from the San Diego location, the historic 1915 Santa Fe Depot baggage building is currently being remodeled to become part of MCASD and is scheduled to open in 2006.
Arts and Culture Information: City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture 1010 Second Avenue, Suite 555, San Diego, CA 92101; telephone (619)533-3050
Festivals and Holidays
San Diego's events calendar begins with the New Year's Day Race, a yacht regatta in San Diego Bay. In March, the San Diego Latino Film Festival, spanning 10 days, is the largest Latino film festival in the country. ArtWalk is a twoday April event showcasing visual and performing fine arts exhibits in San Diego's Little Italy neighborhood. May events include the Cinco de Mayo Celebration, which brings historical reenactments, folkloric music and dance, and Mexican food and fun to Old Town; Gator Bay two-day Cajun zydeco music and food festival; and the Ethnic Food Fair, featuring food from more than 25 nations.
A gala celebration on the Fourth of July features special events throughout the region, including several parades, outdoor concerts, a hot-air balloon race, and fireworks. The Harlem West Fest, also in July, is a premier African American festival held in the Gaslamp Quarter. Another July event, held at Imperial Beach, is Sand Castle Days, the world's longest-running and largest sand castle competition. America's Finest City Week is celebrated city-wide in August and features a large variety of events including concerts, sports events, carnivals, and more. The San Diego Film Festival in September celebrates American and international cinematic arts.
In late September, the city celebrates the Cabrillo Festival to commemorate the discovery of California by Spanish explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo. The San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival in November is a culinary celebration featuring more than 150 wineries and cuisine from many fine area restaurants. The San Diego Thanksgiving Dixieland Jazz Festival is a five-day classic jazz event held during Thanksgiving weekend, showcasing traditional, swing, and dixieland jazz. The Christmas season inspires some of the major celebrations of the year, sparking festivals, parades, and light displays in many locations. Other Christmas events include the Parade of Lights, a display of decorated boats in San Diego Bay; the festive rituals of Las Posadas; and the Holiday Bowl, a college football game. December also marks the beginning of the whale migration season off Point Loma.
Sports for the Spectator
Sports are varied in San Diego. Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres play April through September at PETCO Park, which opened in 2004; PETCO, located downtown, has 42,000 seats, and its seating bowl sections are named after neighborhoods. The National Football League's San Diego Chargers, 2004 AFC West Division champions, play at 70,561-seat Quallcomm Stadium. Quallcomm is also home to San Diego State University's Aztecs. The San Diego Gulls play minor-league hockey at San Diego Sports Arena. San Diego also hosts a major bicycle Grand Prix race each year. Nearby Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, founded by entertainer Bing Crosby in 1937, offers horseracing from July through September, and Tijuana, Mexico features the excitement of jai alai, bullfighting, and greyhound racing.
Sports for the Participant
Sports Illustrated magazine calls San Diego "the sports and fitness capital of the U.S." The Pacific Ocean and numerous bays in the area provide a wide range of activities: swimming, sailing, water skiing, snorkeling, and deep sea sport fishing, among others. Mission Bay Park is the largest aquatic park in the nation; it consists of 4,235 acres, 46 percent land and 54 percent water. The park offers 44 miles of beachfront recreation area, as well as inland trails and jogging tracks. San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park and Ecological Reserve at La Jolla Cove provides excellent snorkeling and scuba diving opportunities. San Diego's public park system maintains extensive recreation facilities, public pools, jogging paths, and playing fields. There are more than 1,300 public and private tennis courts in the county, as well as more than 90 golf courses. The most popular bike route in the area is Route S21, which extends 15 miles along the beach between La Jolla and Oceanside. Winter sports such as skiing are available in the nearby mountains.
Shopping and Dining
San Diego offers a wide variety of shopping experiences, from small shops in renovated historical districts such as Old Town, which resembles a Mexican marketplace, and the Gaslamp Quarter, where Victorian buildings house antique stores, art galleries, and boutiques, to the large suburban shopping malls, many located in the Mission Valley region. Downtown San Diego's massive Westfield Shoppingtown Horton Plaza, adjacent to the Gaslamp district, is a five-level, open-air plaza filled with department stores and nearly 200 upscale specialty shops. Seaport Village is a 14-acre shopping, dining, and entertainment complex featuring 75 shops and restaurants in a harborside setting. Nearby Tijuana provides a colorful variety of bazaars, open-air markets, and handcrafted goods.
Seafood and authentic Mexican cuisine are dining specialties in the San Diego area. Many distinctive restaurants, ranging from formal luxury dining to sidewalk cafes can be found in the historical districts, the modern plazas, and along the waterfront. A large number of international and ethnic restaurants add variety to the dining fare.
Visitor Information: San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, 401 B Street, Suite 1400, San Diego, CA 92101; telephone (619)232-1212