When the Census of 2000 was completed, San Diego lost its ranking as the sixth-largest city in the United States. Phoenix took over that position, and San Diego became the nation’s seventh-largest city. Guess what? That doesn’t bother San Diegans a bit. It’s not a sign that things have taken a turn for the worse. In fact, just the opposite is true. The economy is relatively strong, jobs are available, crime is less prevalent than in other large cities, and the weather is still balmy. All it means is that Phoenix is growing faster than San Diego and suffering from the drawbacks of rapid development.
San Diegans have always appreciated quality over quantity, and while all reports indicate continued population growth, city leaders prefer to be ready for it. Predictions are that the next 20 years will bring about a million newcomers to San Diego, and those already here are taking steps to ensure that the same quality of life they now enjoy will be preserved for generations to come.
In spite of the city’s burgeoning reputation as a major player in international business, and in spite of the fact that it continues to grow on a dozen different levels, it still somehow preserves its low-key, laid-back image right alongside its more polished one.
Besides the glorious climate, why do so many people visit and settle in San Diego? Attractions. We have them by the boatload, and they’re as varied as the county itself.
Sure, we have the places to go and the things to see that you’ve read about in glossy publications and books. We’re justly proud of the famous San Diego Zoo and its “sister,” the Wild Animal Park, a 2,300-acre park that’s home to 3,000 critters great and small. We love to talk about the history of Old Town, the family of creatures at SeaWorld, and the San Diego Hall of Champions, with its collection featuring numerous sports and a mountain of memorabilia. These are great, but there’s more.
For instance, take the Surf Museum in Oceanside, where you can learn the history of surfing (it began in 1907), or downtown’s floating museum aboard the aircraft carrier Midway. Want to visit some lovely gardens? You can’t beat the tranquil beauty and luscious variety of plants at Quail Botanical Gardens.
Now blend this cauldron of interesting places with the excitement of casinos, high-energy fun at water parks, and the thrill of roller-coastering at Belmont Park in Mission Beach. Include the things you’ll learn at the Stephen Birch Aquarium and the Chula Vista Nature Center, and you’ve taken just a sip of the attractions that are all within an hour’s drive of downtown San Diego.
In this hefty chapter we’ve included our favorite attractions, including the quirky ones, the notable ones, and the ones we always share when friends come to town. Prices and hours are as current as we can make them. You may want to call ahead, however, in case these have recently changed.
As you browse through this chapter, keep in mind that these activities and not-to-be-missed places may also be described in other chapters. For instance, there is so much to see and do at Balboa Park that you’ll find an entire chapter devoted to this jewel of San Diego. Other entries may reappear in Kidstuff or Parks or Nightlife. So to get the most of our chunk of paradise, you’ll want to refer to the index to get all the details on your favorites. Like most of our other chapters, this one is organized by geographic region and then by alphabetical listings within each region.
So grab your camera, pack a lunch or some snacks for the road, and let’s hit it. There’s plenty to do in San Diego and just so many hours in a day.
It’s not hard to find things for kids to do in San Diego. Most of what makes San Diego special—the zoo, SeaWorld, Wild Animal Park, the beaches—appeals to kids just as much as it does to adults. Even though kids can have as much fun doing all the things that grown-ups enjoy, there are times when they need something a little different, something that’s designed just for them. And that’s what we’ll help you discover in this chapter.
We’ve found the special little treats just for kids and given you the lowdown on them all. For kids drawn to hands-on learning, visit the Children’s Museum, where they can get their hands on interactive displays.
Or maybe the kids would enjoy seeing a performance by the San Diego Junior Theatre. Lots of one-time events are staged especially for kids, too, and though we can’t predict what’s coming, we’ll tell you where to find Easter and Halloween festivities and science programs. Some bookstores have story times; we’ve clued you in on the ongoing ones. Libraries are a good place to check out, too. Most have reading programs for kids ranging in age from toddlers to teens.
A great resource for kidstuff is in the “Calendar” section of the San Diego Reader, a weekly tabloid that comes out on Thursday and can be picked up at bookstores, libraries, convenience stores, and hundreds of other locations throughout the county. The “Night & Day” section of the Thursday San Diego Union-Tribune will give you ideas as well.
Here you’ll find listings for places geared especially for children, like LEGOLAND and the Children’s Museum. Also check out the Parks, Balboa Park, Beaches and Water Sports, Attractions, and Recreation chapters for other things that appeal to kids as well as their unpaid chauffeurs.
If an adult’s presence is required at a children’s event or attraction, we’ve made note of it. If your child needs to bring along anything extra, we’ve tried to mention that, too. Keep in mind, though, that it’s always a good idea to phone ahead and get all the particulars.
San Diego is famous for its natural attributes—the sparkling beaches, the curving harbor, the imposing ocean bluffs, the blooming desert. It’s also noted for its man-made landmarks, such as the Hotel del Coronado, the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge, and SeaWorld. But the best combination of San Diego’s natural and man-made attributes is on display at Balboa Park.
Most San Diegans believe that Balboa Park was born during the Panama-California Exposition, held in 1915 and 1916 to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal. But the seeds of the park were planted—literally—in 1892. Kate Sessions, a noted horticulturist, leased 30 acres of Balboa Park from the city to use as a nursery. In exchange, she agreed to plant 100 trees a year in the park for the next 10 years. Today the park is landscaped with some 15,000 trees of more than 350 different species, with vast displays of exotic and drought-resistant plants and trees.
The man-made attributes of the park came later. San Diego’s leaders hired some of the finest local and national architects to construct the buildings for the Panama-California Exposition. A cantilevered bridge was constructed over a deep canyon as the entryway to the exposition, leading to the Spanish colonial-style California Building. The building’s 200-foot-high California Tower, topped with yellow and blue tiles, has become one of San Diego’s most endearing landmarks.
Some buildings were restored for the California Pacific International Exposition in 1935 and 1936, and others were added to the park. This often rushed and confused approach resulted in a melange of styles, from Beaux Arts to Baroque to Spanish Renaissance. Somehow, the combo worked. These historic buildings make Balboa Park an architectural museum of sorts. Many have been lovingly reconstructed and renovated to house some of the city’s finest museums.
At the conclusion of the first exposition, Dr. Harry Wegeforth, a local physician, gathered together a few animals left from various exhibits to start a small zoo. His prescient act led to the formation of the San Diego Zoological Society and the world-famous San Diego Zoo. From those beginnings grew Balboa Park as we know it today, the jewel in the crown of San Diego’s attractions.
The park is not something you can absorb in a day. Like a rich dessert, it’s better savored at a leisurely pace. The zoo alone can take up the better part of a day. You need another day to see and appreciate the rest of the park. As you read this chapter, you will undoubtedly choose the sights that match your interests. But we recommend that you try not to stick too closely to a strict agenda. It’s inevitable that you’ll get distracted by something. That’s half the fun.
Why leave the San Diego area even for a day trip? That’s a good question. We have a nearly never-ending supply of places to see and things to do right here in our amazing county. But folks here do like to visit the desert communities, Disneyland, San Juan Capistrano mission, and Temecula’s wine country.
We selected the trips for this chapter using two simple principles: 1) they had to be ones we’d recommend to friends and family, and 2) they had to be doable in one day. Most are worth an overnight stay, if you have time.
We thought about including Los Angeles, but it’s really far from doable. It takes a good three hours to drive there from downtown San Diego, and more frustrating hours trying to find your destination in gridlock traffic. That’s not the way to spend an enjoyable day. If you want to see Los Angeles, drive up—you’ll need a car once you get there since public transportation may not be an efficient way to get around. Spend a couple of nights in a hotel, see the sights, then drive back to San Diego. You’ll be thrilled to get back to our comparatively clean air and relatively free-flowing traffic.
You can reach the desert communities of Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, and Indio in about two hours, so it’s possible to go there for the day. Traffic is normally light, compared to that of Orange County and Los Angeles. For fans of minimalism and subtlety, the desert scenery can be inspiring. And you’ll be treated to the sight of snow-covered mountains in winter atop Mount San Jacinto and the electricity-generating windmill farm near the Palm Springs exit from Interstate 10. So get a map, gas up the car, and get ready to explore Southern California.
¡Bienvenido a Mexico! Most visitors to San Diego (and most locals, too) sooner or later end up south of the border. Even though they are warned that Tijuana hardly represents the “real” Mexico, the idea of visiting a foreign culture proves a powerful lure. Added to that lure is the fact that the U.S.-Mexico border is only a 20-minute drive from downtown San Diego, which makes for an easy day trip or after-dark excursion. Many Insiders make regular forays to Tijuana for an evening on the town. Fine dining is abundant, and Tijuana has several nightclubs that are popular among revelers of all generations, but especially the young.
Beyond the border city of Tijuana lie the resort towns of Rosarito Beach and Ensenada. Either can be visited as a long day trip, or relax a little, visit both, and spend the weekend. With much smaller populations (Tijuana is Mexico’s fourth-largest city) and decidedly less congestion and crime, Rosarito and Ensenada are worth the extra effort to get to. An isolated yet popular getaway for Hollywood stars during the ’30s and ’40s, Rosarito Beach has grown from a tiny enclave and suburb of Tijuana to a strip of restaurants, hotels, and shops fronted by a seemingly endless stretch of beach. A real city of some 370,000 people—dating from the Spanish colonial days—Ensenada itself is more attractive than Rosarito. Although bathing or surfing beaches there are found only north or south of town, several successful fishing fleets are based at the town’s bustling port.
Between Tijuana and Ensenada are some favorite stops. One is Puerto Nuevo, once a collection of humble if compelling lobster shacks, which in recent years has evolved into a more formal enclave of restaurants and shops. If many of the spruced-up venues now accept credit cards, and a few savvy entrepeneurs have opened hotels in the vicinity, the menu hasn’t changed at all: It still consists of boiled and broiled lobster, refried beans, rice, and baskets of hot tortillas. A few miles north of Puerto Nuevo is Foxploration (Free Road to Ensenada Km 32.8, Popotla, 011-52-661-614-9444, or toll-free from the United States 866-369-2252; www.foxploration.com). Emerging from the set of the major motion picture Titanic, filmed in 1997, the theme park has a film set, wardrobe room, and other areas that show how films get made. On-site are artifacts from Pearl Harbor, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and The Weight of Water, also filmed here. There’s also an outdoor stage, food court, and shopping arcade. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission is $12.00 for adults and $9.00 for children ages 3 to 11. (There is a 25 percent discount for visitors staying at Rosarito Hotels.)
Golfers head for Bajamar, the posh resort overlooking the sea between Tijuana and Ensenada, or Real Del Mar, just a few miles south of the border. The golfing and facilities are good at both courses.
Tijuana is the city that draws the most visitors, though, and there’s no shortage of attractions. Shopping, dining, and cultural performances and exhibits all await the intrepid explorer. We’ll introduce you to the highlights in this chapter and give you lots of tips for planning your trip and finding things to do once you get there. Most places south of the border accept American dollars and major credit cards in addition to the Mexican peso. If credit cards are not accepted at an establishment, we’ve made a note of it.