Explore America’s Finest City on your next vacation. Whether you visit San Diego solo, as a couple or with a family, these 10 spots are must-visit places and activities for everyone.
- The beautiful beaches span 70 miles of coastline and are one major attraction. Popular beaches include Mission Beach, with its boardwalk and the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster, Pacific Beach for surfing and Coronado Municipal Beach for its beauty, water quality and sand texture. Several beaches welcome dogs, including Mission Beach, Ocean Beach and Coronado’s North Beach.
- Balboa Park is north of downtown San Diego. Any trip to San Diego is incomplete without a stop at Balboa Park, the largest urban cultural park in the United States, home to 15 museums, several performing arts venues and the San Diego Zoo.
- San Diego Zoo, located in Balboa Park, is an international attraction for its pioneering conservation efforts. Founded in 1916, the 100-acre zoo houses 3,700 rare and endangered animals and has a botanical collection of 700,000 exotic plants.
- San Diego Zoo Safari Park is 30 miles north of downtown San Diego, near Escondido. Set on 1,800 acres, Safari Park houses 2,600 animals from more than 300 species. Its successful breeding program produces a few hundred babies per year to helps populate other zoos and protect endangered species from poaching in the wild. Safari Park has worked with the AZA and the Species Survival Plan to help reintroduce some captive born animals into the wild, including California Condors and Przewalski’s Wild Horses.
- USS Midway Museum allows visitors to explore a floating city on the U.S.S. Midway, a navy aircraft carrier that served and protected the interests of the United States for 47 years. There are 60 exhibits onboard, including the crew’s sleeping quarters, the galley, engine room, the ship’s jail and 29 restored aircraft.
- Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography is famous for its seahorses and its seahorse breeding program, which helps protect wild seahorses from poachers. Their seahorse exhibit features more than 12 seahorse species, including pipefish and seadragons. Other exhibits include a Kelp Forest, Coral Exhibits and the Hall of Fishes, showcasing marine life in more than 60 habitats.
- Cabrillo National Monument at Point Loma offers magnificent views of the San Diego Harbor, Coronado and Mexico to the south. From December through February, this is a good spot to see gray whales migrating south to Baja.
- SeaWorld San Diego was created in 1964 as the first SeaWorld park. It is one of San Diego’s most popular attractions. There are rides, exhibits along with several shows where trainers interact with various marine animals, including orcas, dolphins and sea lions.
- Gaslamp Quarter is where you’ll find San Diego’s pulse after dark. In the daytime, there are boutique shops to visit along with the nearby New Children’s Museum, which contains many interactive exhibits. Along with the variety of food and drink in the Gaslamp Quarter come rules. Several restaurants require diners be 21 or older.
- Seaport Village features more than 50 shops, 17 restaurants and live music daily in the food court.
Now that you know what to see, let ResorTime help you plan your San Diego vacation. Visit us online or call (877)867-6506.
