San Diego Best Attractions

Haunted Houses are an awesome way to kick off Halloween! Dress up, grab some friends, and be prepared to scream and jump. The Haunted Trail in Balboa Park is an outdoor walk where thrills lurk around every corner. There are about 10 different “houses” along the trail with different themes and scary characters loom all over the trail. There is everything from a school bus to a farm house. Characters will crawl, jump, and fall out of nowhere at you. There are scary guys with chainsaws and creepy ghosts. You never know what is coming next.

The Scream Zone haunted house isn’t as scary. Maybe because it is enclosed so there aren’t as many places for them to jump out at you. It does have some cool special effects and banging. They can trap you more easily, though, so watch out for that. There are quite a few rooms to go through and since it isn’t as scary you can spend more time actually looking around and take it all in, instead of trying to run through as fast as you can to get away from an extra scary creeper like in some of the Haunted Trail rooms.

When deciding which to go to, assuming you can’t go to both (which I would recommend), decide how scary you want it to be and how far you want to walk. The Haunted Trail is a good 15 minutes of walking and just walking around Balboa Park in the dark is spooky enough, even without all the scary zombies chasing you. Do not wear heals! The trail is mostly dirt and you’ll be falling into it. I made that mistake because my costume called for it. I would go there if you aren’t scared easily. The Scream Zone haunted house is better for kids and for people who don’t want to walk very far.

*check back soon because I will be adding the Haunted Hotel review soon!

Knott’s Soak City is in Chula Vista in the southern part of San Diego. It isn’t as big as some water parks, but it will definitely give you a fun place to cool off during the summer. It has about 15 different water slides, 2 multi-person rides, a wave pool, a lazy river, a giant climbing water jungle gym, games, souvenir shops, and food vendors. There are a lot of lounge chairs available around the park to put your towels on. Pool-side cabanas and lockers are available to rent, as well.

Parking is $10 and you are not allowed to leave the parking area once you are in. You cannot bring food or drinks into the park but you can leave them in your car and eat in the parking lot. This may be a good idea if you have a lot of kids, as food is pricey in the park. There are a few food choices (Subway, Panda Express, etc) close to the exit you take to get there so that may be an option if you don’t want to bring food from home.

You can’t bring your own rafts from home.

Lines get long in the middle of the day so it is best to get there early, or come after 3pm when the lines die down significantly.

If you sit in the raft with your butt in the hole on the lazy river it is easy to spin around, which I find super entertaining.

Food portions are large enough to share.

If you get there when it opens go right to the Pacific Spin and Coronado Express before the lines get too long and then spend the busiest part of the day in the wave pool and lazy river.

Soak City is only open May- September.

Look for coupons in the local coupon magazines

Don’t forget:

Sunscreen, towels, bathing suits, a change of clothes, sunglasses, hats, money, and possibly stuff to wash yourself with in the showers after you’re done for the day.

Official Soak City Website

Balboa Park is home to many of the museums in San Diego. It is also a great place to go just to hang out and have a picnic. Every Sunday at 2:00 pm the Spreckel’s Organ Pavilion has a free show. On Tuesdays the museums rotate having free admission throughout the month.

San Diego Museum of Man, the San Diego Museum of Art, the Museum of Photographic Arts, the San Diego Art Institute the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, the Natural History Museum, the San Diego Historical Society, Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, the Reflection Pond, the latticed Botanical Building (which is always free), the Bea Evenson Fountain, San Diego Air & Space Museum, San Diego Zoo, and Timken Museum of Art are all located in the park.

I would definitely recommend the bigger museums… the Science Center, Museum of Art, and Natural History Museum are the best. The Science Center is especially fun for kids because it is interactive.

There are a number of gardens located in the park. These include Alcazar Garden, Botanical Building, Cactus Garden, Casa del Rey Moro Garden, Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden, Japanese Friendship Garden, Marston House Garden, Palm Canyon and Zoro Garden.

The Old Globe Theatre, a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the Starlight Bowl both have many shows throughout the year.

Visit the “international cottages” or House of Pacific Relations. These are a collections of houses from 17 different countries. There are free shows during high season on Sundays at 2:00.

Chess, horseshoe, petanque, and lawn bowling clubs are also located in the park.

Located in the northeast corner of the park is the Morley Field Sports Complex. Included in this complex is the largest tenant of the park, the Balboa Park Golf Complex with an 18-hole golf course and a 9-hole executive golf course, the San Diego Velodrome, baseball fields, the USTA awarded Balboa Tennis Club, archery ranges, the Bud Kearn Swimming Pool, and a disc golf course.

The rich ethnic diversity of San Diego is reflected in the Park’s institutions: the Centro Cultural de la Raza; the World Beat Center (celebrating cultures of African origins); the Mingei Museum of International Folk Art; the Japanese Friendship Garden, and the House of Pacific Relations.

For dog lovers, there are 3 leash-free dog areas.

Discounted admissions to Balboa Park’s major museums are available through the Passport to Balboa Park. The $39 Passport, valid for one week, represents a $95 value and allows entrance to 13 Park museums. A child’s passport is also available for children 3 to 12 years old for only $21, which is a $43 value.

For more information, hours, and prices click on the link…

Balboa Park

Star of India is a really awesome looking old ship that is part of the Maritime Museum. It displays art exhibits that you can visit. It sails at least once a year and is sailed by a skilled volunteer crew of Maritime Museum members, who train all year for the honor of taking her to sea.

The ship was built in 1863 as Euterpe, a full-rigged iron windjammer ship in Ramsey, Isle of Man. After a full career sailing from Great Britain to India then to New Zealand, she became a salmon hauler on the Alaska then to California route.

After retirement in 1926, she was restored between 1962 and 1963 and is now a seaworthy museum ship ported at the San Diego Maritime Museum in San Diego. She is the oldest ship that still sails regularly and the oldest iron hulled merchant ship still floating. The ship is both a California and National Historic Landmark.

For more information, hours, and tickets click the link…

Star of India

Whale watching as an organized activity dates back to 1950 when the Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma was declared a public spot for the observation of Gray Whales. Each year, around 26,000 gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) make the 10,000 mile journey from the Arctic Sea south to Baja and back. In fact, the gray whale’s trip is the longest migration undertaken by any mammal. We are so lucky to be located right on their migration path.

You can see these magnificent creates from different points along the coast or by boat. Going on a boat is the best way to see the whales up close. There are a lot of different tour companies that will take you out in the ocean. You can go on a bigger boat which will cost less or a smaller boat or kayak where you may be able to get closer to the whales.

Here are some of the companies that offer tours:

Hornblower Cruises- Hornblower Cruises & Events will take you on a three-and-a-half hour excursion. $30-$35 adults.

Harbor Excursions and Birch Aquarium- Join the Birch Aquarium and San Diego Harbor Excursions team for an educational experience. $27-$30 adults.

H&M Landing- From December to March, H&M offers tours embarking from San Diego Bay. $20 for three-hour cruise.

Hike Bike Kayak San Diego- See migrating whales at eye level with this unique tour. Hike Bike Kayak offers guided kayak trips to observe whales and the gorgeous sights of the La Jolla Ecological Reserve and coastline. $55-$65.

Hornblower Whale Watching Tours
Harbor Excursions Tours
H&M Landing Tours
Kayak Tours

Visit the Arco Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, in southern San Diego. It has a 150- acre campus including training fields and tracks, athlete dorms, and Otay Lake Reservoir. It also has the largest permanent archery range in North America; an artificial all-weather field hockey surface; four soccer fields; a 15,000 square-foot canoe/kayak and rowing boat house; four tennis courts; a 400-meter track and six acres for field events; and a cycling criterion course. An aquatic complex and a gymnasium are among the future facilities planned.

Visitors start their experience at the Copley Visitor Center, complete with theater and an Olympic Spirit Store, featuring an extensive line of official USOC and Olympic merchandise and memorabilia. On the tour they see, first-hand, athletes in training from an elevated visitor promenade known as the Conrad N. Hilton Olympic Path.

Free guided tours are offered Tuesday through Saturday at 1:30PM. Group and educational tours are also available with a reservation. To make a reservation, please call (619) 482-6215. Complimentary self-guided tours are available from 9:00AM to 5:00PM, seven days a week. For more information call the Copley Center at (619) 482-6222

For more information click on the link…

Olympic Training Center

Old Town is a really cool part of San Diego. It is where the early settlers built their forts and homes.

The first school house is still standing there, along with the haunted Whaley House, a cemetery, the first court house, other original buildings and museums, plus some modern shops and restaurants.

You can visit the Victorian gingerbread houses that have been moved there. There are some open grassy areas for picnics, too. Most of the museums and the visitors center have free admission

Bazaar Del Mundo is located there. It has a bunch of shops with really cool gifts and souvenirs.

There are daily tours at 11 am & 2 pm and additional tours Wednesday – Sunday 1 pm & 3 pm. Tours begin at the Robinson-Rose Visitor Center.

There are living history activities on Wednesdays & Saturdays from 10 am – 4 pm and most days the people are dressed in old-fashioned clothing.

You MUST get some fresh tortillas with butter and salsa from the tortilla ladies on the corner of Cafe Cayote. They are the best!

The park is located on San Diego Avenue and Twiggs Street, and is conveniently adjacent to the Transit Center, with Coaster, Trolley, and MTS Bus service.

There is a trolley tour of the city that leaves from there. I definitely recommend this tour because it will take you to the main sights and lets you get on and off at will.

I’ve done it twice and I would allow a whole day to see everything the tour shows you. If you can’t spend the whole day on the tour, it is fun just riding the trolley, and without getting off and on it takes about 2 hours.

Trolley Tour Info
Old Town Museums and Attractions List

Mission San Diego De Alcala is a really interesting old mission that has been well preserved and restored. It is the first of the 21 missions and known as the Mother of the Missions.

It is really cool to walk around and see how the Native Americans and padres lived. You can see a building where they slept, the church, where they farmed, and their artifacts in the museum. You can even attend church there on Sunday because it is an active Catholic Parish in the Diocese of San Diego.

Every year they have a carnival called the Festival of the Bells.

Interesting facts:

The mission was founded on July 16, 1769 by Blessed Junipero Serra. It was designated as a Minor Basilica in 1976 by Pope Paul VI.

Mission San Diego is sometimes referred to as the Plymouth Rock of the West Coast.

The first seeds of agriculture were planted at Mission San Diego, which laid the foundations for the great agricultural state that California is today.

It was possible for historians to find out what crops were grown at each mission by studying the components of the adobe bricks.

When homes were being built in Old Town, it was common practice to take materials from the abandoned mission to be used in constructing the homes.

For more information and hours click on the link…

Mission San Diego De Alcala

You can also travel down El Camino Real which was the road used to connect all 21 missions in California from San Diego to San Francisco…

El Camino Real

You can also visit Mission San Luis Rey. It is the largest of the 21 missions. It has a museum, cemetery, church, and is on 56 acres of land.

Mission San Luis Rey

Liberty Station in Point Loma is a planned community on the former NTC (naval training center). When completed it will have the largest waterfront park since Mission Bay. It also has a variety of restaurants, shops, hotels, and museums.

NTC Park has ball fields, picnic areas, basketball areas, a sports plaza, playgrounds, a multipurpose field, and an esplanade.

There is a chapel and promenade available for weddings and other events.

There is a Nickelodeon Resort planned to be built there with a huge water park.

For a full list of merchants and other venues click on the link…

Liberty Station

Just north of La Jolla Shores beach are the La Jolla Tide Pools. South of the shores is La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Children’s Pool Beach. All are very beautiful and definitely worth a visit.

If you walk up the beach past the pier you’ll come to a rocky area known locally as Dike Rock. Right before the rocky area starts to turn into another cove is where the La Jolla Tide Pools are at low tide. I’ve seen sea anemones, sea cucumbers, fish, shellfish, starfish, and even an octopus during my visits to the La Jolla Tide Pools. Just make sure to check to make sure when low tide is before you go.

The beach at La Jolla Cove is a very small beach within walking distance from the Children’s Pool Beach, and is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in Southern California. The sand on this beach however is coarse and gritty.

Above La Jolla Cove is Scripps Park, a grassy area excellent for picnicking. The beach is also within walking distance of many shops and restaurants.

La Jolla Cove is popular for swimming, scuba diving and snorkeling. However, since La Jolla Cove is within the San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park(a marine refuge area), “Swimming devices” (surfboards, boogie boards, even inflatable mattresses) are not permitted at the cove, and this rule is carefully enforced by the lifeguards, specifically the part defined as the Ecological Reserve.

Just a short swim away to the right of the coast is “Sunny Jim Cave,” a popular destination for tourists (see “La Jolla Cave” link).

No fishing or collecting of marine invertebrates, (even taking dead specimens or shells) is allowed. All sea animals are highly protected in this area by law, and individuals taking part in festivities such as crab hunting, fish punching, and hermit crab domination are at high risk of criminal prosecution.

The La Jolla Childrens Pool is home to many Harbor Seals. In 1990′s, to help promote a reserve at Seal Rock, Sea World began dropping all rescued and rehabilitated harbor seals from the entire county in the kelp beds off Seal Rock near this beach. The seals were used to humans and joined them while they swam there.

To this day they are very acclimated to people and will play with swimmers and divers. Often the seals will nip at the feet of divers and are particularly attracted to the hands and feet of smaller swimmers. While no deaths have occurred, lifeguards on the beach have added tourniquets and hospital grade skin disinfectant to their daily stock of supplies.

Swimming is allowed but not typically recommended due to a high Coliform Index which some believe is due to excessive seal feces. This, however has never been proven. Though many people do swim there, few get sick, and fewer still are hospitalized.

California sea lions also use this beach as a haul-out area. Children are warned to avoid the Children’s Beach during the pupping season lest they be hauled in, not out, of the ocean.

La Jolla Cove

Children’s Pool

La Jolla Tide Pools