Activities & Attractions
California’s second largest city and the United States’ eighth largest, San Diego boasts a citywide population
of nearly 1.3 million residents and more than 3 million residents countywide. Within its borders of 4,200 sq. miles, San Diego County encompasses 18 incorporated cities and numerous other charming neighborhoods and communities, including downtown’s historic Gaslamp Quarter, Little Italy, Coronado, La Jolla, Del Mar, Carlsbad, Escondido, La Mesa, Hillcrest, Barrio Logan, Chula Vista just to name a few.
San Diego is renowned for its idyllic climate, 70 miles of pristine beaches and a dazzling array of world-class attractions. San Diego offers an expansive variety of things to see and do, appealing to guests of all ages from around the world.
WILSON GOLF TOURNAMENT AT THE CONVENTION
Tuesday, December 7, 11 a.m. Shotgun Start
The Sycuan Resort, located in El Cajon, California, has been chosen as the site of the 2010 NFCA National Convention Wilson Golf Tournament, scheduled for an 11 a.m. shotgun start Tuesday, December 7.
The resort features two championship golf courses, and was ranked by the San Diego Business Journal and SignOnSanDiego.com as San Diego’s most popular golf facility. The resort also features the Primrose Spa and gaming.
Wilson Sporting Goods is sponsoring the scramble, which generally has 100 to 120 players. Besides greens fees, range balls and transportation, the $90 fee also includes an awards dinner immediately following golf action.
ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTIONS
San Diego is packed with world-famous fun activities and exciting attractions for kids and adults.
Catch Shamu in "Believe," the most ambitious killer whale show in the park's history.
The San Diego Zoo is more than a zoo: it is a sanctuary for thousands of animals, a landscape of rare plants from all climates and a living classroom that entertains as well as educates.
Check out stars like Philip Rivers as the Chargers try to win a fifth consecutive AFC West title. The Bolts play at home Sunday, December 5, versus the Raiders and Sunday, December 12, versus the Chiefs.
ARTS AND CULTURE IN SAN DIEGO
With 15 museums and nine theatres and performing arts centers, Balboa Park is San Diego's cultural heart. "The Smithsonian of the West," this beautiful park houses its treasures among green expanses, cultivated gardens and Spanish Colonial Architecture, making it a magical place to spend the day. Wonder at the incredible displays in the San Diego Natural History Museum. See old masters from Rembrandt to Rubens in the intimate spacecraft. Theatre lovers would be amiss not to try to catch the latest show at The Old Globe, one of the most esteemed regional theatres in the country. In and of itself, Balboa Park holds enough wonderful sights and experiences to fill an entire vacation.
Next, head up the coast to the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego in La Jolla. As if the surrounding ocean views weren't inspiring enough, the permanent collection at MCASD includes more than 4,000 works created after 1950. Working to stay on the cutting edge of the art world, the museum has a reputation for collecting works from the most promising emerging artists, as well as major figures in contemporary art. Painting, sculpture, photography, video, film and installation art are all represented. Don't miss Nancy Rubins' site-specific installation, "Pleasure Point," a colorful accumulation of rowboats, canoes, jet skis and surfboards that practically burst off the west side of the building.
The latest edition to San Diego's art scene is the wonderful New Children's Museum in downtown. A visual feast for the eyes and the imagination, this award-winning, environmentally-friendly building houses several stories brimming with hands-on exhibits and activities, and works by established and emerging artists designed to engage both children and adults alike. One visit may just change how you experience the world.
SAN DIEGO SURF SCENE
On any given day, summer or winter, rain or shine, you can find people out enjoying the San Diego surf. For many locals surfing is a way of life, as much a part of their daily routine as a morning run is to other athletes.
Although surfers are mostly in it for the fun, surfing is also a demanding sport that provides a strenuous physical workout. Whether alone with your thoughts or battling for waves in a crowd, it is always an essentially individual and introspective experience that comes down to you and the wave. As a result, surfers are a healthy and happy bunch with an optimistic attitude to every aspect of their lives.
As anyone who has ever wrestled a board out through the whitewater knows, surfing is hard. It takes a lot of trial and error to learn how to read the waves, find the sweet spot on your board, and make that first clean turn off the bottom that will set you up for a nice ride down the line. Fortunately, one thing about surfing is not hard at all - the water – and surfers usually walk away from even the worst of wipeouts with nothing more than a bruised ego. The learning process, if at times frustrating, is still plenty of fun, and there are plenty of good, easy places in San Diego to give it a try.
There are many kinds of waves and as many approaches to riding them. Sandy bottoms usually make for the fast and shifty waves called beachbreak, while rock bottom reef breaks are more fickle but, when the conditions come together, can produce long and shapely waves. There are shortboards for quick, high performance turns, longboards for smooth, carving glides, big narrow guns for big hollow tubes, and fat little fish for fat little waves. Bodyboarding is a fun and rewarding alternative that gives you the sensation of riding a wave without the long learning curve of stand-up surfing. Purists can enjoy bodysurfing with no equipment at all. San Diego is lucky to have waves to satisfy surfers of all styles and skill levels and a climate that allows them to pursue their passion all year long.
GOLFER'S GUIDE
In San Diego, golf is serious business. Host of the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, home of the annual Buick Invitational, headquarters to the biggest names in the industry and hailed by Golf Digest as, "one of the top 50 golf destinations in the world" - whether you're looking for ocean views, desert sun or mountain vistas, every one of the 93 courses will challenge your skill level.
Best After-Golf Cocktails
Torrey Pines is not only a world-class course steeped in history, it's also a great place to sit back and enjoy some amazing scenery, good conversation and a tasty beverage. The Grill & Bar at the Lodge in Torrey Pines is open to the public, golfing or not, and provides a truly unique San Diego experience.
Most Surprising Course
Heading inland surrounded by canyons, Steele Canyon is a real hidden gem. This 27-hole championship course was personally designed by Gary Player with respect and appreciation for the natural beauty of the terrain and has earned Golf Digest's Four Star Rating.
Best Bragging Rights
Designed by Johnny Miller and Robert Muir Graves, Maderas Golf Club offers a unique combination of golf course strategy and design mastery, while taking the concept of upscale golf in San Diego to exhilarating levels. To put it simply, if you're up for a one-of-a-kind challenge, you've found it.
Best Value
Carlton Oaks Country Club is known as the course Phil Mickelson played as he grew up, but it's also an amazing course at a great value. Carlton Oaks is a Perry Dye-designed public golf course that features meandering creeks, more than 400 mature trees, deep pot bunkers and water hazards. Also available are two practice chipping and putting greens, a driving range, a full-service pro shop and The Oaks Bar and Grill.
GETTING AROUND IN SAN DIEGO
How long will it take me to drive to various places around the San Diego region?
A lot of people say that everything is "20 minutes away" in San Diego. While that's not exactly true, most everything is conveniently located in San Diego.
Is there a public transportation system?
Please visit the Metropolitan Transit System's web site
for information on the bus, trolley and Coaster (local train service). Here you will find current fare and schedule information.
How far is Downtown San Diego from the airport?
Lindbergh International Airport is conveniently located, approximately three & one half miles from the heart of the downtown area. A typical taxi fare from the airport to downtown would range from $8 to $10. Several shuttle companies offer shared rides to and from Lindbergh Field and to areas of San Diego County. The airport is also served by the Metropolitan Transit System bus route #992.
NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE
North Coastal/Carlsbad
North County is San Diego's final frontier. The Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base forms a buffer zone to the north that prevents San Diego from being absorbed into the sprawling megalopolis of Los Angeles and Orange County, and lends North County its isolated, outback appeal. In the old days, the sleepy seaside town of Carlsbad was nothing more than a whistle stop on the Santa Fe train route.
Today, it's one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in San Diego—a headquarters for high-tech corporations
and home to upscale housing communities. But, when traveling north along the Pacific Coast Highway between Encinitas and Oceanside, North County's scenic beaches and charming roadside villages make it feel like you're heading back in time and leaving it all behind. And when you stop off on Main Street, by the old train Depot in Carlsbad, you'll realize that you really are.
Inside Tips...North County has an upbeat So Cal beach culture, combining a laid-back, new-age philosophy with an energetic and ambitious work ethic. You'll understand what the vibe is all about when you see corporate executives changing into their wetsuits for a lunchtime surf, or professional surfers out for a round of golf. This same "it's all good" attitude translates into the variety of dining and shopping options available in the area. You'll find everything from take-out Mexican food and pizza joints to health food stores and elegant seafood restaurants. Similarly, you'll find underground music stores and hardcore surf shops, in harmony with mainstream clothing outlets and antique stores.
You'll find the best swimming beaches just south of Carlsbad Village and up around the pier in Oceanside. Surfers will enjoy the renowned reef-breaks at Swami's and Cardiff in Encinitas, and the jetties around Oceanside Harbor.
La Jolla
With its dramatic coastline and spectacular views, it's no surprise that La Jolla was one of the first San Diego neighborhoods to be settled, and has since become some of the most prized real estate in the nation.
Surrounded on three sides by the sea and backed by the steep slopes of Mt. Soledad, La Jolla has a mediterranean feel and enjoys a unique microclimate which rarely drops below 50 degrees or exceeds 90 degrees.
The bustling business district offers one-of-a-kind boutiques, art galleries and restaurants, and the surrounding residential community is a charming mix of turn-of-the-century Spanish architecture, eccentric modern designs and everything in-between.
La Jolla's big draw, for locals and tourists alike, is the sea. In the summer and autumn months, the surf is relatively gentle, the water warms into the 70s, and the beaches at La Jolla Shores, The Cove and Windansea are busy with swimmers, scuba divers and surfers. In the Winter and Spring, the coast takes on an ominous mood with billowing fogs and powerful winter surf crashing on the rocks.
Inside Tips...Every season is the best time of year for a visit to La Jolla; watching the winter surf crash against your window at The Marine Room Restaurant can be just as rewarding for some as a summer picnic on the beach is for others. Not surprisingly, the busiest season is June thru August, when the population swells, hotels sell out and parking is scarce. The nicest weather typically arrives in September, just as the crowds thin, and lasts well into December. There are fireworks at the Cove on the Fourth of July and a holiday parade on Girard Avenue in early December. An open-air market is held every Sunday at the La Jolla Elementary School.
With award-winning restaurants like George's and Top of the Cove, Prospect Street is ground zero for fine-dining, but don't overlook the excellent options in Bird Rock and the Shores. The most popular offerings are fresh seafood and Mexican cuisine, but you can find anything from scrambled eggs to sushi among the many and varied eateries throughout La Jolla. What you won't find here is nightlife; the whole town pretty much goes to sleep by midnight. If you are looking for a party, head to Pacific Beach or downtown San Diego. Shopping in La Jolla tends toward the unusual and upscale: designer fashions, expensive jewelry, ethnic artifacts, priceless antiques, oriental rugs and exotic cars. For more practical fare, try the malls at La Jolla Village Square and University Towne Center.
The adventurous will find plenty to excite them at La Jolla Shores, where dive gear, kayak tours and surfing lessons are available from the shops on Avenida De La Playa.
Downtown San Diego
San Diego is a vibrant, metropolitan city with a laid-back, small-town feel, and no other San Diego neighborhood embraces this best-of-both-worlds spirit like downtown. Neatly packed into a single square-mile grid between the 5 freeway and the Harbor, downtown San Diego has it all: soaring skyscrapers bustling with big business, old turn-of-the-century buildings housing trendy new nightclubs, and peaceful parks perfect for a short stroll or a relaxing rest.
Visitors and residents alike can enjoy dining in Little Italy, shopping at Horton Plaza, taking in an opera at the Civic Center, exploring an aircraft carrier at the Harbor, and dancing in the Gaslamp Quarter, all in the space of a few dozen city blocks. Close to the international airport, cruise ship terminal, Balboa Park museums and worldrenowned San Diego Zoo, downtown is a fine place to begin your visit to America's Finest City.
Inside Tips...Finding your way around downtown San Diego by car is fairly straightforward. But, as in any city, be prepared to navigate a few tricky one-way streets, and, once you get where you're going, you'll have to find a place to park or hire a valet service to find one for you. The best advice is to know before you go—figure out where you're going, plan out your day, and map out your route. Make advance reservations for prime dining
hours at popular restaurants. Carry cash and coin for the many self-pay lots and parking meters around town. There are also several large parking structures serving Horton Plaza, the Gaslamp District, the Ballpark and Convention Center.
Perhaps the best way to visit downtown is by taxi or by public transportation. San Diego is served by an excellent trolley and bus network that will take you virtually anywhere you want to go. Romantic, horse-drawn carriages and bicycle-powered rickshaws called pedi-cabs ply the streets around the Gaslamp Quarter. With a decent sense of direction and a little common street sense, it's relatively safe and easy to make your way around downtown San Diego on foot.
In December, downtown dresses up for the holidays; check out the nightly Parade of Lights, with decorated yachts sailing up and down the waterfront.
There are dining options to suit any palate. On a sunny San Diego afternoon, the sidewalk cafes in Little Italy and the waterfront restaurants around the harbor are great choices for lunch, while the Gaslamp Quarter comes alive at the dinner hour and keeps going strong late into the night. For that special souvenir to remember your San Diego vacation by, check out the kites, wind chimes and other fanciful keepsakes at Seaport Village. If fashion is your fare, Horton Plaza is sure to please, while the Gaslamp Quarter offers everything from book stores and boutiques to adult novelties and antiques.
None of San Diego's big attractions—its famous beaches, museums, zoos and amusement parks—are located downtown, so a visit here is more of a sensory immersion than a sight-seeing mission. Sure, there's plenty for you to do downtown, but it's really about what the city does to you. San Diego works its magic whether you're taking a cab across town, or sitting in a
cafe taking in the scenery. So wander, enjoy, and let the spirit of our "little big city" move you.
Old Town San Diego - Mission Valley
The native Kumeyaay Indians knew it. So did the Spanish missionaries and American settlers who arrived after them. The San Diego River Valley is a good place to call home.
You'll find established residential neighborhoods, a major university, big shopping centers, hotels, and the Chargers football stadium.
It's literally the center of town, where all roads in San Diego lead. Those early residents wouldn't recognize their pastoral farming community now, but San Diego's Mission Valley neighborhood remains synonymous with prosperity, just as it always has been.
Inside Tips...Just as the early pioneers came west looking for a better life and remained in San Diego when they found it, visitors who come to Old Town to see the sights often make a day of it when they discover the wonderful shops and excellent restaurants in Bazaar Del Mundo. Needless to say, Mexican cuisine is the specialty in Old Town, and you'll find authentic fare at Casa de Bandini, the Old Town Mexican Cafe or any of the other local cantinas. The unusual is the norm, with most of the shops selling one-of-a-kind items and exotic imports. You'll also find an assortment of art galleries and watering holes around the Plaza, and all along San Diego Avenue.
There's nothing particularly unique about the merchandise on offer at the malls, but where else would you find such a variety of stores and services all in one place? Movie theaters, sports bars and video arcades make Mission Valley's shopping centers the perfect meeting place for fatigued families after a long day of sightseeing, while solo travelers can indulge themselves at finer establishments or check out the singles scene at one of the Valley's rockin' nightclubs.
You can hike and bike at Mission Trails Park, or play a round of golf at one of Mission Valley's public courses. If you're feeling lucky, try the tribal gaming casinos at the far end of the valley. When you've exhausted all the resources at hand and grown tired of the city, head for the hills. Mission Valley is the gateway to the unspoiled mountain hideaway of Julian, the remote desert oasis of Anza Borrego and other exciting San Diego frontiers.
