Tours and Sightseeing
Stroll through Balboa Park and marvel at its beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. While there, take advantage of the park's variety of offerings, including 18 museums (select museums are free on Tuesdays for San Diego residents), free daily park tours and spectacular gardens (seven are free daily). The Timken Museum of Art is always free, and the beautifully renovated Mingei Museum also offers free areas. And for night owls and astronomy buffs, there's stargazing outside the Fleet Science Center on the first Wednesday of every month: The San Diego Astronomy Association sets up huge telescopes to offer guests a great view of the night sky.
Visit Old Town and witness the living legacy of San Diego history. Guests are invited to wander free through Old Town's historic buildings, including the blacksmith shop, Seeley Stables, Stewart House, Estudillo House and the oldest schoolhouse in San Diego. Be sure to visit the recently opened Iipay ~ Tipay Kumeyaay Mut Niihepok (Land of the First People) outdoor area, which offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the area's earliest residents, the Kumeyaay.
San Diego is famous for its 59-Mile Scenic Drive, which winds along the beautiful coastline and through some of the city's most charming neighborhoods. And that's just one of many fun road trips around the region, from the ocean-to-desert adventure of Historic Highway 80 to the backcountry beauty along Highway 79.
Explore the sprawling Gaslamp Quarter, a nationally recognized historic district and the lively epicenter of San Diego's Downtown. Check out such landmarks as the Davis-Horton House, the area's oldest surviving structure, which was brought around Cape Horn from Maine in 1850 and reassembled here. Take time to admire what the Gaslamp Quarter Foundation calls the largest collection of restored Victorian office buildings this side of the Mississippi, and walk what was once the home turf of such memorable figures as the Old West lawman Wyatt Earp. And discover such modern wonders as the "Flame Flower" sculpture in front of the Westin Gaslamp Quarter hotel — and of course the impressive edifice that is Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres and named by USA Today as the No. 1 ballpark in America.
Stroll along San Diego's Embarcadero for hours of free entertainment, shopping and more. Enjoy a laid-back day of hanging out in the grass and watching the many passing yachts and ships on picturesque San Diego Bay, or take in the sights from one of the many bay-view benches and walkways. And don't miss the numerous public artworks — including the towering and playful "Embracing Peace," which sits just south of the massive USS Midway Museum. It's all part of The Wonderfront, San Diego's "largest attraction," with 27 miles of bayside parks, marinas, shops, restaurants, promenades and bikeways.
With its unique identity as a beach town, a border city, a bustling international port and a former frontier burg, San Diego has mixed and matched architectural styles to surprising and sometimes dazzling effect over the decades. While the influence of the region's early Spanish settlement remains prominent, plenty of signature architectural sites here draw on other, more disparate traditions.
Drive to the top of Mount Soledad in La Jolla for breathtaking, 360-degree views of San Diego, including the gently curving La Jolla coastline and Mission Bay. Spectacular views of San Diego's East County communities also await guests at the top of Mount Helix.
Visit the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center (formerly the U.S. Olympic Training Center) in San Diego's South Bay for a free tour of the 150-acre facility, including training fields and tracks, athlete dorms and the Otay Lake Reservoir. Self-guided tours are available daily between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Step back in time with a stop in Julian, a century-old mining town in the Cuyamaca Mountains. Pick up a free map at the Chamber of Commerce for a self-guided walking tour of the area's historic sites, and later enjoy a slice of homemade apple pie — a Julian specialty!
