Awards

In October 2018, San Diego breweries took home 16 medals at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. San Diego County brewers brought home five gold medals, six silvers and five bronze. The San Diego breweries that won medals include Ocean Beach Brewery, named “Small Brewery/Brewpub of the Year,” Port Brewing/The Lost Abbey, Breakwater Brewing, Eppig Brewing, Karl Strauss Brewing Co., Société Brewing, Burgeon Beer, Duck Foot Brewing, Groundswell Brewing, Pizza Port Solana Beach Brewpub, Rip Current Brewing, BNS Brewing & Distilling Co., Home Brewing Co., Kilowatt Brewing and the North Park Beer Co.

The City of San Diego and Old Town Chamber of Commerce will mark the 250^th commemoration of the birth of San Diego in 2019. In 1769, the first settlement of Alta California was established, which included a mission and presidio. A main calendar of events marking significant moments throughout the history of San Diego will be hosted on: oldtownsandiego.org/250th. Planned activities that commemorate events include monthly lectures, festivals like the Founders’ Day Festival, and other family friendly activities which will be held throughout the year to celebrate Old Town San Diego.

Celebrating 20 years since being designated as a historic highway, the Historic Highway 101 is still a favorite drive for locals and visitors alike. The a 935-mile highway, which runs the length of California, was once the main street of many California cities and towns along the coast. In San Diego, the route links a string of charming beach communities from Oceanside, where it is also known as Coast Highway, to La Jolla. The road hugs the Pacific Ocean providing a taste of Southern California’s fervent surf culture. Although no longer a formal Highway Route, a historic designation for the nearly 100-year-old roadway was secured in 1998 so that it would be recognized for its outstanding cultural and scenic qualities as well as its significant contribution to the development of California in the 20^thcentury. Today, remaining portions of the original US Highway Route 101 are recognized by highway markers and signs that highlight the special designation.

San Diego ranked No. 4 Top Meeting Destination in the U.S. by Cvent, a leading cloud-based event management platform. San Diego moved up a spot in the September 2018 ranking from 5^th in 2017.

In September 2018, Family Vacation Critic, TripAdvisor’s family travel site, selected San Diego as a must-visit destination for families. The website included San Diego in its top ten listing of “Best City for…” the following categories or attractions: Best Cities for Families, Best for Infants and Toddlers (0-2): La Jolla Cove; Best for Little Kids (3-6): San Diego Zoo; Best for Big Kids (7-9): Balboa Park; Best for Tweens and Teens (10-13+): California Surf Museum.