7 Signature Seaside Landmarks in San Diego

If this towering lighthouse and its accompanying cluster of red-roofed buildings look familiar, think “Top Gun”: The photogenic landmark at the tip of Point Loma served as the home of commanding officer Mike “Viper” Metcalf in the original movie. Built in 1891 and now serving as a residential facility for the Coast Guard, the lighthouse property is off-limits to public visits, but you can get sweeping views of the place from Cabrillo National Monument’s Oceanside Trail or by driving or hiking down to the popular tide pools just north of the lighthouse. 

San Diego surf culture doesn’t get more iconic than this thatched shack with the signature hand-hewn profile and the endless store of local lore. The much-photographed palapa, perched on the rocks above the fabled reef break, was first built in the 1940s for shade and to store the boards of OG Windansea surfers. It has been rebuilt many times over the years and was designated a historical landmark by the San Diego Historical Resources Board in 1998.

It’s amazing that one ship can hold so much history, but that’s the story of the USS Midway – now a floating waterfront museum but once an active U.S. Navy aircraft carrier that plied the seas for 47 years. Over those decades the Midway was home at various times to some 200,000 American service members. Now it’s a destination for visitors who are free to explore the massive ship’s 4-acre flight deck, climb into aircraft cockpits, check out the vast interior spaces and enjoy the beautiful views of San Diego from high above the harbor.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, set along the stunning La Jolla oceanfront, is one of the most famous oceanographic research hubs in the world. And the institution’s Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier is a key part of its research mission as well as one of its most famous symbols. The modern incarnation of the pier was built in 1988, replacing the 1916 original. Although the pier is usually closed to public access, Scripps offers periodic guided tours. And everybody can enjoy the twice-yearly ritual known as “Scrippshenge,” when photographers gather to capture the awe-inspiring sight of the sun lining up perfectly over the ocean as seen through the pier pilings. While you're in the neighborhood, such nearby favorites as Caroline’s Seaside Cafe and the Birch Aquarium at Scripps are also must-visits.

The distinctive black iron hull and towering masts of the Star of India have made the ship a celebrated fixture of the San Diego waterfront for decades. Now part of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, the 1863 barque – considered the world’s oldest active sailing ship – has an amazing history, including 21 circumnavigations of the globe. The Star of India has been named both a California Historical Landmark and a U.S. National Historic Landmark, and is just part of a fascinating Maritime Museum fleet that includes the Californian (the state’s official tall ship) and the vintage steam ferry Berkeley.

If you think the panoramas from the oceanfront bluffs of Torrey Pines in La Jolla are spectacular, just wait until you see the views from the skies above. That’s a perspective you can thrill to (if you dare) by signing up for a tandem paragliding adventure at the Torrey Pines Gliderport, celebrated as America’s most popular coastal soaring site. But if you’d rather just watch, the spectating is pretty great too – and you can even take in lunch while you take in the sights thanks to the on-site (and perfectly named) Cliffhanger Cafe.

For thrill-ride fans, connoisseurs of amusement-park history or anyone just looking for a classic California boardwalk experience, the seaside Belmont Park and its signature Giant Dipper roller coaster are must-visits. Built in 1925 and now a National Historic Landmark, the wooden Dipper takes patrons on a looping, 2,800-foot ride at up to 48 mph, and boasts sweeping views of surrounding Mission Beach and its famed boardwalk. And when you’re done with the Dipper, there’s plenty else to do at Belmont, which boasts 18 rides and other attractions plus three oceanfront restaurants.