A Ship Out of Water

Take a stroll to the southern end of the Liberty Station Esplanade in Point Loma and you’ll encounter what might seem like a scene from a dream: a full-sized warship “floating” on solid concrete. This is the USS Recruit, a landlocked vessel commissioned in 1949 and used to train hundreds of thousands of Navy recruits from the former Naval Training Center over the course of 50 years. Known informally by the tongue-in-cheek name “USS Neversail,” the vessel is the only commissioned Navy ship to never have touched the water, although it sits just a few boat-lengths from San Diego Bay. Now a California State Historic Landmark, the Recruit hosts a historical exhibit that’s open to the public on weekends from 12 to 4 p.m.

The Artful Majesty of Queen Califia

The influential French-born artist Niki de Saint Phalle, renowned for her whimsical, mosaic-ornamented sculptures, had deep ties to the San Diego area, where she moved in later life. Her playful legacy lives on at Queen Califia’s Magical Circle, the artist’s only American sculpture garden and her final major international project. The garden, set amid a 12-acre natural habitat at Kit Carson Park in Escondido, lives up to its name with fantastical figures of serpents and a maze covered with mirrored tiles, plus a gaggle of freestanding sculptures. It’s a great place for kids, and one that’s bound to fire their imaginations.

Honoring San Diego’s First Peoples

Long before Spanish missionaries established California’s first European settlements in what is now Old Town and Presidio Park, the Kumeyaay peoples inhabited the San Diego region from the Pacific coast to the eastern mountains and deserts. That rich heritage is commemorated at the striking Iipay~Tipai Kumeyaay Mut Niihepok (Land of the First Peoples) outdoor exhibit area, which has been part of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park since 2021. The expansive, park-like exhibit area, which includes numerous interpretive elements focusing on the lives of the Kumeyaay, is a key part of San Diego’s array of Native American heritage sites.

The Bridges of Balboa Park

The urban oasis that is Balboa Park — the largest urban cultural park in the nation, and San Diego’s cultural heart — is a gem of rare quality, but it’s not exactly hidden. The park, though, offers its own collection of tucked-away finds for visitors to discover, from a secluded garden to a vintage carousel. And surrounding the park is a network of seven bridges that not only serve as welcome links to the vibrant neighboring communities, but also offer their own fascinating features and histories. The bridges, which can all be visited as part of one five-mile urban hike, make for a great way to expand your Balboa Park and Downtown explorations.

Swing into Perfection in La Jolla

Everyone has their own definition of bliss, but here’s a pretty good one: Gliding into the sky on a swing perched atop a seaside hill, with sweeping views of beautiful La Jolla and the shimmering Pacific beyond. That’s the experience you can look forward to at the hidden swing suspended from a tree high above the Birch Aquarium at Scripps. Getting there can require a bit of exploration (and it’s important to note that sometimes there’s a different swing, or occasionally no swing, as this is not a publicly maintained feature; swing at your own risk). It’ll all feel well worth the effort, though, as you rise to kiss the horizon.

Bonus gem: High above Torrey Pines State Beach, at the border of La Jolla and Del Mar, is a hidden treasure that boasts a commanding view of the Pacific. And you’ll certainly feel like a royal surveying your realm when you settle into the Sunset Seat, a massive chair carved by the North San Diego County artist Tim Richards from the stump of a dead Torrey pine. You’ll have a little company, too. Not other people (this stretch of blufftop is usually lightly trafficked) but the imposing likeness of a red-tailed hawk — the official bird of nearby Torrey Pines State Reserve — incorporated right into the chair. .

A Canyon Like No Other

The San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve, a 987-acre seaside sanctuary that straddles the North County Coastal communities of Solana Beach and Encinitas, is a gorgeous place to explore. But its beauty turns almost otherworldly when you climb the path to Annie’s Canyon, a “slot canyon” on the reserve’s south side whose trail takes a visitor through skinny passageways walled by soaring slabs of sandstone. Imposing as that might sound, it’s a mostly easy hike, complete with ladders for the steepest segments. And the majestic view from the top makes the climb way more than worth it.

Snorkeling Where the Serene Meets the Marine

When it comes to snorkeling in San Diego, La Jolla Cove gets all the glory — and for very good reason, given that it’s part of a Marine Protected Area that teems with sea life. But for a less intensively visited snorkeling find, check out Mission Point, a mini-peninsula tucked into the bay side of southern Mission Beach, just north of the Mission Bay entrance channel. Its protected waters and mix of sandy and rocky shoreline make for a vibrant marine ecosystem, and snorkelers report seeing moray eels, octopus, abalone and much more. And for an extra Hidden Gem adventure, consider taking one regular’s suggestion and snorkeling here at night!