On Sept. 28, 1542, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer sailing for Spain, discovered San Diego, anchoring his San Salvador flagship on Point Loma near the entrance to San Diego Bay. On this historic day, Cabrillo became the first European to set foot on the West Coast of the United States.

San Diego makes history again Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3-5, 2016, during the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s maiden voyage celebration of the first full-scale, historically-accurate working replica of the San Salvador, the “Mayflower of the West.” The impressive $6.2 million vessel stands 60 feet tall, weighs 230 tons and took the Maritime Museum five years to construct.

Coinciding with the museum’s annual Festival of Sail, the largest tall ship festival on the West Coast, visitors can for the first time board the San Salvador and enjoy a variety of onshore exhibits spotlighting this seaworthy recreation of Cabrillo’s 16th century galleon.

The adventure continues through October as the San Salvador embarks on a Pacific Heritage Tour of California’s coast, serving as a seafaring symbol of California’s origin story and the history of America from a West Coast perspective, and it will anchor in the following cities:

• Sept. 15-18: Oxnard, Channel Islands Maritime Museum
• Sept. 23-25: Monterey, Monterey State Historic Park
• Sept. 30–Oct. 9: Morro Bay, Central Coastal Maritime Museum Association

At each port, visitors will be able to board the ship and discover immersive dockside exhibits and events.

A few lucky visitors will have a chance to join the San Salvador’s return voyage to San Diego and see California through explorers’ eyes, joining the crew for sailing lessons and shipboard activities including hands-on demonstrations of celestial navigation, cartography and sail handling. No sailing experience is needed. Cost is $995 per person per leg, which includes all onboard meals: 

• Leg I: Morro Bay to Channel Island to Ventura, Oct. 10-14
• Leg II: Circumnavigate Catalina Island, Avalon to Avalon, Oct. 17-21
• Leg III: Avalon to San Diego, Oct. 23-26

For those looking to expand their coastal discovery excursion, the following are a few popular attractions where visitors can trace Cabrillo’s momentous discovery, step back into San Diego’s rich history and explore the birthplace of California.

• Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma commemorates Cabrillo’s landing at San Diego Bay. San Diego’s only national park, the century-old monument features a commanding 14-foot-tall statue of Cabrillo; scenic overlooks to enjoy bird’s-eye views of the bustling harbor, downtown skyline, the Pacific Ocean and annual gray whale migration; the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, one of eight original lighthouses on the West Coast, and pristine tidepools to explore. A multilingual recorded message provides information about Cabrillo’s voyage at a lookout spot above Ballast Point, as well as in displays and a video dramatization in the monument's museum. 
  
  During Sept. 30–Oct. 1, visitors can view a re-enactment of Cabrillo’s historic landing during the 53rd annual Cabrillo Festival at Ballast Point, Naval Base Point Loma. The free, family-friendly event features cultural demonstrations, folkloric performances, art vendors and food booths, bringing to life the traditions of Native American, Mexican, Portuguese and Spanish cultures.
• In 1769, Spanish Franciscan missionary Father Junípero Serra and a group of soldiers led by Gaspar de Portolá established Alta California’s first mission and presidio (fort) atop Presidio Hill. One of San Diego’s most familiar landmarks, the Junipero Serra Museum stands at this site overlooking Old Town San Diego, considered the birthplace of California. The Spanish Revival, mission-style museum showcases the collection of the San Diego History Center.
  
  San Diego’s first “downtown” sprang up around Presidio Hill. Today, five original preserved adobe buildings and a historic plaza along with reconstructed sites and early 20th century buildings make up the six-block Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, representing San Diego’s Hispanic heritage from 1821 to 1872. Sites include the grand Casa de Estudillo, Old Town’s most famous adobe building; the one-room Mason Street School, San Diego’s first public school; Casa de Bandini/Cosmopolitan Hotel; the Machado-Stewart adobe House Museum, Seeley Stables and more.
• Visitors can also step back in time at Mission San Diego de Alcala, the first of the 21 California missions and birthplace of Christianity on the West Coast. The mission was relocated from Old Town’s Presidio Hill to Mission Valley along the San Diego River in 1774. The historic site features beautiful gardens, a church, chapel, an excavation site believed to be part of the monastery and a museum. The annual Festival of the Bells in July celebrates the anniversary of the founding of Mission San Diego.
• Visitors can explore the cultural, historical and recreational side of San Diego at Mission Trails Regional Park. One of the largest urban parks in the United States, encompassing 6,800 acres, Mission Trails provides a natural escape just a few miles from the city at no cost to visitors; admission is free.
  
  Park highlights include the Old Mission Dam, which provided water to Mission San Diego de Alcala via an aqueduct, 60 miles of hiking trails including a popular trek to the top of Cowles Mountain — the highest peak within San Diego city limits — boating on Lake Murray, camping at Kumeyaay Lake, a state-of-the-art Visitor and Interpretive Center and rock climbing in Mission Gorge. The park also features exhibits dedicated to the history of San Diego’s native inhabitants, the Kumeyaay Indians, who lived within the park as long as 1,000 years ago.