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San Diego, California MUST DO's www.TrustedTours.com |
See San Diego aboard the Old Town Trolley Tours®
Before heading out on your own, set aside 2 hours of your visit for this interesting narrated tour of San Diego. You’ll see sights you might otherwise miss, get an insider’s view of San Diego, discover places you’ll want to return to, and pick up some memorable facts about the area along the way. If you choose, you can hop off at any of the 10 strategic stops along the route to spend time exploring San Diego’s unique neighborhoods - museums, shops, restaurants - at your own pace. When you’re ready, simply hop back on the next available trolley to the next stop. It’s a great combination – a really interesting tour plus the time to venture out on your own.
Discover San Diego’s neighborhoods
- Walk through the Gaslamp Quarter to discover antique shops, some of the best restaurants in San Diego and trendy night spots, all housed in wonderfully restored 19th century Romanesque Revival commercial buildings along 4th and 5th Avenues. On Saturdays at 11 am, a 1-hour guided walking tour of the area departs from the William Heath Davis House.
- Take a trip back to 19th Century California in Old Town State Park. Walk around Old Town, “The Birthplace of California,” browse colorful shops, visit the ghostly Whaley House, sip a “fish bowl” size margarita, dine on authentic Mexican food.
- Experience La Jolla’s wonderful boutiques, the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, cliff-side restaurants and the seals at La Jolla Cove.
- Browse through the shops along Coronado’s Orange Avenue, walk along the sparkling Coronado Beach, don’t miss the fabulous Del. Or, take a 1 ½ hour walking tour of the small town offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Drive to Point Loma
The rugged, long peninsula protecting San Diego Bay from the Pacific Ocean has a breathtaking 360° degree view: miles of beaches to the north; the powerful Pacific to the west; busy San Diego Bay to the east; and to the south, the lovely San Diego skyline, Coronado and Mexico, off on the horizon. Before heading up to the top, stop by Point Loma Seafoods to pick up a picnic of the freshest seafood in San Diego. You can visit the Carillo National Monument, honoring the discovery of San Diego Harbor in 1542, the quaint Point Loma Lighthouse, and walk the 1 mile Bayside Trail, lined with native vegetation: yucca, prickly pear cactus and Indian paintbrush and with wonderful views.
Visit the museums in Balboa Park
Spend a day surrounded by choices appealing to every interest and age. The scientific and engineering minded will enjoy the San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum, San Diego Model Railroad Museum, Reuben H. Fleet Science Center with IMAX Theater, San Diego Automotive Museum, or San Diego Aerospace Museum. For naturalists, a visit the San Diego Natural History Museum or the San Diego Museum of Man is a must. Art lovers won’t want to miss fine art at the San Diego Museum of Art; folk art in the Mengei International Museum; documentaries and still images at the Museum of Photographic Arts In between venues, pick up a sandwich from a snack cart for lunch by a fountain; have a leisurely lunch in the flowered courtyard of the Prado Restaurant or tea in the Tea Pavillion in the Japanese Friendship Garden; pause for an hour at 2 pm on Sundays for a thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring organ concert in the grand Spreckles Organ Pavilion.
Marvel at the elegance of the Victorian-era Hotel Del Coronado
The internationally acclaimed resort, flamboyant in a white framed exterior with gingerbread detail and a red roof layered with turrets and towers, spreads out over the perfect oceanfront site. Built in 1888 for the fabulously wealthy, presidents, dignitaries and movie stars have stayed there; Some Like It Hot was filmed there. Admire the ornate interior, have a drink in the Babcock & Story Bar, browse through the shops, or treat yourself to Sunday Brunch in the magnificent chandeliered Crown-Coronet Room.
Walk the flight decks of the USS Midway
Four football fields in size, lined with airplanes on display, including an F-14 Tomacat, the flight deck is but one segment of the interesting on-board tour conducted by docents, many of whom served on the carrier and flavor the tour with personal recollections.
Watch the whales migrating off-shore
Board whale-watching excursion boats between late December and late February, many departing from the Embarcadero, to experience sightings of the huge marine mammals on their migratory journey from Alaska to the warmer seas off Baja California.
Take a self-guided tour of the William Heath Davis House
The simple, pre-fabricated saltbox house, shipped around Cape Horn 1850 and assembled in San Diego, is the oldest wooden structure in the city. Located in the Gaslamp Quarter, it was one of the first residences in “new” San Diego.
See the bears – and more - in San Diego Zoo
Giant pandas, cute koalas and diving polar bears are in residence in the remarkably natural surroundings in the world’s finest zoo. Walk the lush grounds, take the Skyfari for an aerial view, and lunch at Albert’s Restaurant.
Attend a play in the Old Globe Theater in Balboa Park
Check in the weekly San Diego Reader for schedules. Attend a play at one of the Old Globe Theaters – inside in grand style, intimately in the round, or outdoors.
Cross “La Linea” at Tijuana for a day trip to Mexico
Overwhelming to the senses, there is music, food, souvenirs and colorful confusion. Effective in 2008, you’ll need a passport.
MUST DO’S FOR KIDS
San Diego is a great place for children! Visit pandas, koalas and 4000 other creatures in San Diego Zoo. While in Balboa Park, engage in child-size interactive exhibits in the Reuben H. Fleet Space Theatre and Science Center; dig in an archeological site and build pyramids in the Children’s Discovery Center at the San Diego Museum of Man.
Spend time in SeaWorld at the awesome shark encounters, watch penguin antics, get splashed by Shamu. Splash down in the bay aboard the San Diego SEAL to see submarines and seals too. Go to the Children’s Pool in La Jolla, not for a dip, but to watch the seals, who have claimed it as their sunning spot; go to the Birch Aquarium at Scripps to see fish, the underwater kelp forest exhibit and creatures in the tide pools.
Further northeast, see rhinos, antelope, giraffes and elephants in as natural a habitat as possible in the Wild Animal Park; visit Legoland®, where everything imaginable is made of Legos. As though this weren’t enough, top it all off with a grand finale for kids and adults alike: ride the “Giant Dipper,” the seaside roller coaster in Belmont Park.
Trust us, we've been there!
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