Heather & Isaac
Things To Do
A Guide To San Diego Neighborhoods
La Jolla: "The Jewel"; picturesque ocean views, fine dining, and posh boutiques. Home to some surf schools, kayak rentals, and snorkeling tours of the Cove. Pacific Beach: Known as "PB", Home to college students, surfers, and those looking for a beach party. Large nightlife scene, particularly on Garnet Ave between Mission Blvd and Ingraham St. Mission Beach: South of PB with a connecting boardwalk extending more than two miles to Mission Bay. Lots of oceanfront vacation rentals and sandy beach for miles. Ocean Beach: A funky vintage SoCal beach town vibe. Lots of independently owned businesses and restaurants. Home to one of Southern California's longest piers, extending 0.5 miles into the ocean and accessible to the public. Miramar: Affectionately known as "Beeramar" this industrial neighborhood near the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station houses 19 of San Diego's almost 200 breweries.
A Guide to San Diego Neighborhoods
Kearny Mesa: Home to Convoy St, with a diverse representation of Asian culture and cuisine including Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, and others. Old Town: The site of the first European settlement in California. Many small museums, historic buildings, and sites. Home to multiple Mexican restaurants who claim to be the best margarita in town. Hillcrest: Large LGBT community presence. Home to the San Diego Pride Parade and Festival, the largest civic event in the city. Lots of trendy cafes, bars, and boutiques. North Park: A "hipster" neighborhood with a diverse array of trendy restaurants, microbreweries, and art. Little Italy: An active downtown neighborhood next to the San Diego Bay that is home to the Mercado farmer's market and many Italian restaurants. Gaslamp Quarter: Historical district of Downtown San Diego rich in entertainment and nightlife and nearby to Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres.
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The Taco Stand
Fast-food style tacos, burritos & churros served in a colorful shop with a retro vibe. Be prepared to wait, there's always a line!
Oscars Mexican Seafood
Well known for fish tacos and ceviche, walking distance from the beach.
Menya Ultra
Award-winning Japanese ramen with hand made noodles.
Tahini
Middle Eastern street food, shawarma on the rotisserie, falafel fried to order, and fresh made pita daily. Don't miss it!
Cross Street Chicken and Beer
Korean-style fried chicken
Phuong Trang
Vietnamese spot with some of the best pho in the city!
Dave's Hot Chicken
Nashville-style hot chicken with a line out the door every time.
Tacos El Gordo
No-frills Mexican counter-serve joint featuring Tijuana tacos, mulas, loaded fries & more. Arguably some of the best authentic Tijuana-style tacos in the city.
Buona Forchetta - South Park
Din Tai Fung
A world-renowned Chinese restaurant originating in Taiwan that specializes in soup dumplings and noodles. Try the xiao long bao!
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Pure Project
Snug, casual beer tasting room serving flights & pints of globally inspired craft brews.
AleSmith Brewing Company
Artisanal microbrewery with a rotating draft menu, tasting room & free tours of the facilities.
White Labs
This tasting room features a regularly changing line-up of beers created on-site. The only San Diego brewery where the science of yeast is showcased through side-by-side comparison.
Thorn St. Brewery
Locally-owned brewery with a rustic, laid-back tasting room & rotating food trucks parked outside - one of our faves!
George's at the Cove
Head up to Level 2 for craft cocktails. The Flora of San Diego is an exploration through San Diego’s wild flora as told through a collection of 24 original craft cocktails.
Societe Brewing Company
Specializes in Belgian-style and barrel aged beer.
Craft & Commerce
Go for the cocktails, stay for the taxidermy.
Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station
Ballast Point Brewing Miramar
Cutwater Spirits
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la Jolla Shores Beach
La Jolla Shores is a sandy beach approximately 1 mile long located in the community of La Jolla. In summer, waves at this beach are usually the most gentle of all San Diego beaches. La Jolla Shores is one of nine beaches that has permanent lifeguard stations patrolled by San Diego Lifeguards.
Mission Beach
Spanning just over a mile in length, Mission Beach is at the center of the Golden Strand, between South Mission Beach and Pacific Beach. One of the most popular beach areas in the City of San Diego, Mission Beach draws large crowds in the summer to its oceanfront and adjacent Belmont Park.
Tourmaline Beach
North Pacific Beach extends approximately a mile north of Crystal Pier to Pacific Beach Point. This beach is bordered by cliffs up to 75 feet in height with an extension of the boardwalk traversing the cliff-top along much of the south end of the beach. At the north end of the beach is Tourmaline Surfing Park which includes a public parking lot, showers and restrooms. This area is heavily used by surfers, kite surfers and sailboarders year round
Del Mar North Beach
We prefer the beaches of Del Mar because they are dog friendly. North Beach (29th St to Solana Beach border) allows dogs off-leash, while leashed dogs are allowed on Main Beach (Powerhouse Park to 29th St) and South Beach (6th St to Powerhouse Park)
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Torrey Pines State Reserve
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve® is located within San Diego city limits and yet remains one of the wildest stretches of land on our Southern California coast! Because of the efforts and foresight of the people in this area, 1,500 acres of land are as they were before San Diego was developed — including the maritime chaparral, the rare Torrey pine, miles of unspoiled beaches, and a lagoon that is vital to migrating seabirds. Miles of relatively easy hiking trails with ocean views and beach access.
Mission Trails Regional Park
Mission Trails Regional Park encompasses 7,220 acres of both natural and developed recreational areas. Its rugged hills, valleys and open areas represent a San Diego prior to the landing of Cabrillo in San Diego Bay in 1542. Started in 1974, Mission Trails Regional Park has become one of the largest urban parks in the United States. Originally used by the Kumeyaay, the park is the site of the Old Mission Dam, built to store water for the Mission San Diego de Alcala. Contains 60 miles of trails and the highest point in San Diego, Cowles Mountain. Our favorite hike is to North Fortuna Peak from the Oak Canyon trail.
Mount Woodson Trail
Find "Potato Chip Rock" at the top. A very popular hike if coming from the Mt Woodson Trail near Lake Poway. Come up from the from the Fry Koegel Trail off of Archie Moore Rd for a less crowded experience.
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
A 68-acre City of San Diego regional park which extends 1½ miles along the Point Loma peninsula's western shoreline. This unique coastal environment features expansive ocean views, dramatic cliff formations and caves, a fascinating intertidal area, and native coastal sage scrub habitat, which provides connectivity to the adjacent Point Loma Ecological Reserve.
Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve
Eagle Rock
Start from Warner Springs near the fire station.
Sunset Trailhead - Mount Laguna
A whole series of trails in the San Diego mountains. Try Sunset Loop for an easy entry with great views!
El Cajon Mountain Trail
For those up for a serious challenge! Often touted as one of the hardest hikes in San Diego!
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San Diego Natural History Museum
Permanent offerings include Fossil Mysteries and Coast to Cactus in Southern California, which together serve as a walk through the region’s prehistoric past and biological present. You’ll travel through a period of 75 million years—from the time of dinosaurs to present day—along the way learning all about this amazing place we call home.
San Diego Zoo
With more than 3500 animals, San Diego Zoo is the most visited zoo in the country and is routinely ranked as one of the top zoos in the country. The Zoo is very active in conservation and species-preservation and recently achieved the first successful live birth of an artificially inseminated southern White Rhino in North America, a critical step in potentially saving the critically endangered northern White Rhino of which only two individuals remain. The Zoo also operates the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, CA, an 1800 acre natural environment zoo.
Balboa Park
Balboa Park is home to more than 16 museums, multiple performing arts venues, lovely gardens, trails, and many other creative and recreational attractions, including the San Diego Zoo. With a variety of cultural institutions among its 1,200 beautiful and lushly planted acres, there is something for everyone.
The Children's Pool
Originally built as a protected beach for kids, it is now inhabited by a large colony of harbor seals. The beach gets especially full during pupping season (Dec-May). Please give the seals and sea lions space if you visit. While swimming is legally allowed, it is not advised due to poor water quality and the unpredictability and high likelihood of wild animal encounters. Don't worry, there are lots of other swimmable beaches in San Diego!
Maritime Museum of San Diego
The Maritime Museum of San Diego, established in 1948, preserves one of the largest collections of historic sea vessels in the United States. Located on the San Diego Bay, the centerpiece of the museum's collection is the Star of India, an 1863 iron bark.
Cabrillo National Monument
Cabrillo National Monument is at the southern tip of the Point Loma Peninsula and it commemorates the landing of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. This event marked the first time a European expedition had set foot on what later became the West Coast of the United States. Run by the National Park Service, it has museums and historical buildings as well as trails through the coastal sage scrub forest, tide pools to explore, and a whale watching platform. The site offers 360-degree views of downtown San Diego, San Diego bay, Coronado and the Naval Air Station, Mexico, and the Pacific Ocean.
Frosted Faces Foundation
Frosted Faces Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization that delivers the promise of family and quality veterinary care for senior animals whose love and lives are in jeopardy. We volunteer here every week. Want to meet our Frosted Faces? Visit an open house on Saturday or Sunday from 10 am - 1 pm!
USS Midway Museum
The longest-serving aircraft carrier in the world has been permanently moored at San Diego’s Embarcadero since 2004. Commissioned in 1945, the USS Midway served in the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm, before becoming the largest museum dedicated to aircraft carriers and naval aviation anywhere. Little known perk: access to the bow top deck is free to the public. Inquire at the ticket counter and a staff member will escort you to the top deck for views of the San Diego Bay.
Belmont Park
An oceanfront amusement park with 12 rides including the Giant Dipper Rollercoaster and a variety of attractions and games.
Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography
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Pacific Surf School
Pacific Surf School offers a variety of surf programs for all ages and skill levels! Currently, Pacific Surf School is offering year round surfing lessons, private clinics, corporate and group surf lessons. Also offers equipment rentals.
San Diego - La Jolla Underwater Park
The San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park spans 6,000 acres of ocean bottom and tidelands. The park's four distinct habitats (rocky reef, kelp bed, sand flats, and submarine canyon) make it a popular destination for snorkelers and scuba divers. The park was created by the City of San Diego in 1970 and actually has two other parks within it: the "look but don't touch" Ecological Reserve and the Marine Life Refuge.
Torrey Pines Gliderport
A city-owned private-use glider airport for hang gliding and paragliding. Offers tandem flights on a first-come first-served basis. Also an epic place to view the sunset.
Flagship Cruises & Events
Harbor tours of North Harbor (1 hr), South Harbor (1 hr), full Bay tours (2 hrs) narrated by a local guide. See military ships and installations, waterfront landmarks, and marine life. Often has deals on Living Social.
San Diego Whale Watch
Year-round whale watching - a 3 hour tour with a certified Marine Biologist. See Gray Whale migration December - April, Blue Whales and Fin Whales May - November, and Humpback Whales, Minke Whales, Common Dolphins (both Short-Beaked and Long-Beaked), Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins, Risso’s Dolphins, California Sea Lions, Sharks, Bony Fishes and a wide variety of sea birds can be seen year round.