Spruce Street Footbridge

San Diego

　　As you head northward toward Hillcrest consider a detour across the 375ft Spruce St Footbridge. Note that the 1912 suspension bridge, built over a deep canyon between Front St and Brant St, wriggles beneath your feet. But don’t worry; it was designed that way. ...

Silver Strand State Beach

San Diego

　　Less than 5 miles south of Coronado Municipal Beach, Silver Strand State Beach offers space from the crowds of the main city beaches. The strand’s long, narrow sand spit connects back to the mainland past Imperial Beach, though people still call this ‘Coronado Island.’ ...

Coronado Municipal Beach

San Diego

　　Just beyond the ‘Hotel Del', this beach is consistently ranked in America’s top 10. Four-and-a-half miles south of Coronado Village is the white-sand Silver Strand State Beach. Both have warm, calm water, perfect for swimming and great for families. ...

Botanical Building

San Diego

　　The Botanical Building looks lovely from El Prado, where you can see it reflected in the large lily pond that was used for hydrotherapy in WWII when the navy took over the park. The building’s central dome and two wings are covered with redwood lattice panels, which let filtered sunlight...

San Elijo Lagoon

San Diego

　　One of the town's main draws is this 979-acre ecological preserve popular with bird-watchers for its herons, coots, terns, ducks, egrets and more than 250 other species. A 7-mile network of trails leads through the area and the main path is pushchair-friendly. ...

San Diego History Center

San Diego

　　The San Diego Historical Society operates this center, with permanent and temporary exhibitions on city history. Previous exhibitions have included the Place of Promise exhibition covering Kumeyaay peoples to first European contact in 1542, plus 100 years of San Diego Zoo, a celebration of San Diego children’s book author Theodor...

Hotel del Coronado

San Diego

　　One of the world's most iconic hotels, ‘The Del’ is an all-timber whitewashed architectural fantasy complete with conical towers, cupolas, turrets, balconies, dormer windows and cavernous public spaces that reflect the style of the designers, railroad-depot architects James and Merritt Reid. Acres of polished wood give the interior a warm,...

Gaslamp Museum & William Heath Davis House

San Diego

　　This house, a prefab affair brought from Maine in 1850, contains a small museum with 19th-century furnishings, plus historic newspaper clippings in the basement. From here, the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation leads a weekly, 90-minute walking tour of the neighborhood on Thursdays at 1pm ($20 per person), which includes admission...

USS Midway Museum

San Diego

　　The hulking aircraft carrier USS Midway was one of the navy’s flagships from 1945 to 1991, last playing a combat role in the First Gulf War. On the flight deck, walk right up to some two dozen restored aircraft, including an F-14 Tomcat and F-4 Phantom jet fighter. Admission includes...

Mission & Pacific Beaches Boardwalk

San Diego

　　Central San Diego's best beach scene is concentrated in a narrow strip of land between the ocean and Mission Bay. There's great people-watching along the Ocean Front Walk, the boardwalk running from South Mission Beach Jetty to the Pacific Beach pier. It’s crowded with joggers, in-line skaters and cyclists any...

Shout House

San Diego

　　Good, clean fun at this cavernous Gaslamp bar with dueling pianos. Talented players have an amazing repertoire, including classics, rock and more. We once heard a dirty version of 'Part of Your World' from The Little Mermaid (OK, maybe the fun's not so clean). The lively crowd ranges from college...

Old Town Mexican Café

San Diego

　　In business since the 1970s, this vibrant Mexican joint delivers authentic south-of-the-border fare despite the clichéd folkloric look. Marvel at staff churning out fresh tortillas at lightning speed while you sip a margarita and anticipate the arrival of menu stars such as crispy carnitas and succulent ribs. 　　Agave fans have...

San Diego Museum of Art

San Diego

　　Pride of place in SDMA's permanent collection goes to its Spanish old masters (El Greco, Goya) and a respectable selection of works by other international heavy hitters from Matisse to Magritte, Cassat to Rivera. American landscape paintings are another focus, and the Asian galleries have some eye-catchers. On Fridays, admission...

San Diego Air & Space Museum

San Diego

　　An ode to flight, the circular museum houses an extensive display of historical aircraft and spacecraft (originals, replicas and models), including a hot-air balloon from 1783, an Apollo command module and a Vietnam-era Cobra helicopter. Also look for memorabilia from legendary aviators such as Charles Lindbergh and astronaut John Glenn...

San Diego Zoo Safari Park

San Diego

　　Take a walk on the 'wild' side at this 1800-acre open-range zoo, sibling of the San Diego Zoo, in the suburban San Pasqual Valley. Giraffes graze, lions lounge and rhinos roam more or less freely on the valley floor. For that instant safari feel, board the Africa tram ride, which...

San Diego Zoo

San Diego

　　This justifiably famous zoo is one of SoCal’s biggest attractions, showing more than 3000 animals representing more than 650 species in a beautifully landscaped setting, typically in enclosures that replicate their natural habitats. Its sister park is San Diego Zoo Safari Park in northern San Diego County. 　　Arrive early, as...

San Diego Museum of Us

San Diego

　　Housed in the iconic 1915 California Building, this anthropological museum is packed with exhibits hopscotching from ancient Egypt to local Kumeyaay people, from beer to monsters and cannibals. The California Tower will once more able to be climbed upon completion of a seismic retrofit (expected in early 2020; separate fee)....

San Diego Natural History Museum

San Diego

　　The 'Nat' houses 7.5 million specimens, including rocks, minerals, fossils and taxidermied animals, as well as an impressive dinosaur skeleton and an eye-opening exhibit on how climate change affects California's water supply, all in beautiful spaces. Kids love the 2-D and 3-D movies about the natural world in the giant-screen...

Cave Store

San Diego

　　Waves have carved a series of caves into the sandstone cliffs east of La Jolla Cove. The one below the Cave Store, a shop selling vintage curios, is 200,000 years old and the only one accessible from the land. 　　Named the Sunny Jim Cave – by Frank Baum, the author...

San Diego Main Library

San Diego

　　A couple blocks east of Petco Park, the city's recent landmark is a beauty. Crowned by a steel-and-mesh dome, the futuristic, nine-story library features art-filled public spaces and plenty of learning opportunities – it has the second largest collection of baseball memorabilia in the US. It's fully open to the...

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

San Diego

　　On the site of San Diego's first European settlement, Old Town consists of a cluster of restored or rebuilt historic 19th-century buildings filled with quaint exhibits, souvenir stores and cafes. A good place to start is at the visitor center in 1853 Robinson-Rose House; see the neat model of the...

New Children’s Museum

San Diego

　　This interactive children’s museum offers interactive art meant for kids. Installations are designed by artists, so tykes can learn principles of movement and physics while simultaneously being exposed to art and working out the ants in their pants. Exhibits change every 18 months or so, so there's always something new....

Maritime Museum of San Diego

San Diego

　　Next to the new Waterfront Park, this collection of 11 historic sailing ships, steam boats and submarines is easy to spot: just look for the 100ft-high masts of the iron-hulled square-rigger Star of India, a tall ship launched in 1863 to ply the England–India trade route.  　　Also moored here is...

California Surf Museum

San Diego

　　It's easy to spend an hour in this heartfelt museum of surf artifacts, from a timeline of surfing history to surf-themed art and a radical collection of boards. It also houses the camera that Doc Ball, surfing's first dedicated photographer, used to snap pioneering images in the 1930s. 　　Exhibits change...

Birch Aquarium at Scripps

San Diego

　　This state-of-the-art aquarium is a wonderous underwater world home to 5000 fish. Visitors can watch sharks dart, kelp forests sway, and even meet a rescued loggerhead turtle. The Hall of Fishes has more than 60 fish tanks, simulating marine habitats from the Pacific Northwest to tropical seas. 　　The Tide Pool...

Children's Pool

San Diego

　　Built in the 1930s behind a wave-cutting seawall, La Jolla’s Children’s Pool was created as a family beach but has since been invaded by herds of seals and sea lions. Tourists come in droves to see them larking around, swimming, fighting and mating, viewed from the plaza above the cove....