Discover 35 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in San Diego (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: San Diego Zoo, USS Midway, and Museum of Us. Also, be sure to include Maritime Museum of San Diego in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in San Diego (California).
Table of Contents
San Diego Zoo
Zoo in San Diego, California. The San Diego Zoo is a zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, housing over 12,000 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies on 100 acres of Balboa Park leased from the City of San Diego. Its parent organization, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, is a private nonprofit conservation organization, and has one of the largest zoological membership associations in the world, with more than 250,000 member households and 130,000 child memberships, representing more than a half million people.
The San Diego Zoo was a pioneer in the concept of open-air, cageless exhibits that recreate natural animal habitats. For decades, the zoo housed and successfully bred giant pandas, though the pandas were repatriated to China in 2019.
With more than 4 million visitors in 2018, San Diego Zoo is the most visited zoo in the United States. Travelers have also cited it as one of the best zoos in the world. The San Diego Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance also operates the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.[1]
Address: 2920 Zoo Dr, 92101 San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
USS Midway
Midway-class aircraft carrier. USS Midway is an aircraft carrier, formerly of the United States Navy, the lead ship of her class. Commissioned 8 days after the end of World War II, Midway was the largest ship in the world until 1955, as well as the first U.S. aircraft carrier too big to transit the Panama Canal. She operated for 47 years, during which time she saw action in the Vietnam War and served as the Persian Gulf flagship in 1991's Operation Desert Storm. Decommissioned in 1992, she is now a museum ship at the USS Midway Museum, in San Diego, California, and is the only remaining inactive U.S. aircraft carrier that is not an Essex-class aircraft carrier.[2]
Address: 41 Navy Pier, San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
Museum of Us
Anthropology displays in historic digs. The Museum of Us is a museum of anthropology located in Balboa Park, San Diego, California and housed in the historic landmark buildings of the California Quadrangle.[3]
Address: 1350 El Prado, 92101-1681 San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
Maritime Museum of San Diego
Museum in San Diego, California. 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. The museum maintains the MacMullen Library and Research Archives aboard the 1898 ferryboat Berkeley. The museum also publishes the quarterly peer-reviewed journal Mains'l Haul: A Journal of Pacific Maritime History.
The Maritime Museum at the Star of India Wharf is located on the west side of North Harbor Drive, between the ends of Ash Street and Grape Street, south of San Diego International Airport.[4]
Address: 1492 N Harbor Dr, 92101-3309 San Diego
Cabrillo National Monument
Historic lighthouse with expansive views. Cabrillo National Monument is at the southern tip of the Point Loma Peninsula in San Diego, California, United States. 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. The site was designated as California Historical Landmark #56 in 1932. As with all historical units of the National Park Service, Cabrillo was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
The annual Cabrillo Festival Open House is held on a Sunday each October. It commemorates Cabrillo with a reenactment of his landing at Ballast Point, in San Diego Bay. Other events are held above at the National Monument and include Kumeyaay, Portuguese, and Mexican singing and dancing, booths with period and regional food, a historical reenactment of a 16th-century encampment, and children's activities.
The park offers a view of San Diego's harbor and skyline, as well as Coronado and Naval Air Station North Island. On clear days, a wide expanse of the Pacific Ocean, Tijuana, and Mexico's Coronado Islands are also visible. A visitor center screens a film about Cabrillo's voyage and has exhibits about the expedition.
The Old Point Loma Lighthouse is the highest point in the park and has been a San Diego icon since 1855. The lighthouse was closed in 1891, and a new one opened at a lower elevation, because fog and low clouds often obscured the light at its location 129 meters (422 feet) above sea level. The old lighthouse is now a museum, and visitors may enter it and view some of the living areas.
The area encompassed by the national monument includes various former military installations, such as coastal artillery batteries, built to protect the harbor of San Diego from enemy warships. Many of these installations can be seen while walking around the area. A former army building hosts an exhibit that tells the story of military history at Point Loma.
The area near the national monument entrance was used for gliding activities in 1929-1935. Several soaring endurance records were established here by William Hawley Bowlus and others including the first 1-hour flight in a sailplane, and a 15-hour flight in 1930 which surpassed the world record for soaring endurance. Even Charles Lindbergh soared in a Bowlus sailplane along the cliffs of Point Loma in 1930. Markers for these accomplishments can be found near the entrance, and the site is recognized as a National Soaring Landmark by the National Soaring Museum.[5]
Address: 1800 Cabrillo Memorial Dr, 92106-3601 San Diego (Point Loma Peninsula)
Seaport Village
Shopping complex in San Diego, California. Seaport Village is a waterfront shopping and dining complex adjacent to San Diego Bay in downtown San Diego, California. It is located at 849 West Harbor Drive, at the intersection of Harbor Drive and Kettner.
It houses more than 70 shops, galleries, and eateries on 90,000 square feet of waterfront property. The Village contains several freestanding buildings in an assortment of architectural styles, from Victorian to traditional Mexican. It is designed to be a car-free environment, with four miles of winding paths rather than streets connecting the various buildings. It is located in walking distance from the San Diego Convention Center and the cruise ship terminal. It is currently under redevelopment planning, with construction to begin approximately 2025. It will remain operational until construction begins, according to the Port District.[6]
Address: 849 W Harbor Dr, 92101 San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
Balboa Park
Museum in San Diego, California. Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre historic urban cultural park in San Diego, California, United States. In addition to open space areas, natural vegetation zones, green belts, gardens, and walking paths, it contains museums, several theaters, and the San Diego Zoo. There are also many recreational facilities and several gift shops and restaurants within the boundaries of the park. Placed in reserve in 1835, the park's site is one of the oldest in the United States dedicated to public recreational use. Balboa Park is managed and maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of San Diego.
Balboa Park hosted the 1915–16 Panama–California Exposition and 1935–36 California Pacific International Exposition, both of which left architectural landmarks. The park and its historic Exposition buildings were declared a National Historic Landmark and National Historic Landmark District in 1977, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places.[7]
Address: 1549 El Prado, 92101 San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
Timken Museum of Art
Intimate, curated 5-room gallery. The Timken Museum of Art is a fine art museum, established in 1965 and located at 1500 El Prado in Balboa Park in San Diego, California, close to the San Diego Museum of Art.[8]
Address: 1500 El Prado, 92101 San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
San Diego Natural History Museum
Museum in San Diego, California. The San Diego Natural History Museum is a museum located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It was founded in 1874 as the San Diego Society of Natural History. It is the second oldest scientific institution west of the Mississippi and the oldest in Southern California. The present location of the museum was dedicated on January 14, 1933. A major addition to the museum was dedicated in April 2001, doubling exhibit space.[9]
Address: 1788 El Prado, 92101 San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
Birch Aquarium
Birch Aquarium at Scripps is an aquarium and the public outreach center for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Birch Aquarium at Scripps has an annual attendance of more than 439,000, including more than 40,000 school children, and features more than 3,000 animals representing 380 species. The hilltop site provides views of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography campus and the Pacific Ocean. The mission of the aquarium reads: "At Birch Aquarium at Scripps, we connect understanding to protecting our ocean planet".[10]
Address: 2300 Expedition Way, 92037 La Jolla (Northern San Diego)
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
Open-air living-history museum. Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, located in the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego, California, is a state protected historical park in San Diego. It commemorates the early days of the City of San Diego and includes many historic buildings from the period 1820 to 1870. The park was established in 1968. In 2005 and 2006, California State Parks listed Old Town San Diego as the most visited state park in California.
In 1969, the site was registered as California Historical Landmark #830. Then on September 3, 1971, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Old Town San Diego Historic District.[11]
Address: 2828 Juan St, 92110 San Diego (Western San Diego)
San Diego Museum of Art
Museum in San Diego, California. The San Diego Museum of Art is a fine arts museum located at 1450 El Prado in Balboa Park in San Diego, California that houses a broad collection with particular strength in Spanish art. The San Diego Museum of Art opened as The Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego on February 28, 1926, and changed its name to the San Diego Museum of Art in 1978. The official Balboa Park website calls the San Diego Museum of Art "the region's oldest and largest art museum". Nearly half a million people visit the museum each year.[12]
Address: 1450 El Prado, 92102 San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
MCRD San Diego Command Museum
Museum. The MCRD San Diego Command Museum is located in Day Hall, Building 26, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, San Diego, California. It exhibits historical items relating to the United States Marine Corps. The museum opened on November 10, 1987, and was officially designated as a command museum on January 8, 1993.[13]
USS Midway Museum
Museum in San Diego, California. The USS Midway Museum is a historical naval aircraft carrier museum located in downtown San Diego, California at Navy Pier. The museum consists of the aircraft carrier Midway. The ship houses an extensive collection of aircraft, many of which were built in Southern California.[14]
Address: 910 N. Harbor Dr, San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
SeaWorld
SeaWorld is an American theme park chain with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. It is a proprietor of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, animal theme parks, and rehabilitation centers owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The parks feature orcas, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. There are operations located within the United States in Orlando, Florida; San Diego, California; San Antonio, Texas; later outside the United States such as Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; and previously Aurora, Ohio. On March 5, 2007, SeaWorld Orlando announced addition of the Aquatica water park to its adventure park, which already includes SeaWorld and Discovery Cove.
SeaWorld parks also feature thrill rides, including roller coasters like Kraken, Mako and Manta at SeaWorld Orlando, and Steel Eel and The Great White at SeaWorld San Antonio. Journey to Atlantis, a combination roller coaster and splashdown ride, can be found at all three parks. The parks were owned by Busch Entertainment Corp. the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch, which is best known for brewing beer. In 2009, Busch Entertainment was sold to the Blackstone Group and subsequently renamed SeaWorld Entertainment. In 2013, Blackstone sold 37% of SeaWorld Entertainment in an initial public offering and sold its remaining 21% holding to Zhonghong Zhuoye in 2017. It is a major theme park competitor to Six Flags, Cedar Fair, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products and Universal Parks & Resorts.
The parks' marine mammal collections have been the subject of public debate and criticism over the years, with critics saying that the park's practices entail animal abuse. The 2013 documentary film Blackfish, produced after a SeaWorld Orlando trainer was killed by one of the park's orcas, led to initial decreases in attendance, profits and the company's share price. In 2018, SeaWorld's attendance and revenue began to recover with the addition of new rides, shows, and animal exhibits at its parks, as well as increased marketing about the parks' conservation and rescue efforts.
In 2016, SeaWorld announced that they would end their in-park orca breeding program and eventually phase out their theatrical orca shows altogether starting in San Diego. It was announced later in the same year, that SeaWorld would build their first park without killer whales and outside of the United States in Abu Dhabi. However, in 2020, SeaWorld reversed course and started introducing new orca live shows to guests.[15]
Address: 500 Sea World Drive, 92109-7904 San Diego (Northern San Diego)
Old Point Loma Lighthouse
Lighthouse in San Diego, California. The original Point Loma Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located on the Point Loma peninsula at the mouth of San Diego Bay in San Diego, California. It is situated in the Cabrillo National Monument. It is no longer in operation as a lighthouse but is open to the public as a museum. It is sometimes erroneously called the "Old Spanish Lighthouse", but in fact it was not built during San Diego's Spanish or Mexican eras; it was built in 1855 by the United States government after California's admission as a state.[16]
Address: 1800 Cabrillo Memorial Dr, 92106 San Diego (Point Loma Peninsula)
Unconditional Surrender
Statue by John Seward Johnson II. Unconditional Surrender is a series of computer-generated statues by Seward Johnson that resemble an iconic 1945 photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt, V–J day in Times Square, but was said by Johnson to be based on a similar, less well-known, photograph by Victor Jorgensen that is in the public domain. The first in the series was installed temporarily in Sarasota, Florida, then was moved to San Diego, California and New York City. Other copies have been installed in Hamilton, New Jersey; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and Normandy, France. Johnson later identified the statue at exhibitions as "Embracing Peace" for the risqué double entendre when spoken.[17]
Address: Tuna Ln, 92101 San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
SeaWorld San Diego
Aquatic theme park with shows and rides. SeaWorld San Diego is an animal theme park, oceanarium, outside aquarium and marine mammal park, in San Diego, California, United States, inside Mission Bay Park. It is owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.
SeaWorld San Diego is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Adjacent to the property is the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, which conducts research on marine biology and provides education and outreach on marine issues to the general public, including information in park exhibits.[18]
Address: 500 Sea World Dr, 92109 San Diego (Northern San Diego)
San Diego Air & Space Museum
San Diego Air & Space Museum is an aviation and space exploration museum in San Diego, California, United States. The museum is located in Balboa Park and is housed in the former Ford Building, which is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places. SDASM was established by articles of incorporation on October 12, 1961 and opened to the public on February 15, 1963.[19]
Address: 2001 Pan American Plz, 92101 San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
Casa de Estudillo
Museum in San Diego, California. The Casa de Estudillo, also known as the Estudillo House, is a historic adobe house in San Diego, California, United States. It was constructed in 1827 by José María Estudillo and his son José Antonio Estudillo, early settlers of San Diego and members of the prominent Estudillo family of California, and was considered one of the finest houses in Mexican California. It is located in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, and is designated as both a National and a California Historical Landmark in its own right.
Besides being one of the oldest surviving examples of Spanish architecture in California, the house gained much prominence by association with Helen Hunt Jackson's wildly popular 1884 novel Ramona. The Casa de Estudillo is one of three National Historic Landmarks in Southern California that were closely tied to Ramona, a novel of Californio life shortly after the American acquisition of California; the other two are Rancho Camulos and Rancho Guajome.[20]
Address: 4000 Mason St, 92110-2718 San Diego (Western San Diego)
The New Children's Museum
The New Children's Museum is an arts-based children's museum in downtown San Diego, California, whose mission is to "stimulate imagination, creativity and critical thinking in children and families through inventive and engaging experiences with contemporary art". The Museum commissions contemporary artists to create room-sized art installations for children to interact with and explore. The Museum has collaborated with hundreds of artists since opening in 2008. The Museum is housed in a dynamic space designed by visionary and award-winning architect Rob Wellington Quigley and is one of the first green museums in California.[21]
Address: 200 W Island St, 92101 San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
Spanish Village Art Center
Art center in San Diego, California. The Spanish Village Art Center is located in San Diego's Balboa Park, in the U.S. state of California. Anni von Westrum Baldaugh was among the artists who had studio space at the Spanish Village. Current tenants include the San Diego Mineral and Gem Society and the Southern California Association of Camera Clubs.[22]
Manta
Roller coaster in San Diego, California. Manta is a steel launched roller coaster at SeaWorld San Diego in San Diego, California, United States. The ride was manufactured by MACK Rides and opened to the public on May 26, 2012. It utilizes the same ride system that was used in Blue Fire which opened in 2009 at Europa Park.[23]
Address: 500 Sea World Dr, 92109 San Diego (Northern San Diego)
Giant Dipper
Roller coaster in San Diego, California. The Giant Dipper, also known as the Mission Beach Roller Coaster and historically by other names, is a historical wooden roller coaster located in Belmont Park, a small amusement park in the Mission Beach area of San Diego, California. Built in 1925, it and its namesake at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk are the only remaining wooden roller coasters on the West Coast designed by noted roller coaster designers Frank Prior and Frederick Church, and the only one whose construction they supervised. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.[24]
Address: 3146 Mission Blvd, 92109 San Diego (Northern San Diego)
Belmont Park
Amusement park in San Diego, California. Belmont Park is a historic amusement park located on Ocean Front at Surfrider Square in the Mission Bay area of San Diego, California. The park was developed by sugar magnate John D. Spreckels and opened on July 4, 1925 as the Mission Beach Amusement Center. In addition to providing recreation and amusement, it also was intended as a way to help Spreckels sell land in Mission Beach. Located on the beach, it attracts millions of people each year.
The park's most iconic attraction is the historic Giant Dipper roller coaster, which is considered a local landmark.[25]
Address: 3136 Mission Blvd, 92109-7778 San Diego (Northern San Diego)
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
Museum in San Diego, California. The San Diego Model Railroad Museum is a model railroad exhibit in San Diego, California. At 27,000 sq. ft. it is the largest such indoor exhibit in North America, and one of the largest in the world. The museum is on the lower level of the Casa de Balboa Building on the Prado in Balboa Park. The museum is open Thursday - Sunday from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m..
Nearly three million people have passed through the center since it opened in 1982.
The San Diego Model Railroad Museum is a 501(c)(3) organization non profit charity.[26]
Address: 1649 El Prado, 92101 San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
Pacific Beach
Neighborhood in San Diego, California. Pacific Beach is a neighborhood in San Diego, bounded by La Jolla to the north, Mission Beach and Mission Bay to the south, Interstate 5 to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. While formerly largely populated by young people, surfers, and college students, because of rising property and rental costs the population is gradually becoming older and more affluent. "P.B." as it is known as by local residents, is home to one of San Diego's more developed nightlife scenes, with a great variety of bars, eateries, and clothing stores located along Garnet Avenue and Mission Boulevard.[27]
Spreckels Organ Pavilion
Event venue in San Diego, California. Spreckels Organ Pavilion houses the open-air Spreckels Organ in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. The Spreckels Organ is the world's largest pipe organ in a fully outdoor venue. Constructed for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, it is located at the corner of President's Way and Pan American Road East in the park.[28]
Address: San Diego, 1549 El Prado #10, San Diego, CA 92101
San Ysidro Port of Entry
The San Ysidro Port of Entry is the largest land border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana, and the fourth-busiest land border crossing in the world with 70,000 northbound vehicles and 20,000 northbound pedestrians crossing each day, in addition to southbound traffic. It connects Mexican Federal Highway 1 on the Mexican side with Interstate 5 on the American side. The San Ysidro Port of Entry is one of three ports of entry in the San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan region.[29]
Address: 700 E San Ysidro Blvd, San Diego (Southern San Diego)
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery
Military cemetery in San Diego, California. Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is a federal military cemetery in the city of San Diego, California. It is located on the grounds of the former Army coastal artillery station Fort Rosecrans and is administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The cemetery is located approximately 10 miles west of Downtown San Diego, overlooking San Diego Bay and the city from one side, and the Pacific Ocean on the other. Fort Rosecrans is named after William Starke Rosecrans, a Union general in the American Civil War. The cemetery was registered as California Historical Landmark #55 on December 6, 1932. The cemetery is spread out over 77.5 acres located on both sides of Catalina Blvd.[30]
Address: 53331 Cabrillo Memorial Dr, 92106 San Diego (Point Loma Peninsula)
Fleet Science Center
Hands-on exhibits and IMAX theater. The Fleet Science Center is a science museum and planetarium in Balboa Park, located in San Diego, California. It is at the east end of the El Prado Drive walkway, next to the Bea Evenson Fountain and plaza in central Balboa Park.
Established in 1973, it was the first science museum to combine interactive science exhibits with a planetarium and an IMAX Dome (OMNIMAX) theater, setting the standard that most major science museums follow today.[31]
Address: 1875 El Prado, 92101 San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
Chicano Park
Memorial park in San Diego, California. Chicano Park is a 32,000 square meter park located beneath the San Diego-Coronado Bridge in Barrio Logan, a predominantly Chicano or Mexican American and Mexican-migrant community in central San Diego, California. The park is home to the country's largest collection of outdoor murals, as well as various sculptures, earthworks, and an architectural piece dedicated to the cultural heritage of the community. Because of the magnitude and historical significance of the murals, the park was designated an official historic site by the San Diego Historical Site Board in 1980, and its murals were officially recognized as public art by the San Diego Public Advisory Board in 1987. The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013 owing to its association with the Chicano Movement, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016. Chicano Park, like Berkeley's People's Park, was the result of a militant people's land takeover. Every year on April 22, the community celebrates the anniversary of the park's takeover with a celebration called Chicano Park Day.[32]
Address: National Ave, 92113 San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
San Diego Art Institute
Art institute in San Diego, California. San Diego Art Institute was founded in 1941 as the San Diego Business Men's Art Club. Its name was changed in 1950 to the San Diego Art Institute. In 1953, women were admitted for membership. It officially became a nonprofit in 1963, dedicated to showcasing artists from the Southern California and Baja Norte region. San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park and Lux Art Institute in Encinitas merged in September 2021 to become The Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego with each museum continuing to operate respectively at the Encinitas and Balboa Park museums,[33]
Address: 1439 El Prado, 92101 San Diego (Downtown San Diego)
San Diego–Coronado Bridge
Curved bridge with skyline views. The San Diego–Coronado Bridge, locally referred to as the Coronado Bridge, is a prestressed concrete/steel girder bridge, crossing over San Diego Bay in the United States, linking San Diego with Coronado, California. The bridge is signed as part of State Route 75.[34]
Presidio of San Diego
Historical place in San Diego, California. El Presidio Real de San Diego is a historic fort in San Diego, California. It was established on May 14, 1769, by Gaspar de Portolá, leader of the first European land exploration of Alta California - at that time an unexplored northwestern frontier area of New Spain. The presidio was the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific Coast of the present-day United States. As the first of the presidios and Spanish missions in California, it was the base of operations for the Spanish colonization of California. The associated Mission San Diego de Alcalá later moved a few miles away.
Essentially abandoned by 1835, the site of the original Presidio lies on a hill within present-day Presidio Park, although no historic structures remain above ground. The San Diego Presidio was registered as a California Historical Landmark in 1932, then declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.[35]