Our Favorite Spots Around OB
Life in San Diego is hard to beat. Surrounded by beautiful beaches, splendid harbors, ocean activities and the world-reknowned San Diego Zoo, what’s not to love? Most of San Diego’s top attractions are easily accessible and can be visited while staying in one of our homes. Here are a few things not to miss while you’re on vacation in San Diego.
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is a site well-loved by local residents as well as tourists. As the name suggests, this area is a great location if you want to see a beautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean. For the same reason, it’s a popular spot for locals to get married. Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, named for the sheer cliffs that border the ocean, is a regional park with a unique coastal environment. It stretches along the Point Loma peninsula’s western shoreline and features impressive ocean views, dramatic cliff formations, caves and an intriguing intertidal area. The natural preserve stretches from Adair Street to Ladera Street, offering the best viewing spots of San Diego. If you’re lucky, you even might catch a glimpse of a migrating California Gray Whale.
Cabrillo National Monument
Situated at the southern tip of the Point Loma Peninsula, you will find the Cabrillo National Monument, the ‘only’ national park within the boundaries of San Diego. The monument commemorates the landing of explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the first European to set foot on what would became the West Coast of the United States. Starting at the Visitor’s Center, you can walk up to the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, the highest point in the park and a city icon since 1855. The old lighthouse now serves as a museum fully restored to its 1880’s appearance and presents life as it was for the light keepers and their families in those days. From this vantage point, you can get a panoramic view of San Diego’s harbor and downtown skyline. On a clear day, you might be able to see the wide expanse of the Pacific Ocean, Tijuana and even Mexico’s Coronado Islands.
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
Old Town is a state protected park in San Diego located just three miles away. Presidio Hill was the West Coast’s first settlement and Old Town soon followed. Many historic buildings are still intact here today and actors re-enact old trades. Old Town is also where you’ll find some of the best Mexican Food in San Diego, with many restaurants throughout that are delicious and affordable. Shopping here is like visiting a small town with many items aimed at visitors.
The Gaslamp Quarter & Downtown/Little Italy
If you have some free time when spending your holiday, go out and wander through the streets of the Gaslamp Quarter and Little Italy. These are two of the most vibrant districts in the renewed skyline of San Diego. With charming sidewalk cafés, the city’s finest restaurants, cozy shops, coffee bars and specialty stores, you will feel the dolce vita atmosphere in the air. Downtown is also home to San Diego’s vibrant food and bar scene. In October, there is an annual Little Italy Festa with over 150 food vendors spreading the smell of Italian herbs and fare through the streets. The heart of Little Italy is along India Street. The Gaslamp Quarter on the other hand is mostly along 4th/5th Street between Harbor Dr and Browadway. Called the gaslamp for its original streetlights, the district features Victorian-era buildings, including some originally owned by Wyatt Earp. In startk contrast, Art-Deco and Modern skyscrapers house some of the best restaurants, pubs and art galleries of San Diego. There are also a lot of retail shops making it possible to make quite a day for shoppers.
San Diego Zoo
If you ask anyone what they know about San Diego, they’ll likely mention the San Diego Zoo. One of the most famous zoos in the world, the zoo is home to about 4,000 rare and endangered animals, including Xiao Liwu, Bai Yun, and Gao Gao, our three giant pandas. Besides the fact visitors can get a close view and a personal encounter with exotic animals that are not commonly found in other zoos, the Zoo hosts a world-famous conservation program to save endangered species. San Diego Zoo is regarded as one of the city’s main attractions providing a fun day out for children and adults and is the best way to visit tropical jungles, the Australian outback, the Arctic and wander through Africa in one single day.
Balboa Park
The city’s “central park” is named after the Spanish maritime explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa. This urban cultural park has a surface area of 1,200 acres and contains open space areas, green belts, gardens, walking trails, museums, theaters and even the Zoo within its boundaries. It is one of the oldest city parks in the United States designed for recreational use. The main entrance to the park is via Cabrillo Bridge along a stretch of road, initially named the Cabrillo Freeway, which has been called one of America’s most beautiful parkways. Besides the San Diego Zoo, the park is home to seventeen museums including the Fleet Science Center, Automotive Museum, Air & Space Museum and the San Diego Art Institute. Concerts are often playing at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion and performances are scheduled year round at the Old Globe Theater. Be sure not to miss this gem.
Mount Soledad & the beauty of La Jolla
Mount Soledad is one of the most prominent landmarks in San Diego. On top of the mountain you’ll see the Mount Soledad cross, a national veterans memorial dedicated to veterans, living or deceased, from the revolutionary war to the present. The 251 meter tall hill is located in La Jolla, a seaside community just 10 miles North of us. Since La Jolla is surrounded by ocean bluffs and sandy beaches on three sides, it is one of the most impressive areas to spend time in. La Jolla is also home to some of the best golf courses in the state of California, including Torrey Pines Golf course and the La Jolla Country Club.