Receive Exclusive Offers
San Diego is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the country. The miles of beautiful beaches and good surf, along with its virtually perfect year-round weather make it easy to see why. There are a lot of other great attractions to enjoy, as well, and many of them don’t require you to spend a dime. Here are just 20 free things to do when you find yourself vacationing in sunny San Diego.
1. Enjoy the Surf!
The single and most obvious free activity you can enjoy in San Diego is the surf. Whether you’re an experienced or novice surfer, San Diego has plenty to offer. You can also just swim the waves or a enjoy a few games of beach volleyball with friends, or work on your tan.
2. Walk Through the Historic Gaslamp Quarter
The Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego is one of the most quaint and colorful parts of the city. You can enjoy the art galleries, the Victorian architecture and the many great photo-ops you’ll find as you stroll through the streets of the Gaslamp.
3. Play in the Cove
The La Jolla Cove is one of the most spectacular and beautiful natural landmarks in San Diego, or anywhere in the country, for that matter. You can spend hours catching hermit crabs in the tide pools and watch the seal cubs playing in the sand in the section of the Cove designated as Seal Beach.
4. Visit Old Town
If you want to see some of San Diego’s living history, visit Old Town. You can wander through many of Old Town’s historic buildings, including the Stewart House, Estudillo House, the blacksmith shop, Seely Stables and the oldest schoolhouse in the City.
5. Take a Walk Through Balboa Park
Balboa Park is a huge and gorgeous cultural center and park. It has 15 world renowned museums, several of which have free admission one Tuesday out of each month. You can also enjoy just walking through the main promenade, enjoying the colonial architecture and public sculptures, as well as several beautiful gardens that are free to the public.
6. Fly a Kite at Tecolote Shores of Mission Bay Park
If you enjoy kite flying, head over to Tecolote Shores, a 4,600 acre aquatic park where families gather often to enjoy the bay’s breeze and set their kites sailing.
7. Enjoy the Spreckles Organ Pavillion Concerts
The Spreckles Organ Pavillion in Balboa Park contains one of the world’s largest outdoor pipe organs, whose largest pipe reaches up to 32 feet. There are free concerts at the pavilion every month.
8. Bike on Mission Bay Park
Mission Bay Park is a great place for cyclists, as it has more than 20 miles worth of scenic biking and jogging trails to enjoy.
9. Visit the Olympic Training Center
You can get a free tour of San Diego’s Olympic training center in Chula Vista. The facilities include training tracks and a field for various sport disciplines.
10. Stargaze at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, near Balboa Park, is one of the best places to learn about astronomy. On the first Wednesday of each month, the public can go there and use the giant telescopes set up by the San Diego Astronomy Association, for free.
11. Visit Seaport Village
Seaport Village is a quaint shopping center in the San Diego Bay. You can stroll through the open air shopping center, window shop and look at the art galleries, or you can sit down with a picnic basket in one of the grassy areas near the water and watch the boats coming in and out of the bay.
12. Visit Julian
If you take an hour drive into Northeast San Diego county, you’ll find the small gold-mining town of Julian. It’s a great place to visit to get a taste of California’s past and also sample some of Julian’s famous pies.
13. Hike in the Torrey Pines State Park
If you’re a hiker, or nature trail lover, a visit to the Torrey Pines State Park is a must on your next San Diego vacation. The hiking trail is not too difficult, and is best intermediate hikers and beginners. When you get to the top of the trail, you’ll be rewarded with some awe-inspiring views of the San Diego coastline as seen from the top of the Torrey Pines sea cliffs.
14. Go Bird Watching
Another thing you can do for free at the Torrey Pines Reserve is go bird watching. The State Park is a protected habitat for towhees, thrashers, scrub jays, wrentits and bushtits.
15. Drive to Mt. Laguna
It takes about an hour to drive to Mt. Laguna, but it’s a beautiful scenic drive, and once you’re there you can enjoy a picnic and the fresh mountain air.
16. Sunset at Mt. Soledad
Mt. Soledad, located in La Jolla, is a short uphill drive through one of La Jolla’s neighborhoods. Once at the top, you can sit at the steps of the Veteran’s memorial and enjoy one of the best sunset viewing spots in San Diego. In winter, you can often see the fog layer rolling over La Jolla around dusk.
17. Visit the Point Loma Tide Pools
The Point Loma tide pools let you get close and interact with some colorful sea creatures, including anemones, shore crabs and various kinds of octopi.
18. Walk Along the Big Bay
With 27 miles of waterfront to walk along, the Big Bay is literally San Diego’s largest attraction. You can stroll along and enjoy the scenic view of the boats, public artworks, and the various shops and restaurants.
19. Self Realization Fellowship Gardens
The Hermitage and Meditation Gardens at the Self Realization Fellowship in Encinitas are opened and free to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm. These are truly beautiful and relaxing gardens that will have you feeling much better by the time you walk out.
20. Bike or Skate Along the Mission Bay Boardwalk
This three mile, picturesque boardwalk spans both Mission Beach and Pacific Beach, and it is a favorite of bikers, joggers, and skaters.
