San Diego
San Diego is the perfect place for a family vacation. Whether you're packing up the mini-van for a road trip or hosting the grandchildren on a fabulous adventure, you won't run out of things to do here.
The Place For Family Fun, Active Adventures and Indulging Yourself...
What is more entertaining than kids and animals together? All creatures great and small await you at the World-Famous San Diego Zoo, located in Balboa Park, and home to 800 different species, including a pair of rare giant pandas and their cub (on long-term loan from The People's Republic of China). The enclosures are carefully designed to resemble the animals' natural habitat. The entire Zoo is designed as a 100-acre tropical garden and can be visited on foot and on a special, three-mile guided bus tour.
San Diego Wild Animal Park, a 2,200 acre preserve in North County, also offers a narrated monorail tour as well as the opportunity to see species as diverse as wildebeests, reptiles and birds of many feathers in habitats replicating their natural environments.
The natural environment for the inhabitants of SeaWorld San Diego are much wetter. The park, located in Mission Bay, is home to the famous killer whale Shamu and his family, as well as dolphins, sharks, manatees, penguins, polar bears and sea creatures from around the world.
A complete panoramic view of San Diego Bay, Shelter Island, Harbor Island, Coronado, the Embarcadero and downtown can be seen from the Cabrillo National Monument [(619) 557-5450]. It is located at the southern tip of Point Loma. Point Loma is also an ideal spot to watch the annual migration of the California gray whales. Between December and mid-March, more than 15,000 of the sea-going mammals pass by on the way to warmer waters off Baja California. Harbor cruises and, during the winter months, whale watching excursions bring families even closer to sea-going wildlife.
More sea creatures can be found and studied at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps in La Jolla. The outdoor tidepool exhibit provides an excellent introduction to local shore life which can be explored up close and in person at the nearby tidepools in La Jolla Cove.
Of course, once the kids start splashing in the shallow surf, can swimming be far behind? A number of smooth sand beaches, offer a perfect family environment. The towns of Mission Beach and Pacific Beach are popular for their Boardwalk, where rollerblading, skateboarding and bicycling rule.
For a more controlled water experience, area water parks feature fresh-water pools, water slides and other attractions. The county also offers dry-land amusements, including the Giant Dipper roller coaster, miniature golf, miniature race cars, laser tag and virtual reality games.
Legoland California in North County is already planning an expansion of its kid-sized world of building blocks and creative imagination. Also two of Southern California's premier attractions, Disneyland and Universal Studios, are within easy driving distance of San Diego.
Sports fans have plenty to cheer about here, with the NFL's San Diego Chargers and baseball's National League Padres keeping Qualcomm Stadium full year-round. Qualcomm was the scheduled site of Super Bowl XXXVII in January 2003, and the Padres have broken ground on their new baseball-only ballpark downtown. Racing afficinados can "play the ponies" at the famous Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in the summer while golf and tennis fans can follow their favorites at tournaments throughout the year.
Nothing beats the expanse of Pacific Ocean and its boundless opportunities for activity. Whether you would rather sail across the sea or explore the wonders under it, there are a range of boat charter and scuba tours available for sailors and divers of all abilities.
Nightlife - After dinner, you have a number of entertainment and nightlife options. As the sun goes down, the historic Gaslamp Quarter lights up with neon signs and the kinetic energy of people strolling Fifth Avenue in search of the ideal place to listen to jazz, rock or blues. They can find it in local landmark Croce's, which fills the corner of Fifth and F streets with two restaurants, three bars and live music nightly. Many varied eateries share the 16 1/2 blocks of the Gaslamp with local favorites, cigar bars and dance clubs. Other hot spots include Mission Boulevard, a busy strip just west of Mission Bay Park, and Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach's own popular strip.
The fun doesn't stop at the shoreline, however. At night, the Bahia Belle, a Mississippi-style stern-wheeler embarks on moonlight cruises of Mission Bay with entertainment and dancing. Dining and dancing cruises on San Diego Bay also depart each evening from the Embarcadero.
Horton Plaza - The development in 1985 of Horton Plaza, six lavishly decorated and landscaped open-air levels of shopping and dining, began the revitalization of downtown. Adjacent to the Gaslamp Quarter, Horton Plaza houses 140 upscale shops and restaurants.
Balboa Park - Just north of the central business district, the nation's largest urban cultural park, covers 1,200 lush acres open to the public. Balboa Park also contains some of the most fantastic architecture ever assembled in one place, most of it originally built for the Panama-California Exposition in 1915-16 and the California Pacific International Exposition of 1935. The California Tower has a working 100-bell carillon; the Spreckels Organ Pavillion features concerts on Sunday afternoons (and Monday evenings in summer). The park's beautiful landscaping is the legacy of botanist Kate O. Sessions, who traveled the world collecting trees to add to the park.
Average temperatures
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. High | 66°F | 66°F | 66°F | 69°F | 69°F | 72°F | 76°F | 78°F | 77°F | 74°F | 70°F | 66°F |
| Avg. Low | 50°F | 52°F | 54°F | 56°F | 60°F | 63°F | 66°F | 67°F | 66°F | 61°F | 54°F | 49°F |
