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1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive
San Diego, CA 92116
Phone: 619-557-5450
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The Cabrillo National Monument stands sentry high above the Pacific out on San Diego’s Point Loma. This monument honors the leader of the first European expedition to navigate the California coast. Near the monument is one of San Diego’s true landmarks, the Point Loma Light Station. Every Sunday, rangers are on hand to give a walking tour of the area, but every day of the week, visitors can get one of the most breathtaking views anywhere.
Copley Symphony Hall
750 B Street
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619-235-0804
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Downtown’s Copley Hall is the home of the San Diego Symphony, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2010. This first class orchestra performs over 100 concerts a year. In the summer months, the symphony movies outside to present a series of concerts on San Diego’s picturesque waterfront.
Hall of Champions Sports Museum
2131 Pan American Plaza
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619-699-2309
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Sports fans who visit Balboa Park will enjoy this museum, where local heroes like Dan Fouts, Tony Gwynn, and Bill Walton are honored in the San Diego Sports Hall of Fame. There is also an emphasis on prep athletics here, so many of the names may be unfamiliar to out-of-towners, but its large collection of memorabilia make a visit well worth the sports fanatic’s time.
Hotel Del Coronado
1500 Orange Avenue
Coronado, CA 92118
Phone: 800-HOTELDEL (468-3533)
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The “Hotel Del” as it’s known has been setting the standard for elegance and service since 1888. The halls of this great Victorian confection swirl with history and rumors. Some say it was here at the hotel that the future King Edward the Eighth met Coronado divorcee Wallis Simpson and began a relationship that would end in scandal and abdication. Others claim that Wizard of Oz author and Coronado resident L. Frank Baum was so impressed with the architecture here at the Del that he fashioned the Emerald City on this model With all this history behind it, it’s no wonder the Del was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977. Yes, it’s that good.
2727 Presidio Drive
San Diego, CA 92103
Phone: 619-297-3258
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Located on the original site of the Mission in Presidio Park overlooking Old Town San Diego, the Junipero Serra Museum was established in 1929 and now showcases such artifacts as housewares, furniture and tools from the early days of California settlement. It’s a tribute to Junipero Serra’s vision, as well as to the Native American people he met along the way.
Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala
10818 San Diego Mission Road
San Diego, CA 92108
Phone: 619-281-8449
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In 1769, under the orders of King Carlos III of Spain, Franciscan monk Junipero Serra set out to establish a chain of missions up and down the coast of Nueva California. This mission in San Diego was the first of California’s 21 mission churches built over the next fifty years. Actually this structure was built in 1774, after the mission was relocated from its original site.
Old Globe Theatre
1363 Old Globe Way
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619-231-1941
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Modeled after Shakespeare’s home theater in London, Balboa Park’s version of the Old Globe started offering Shakespeare in reparatory in the 1930’s. It now is a favorite stop for out-of-town premieres for Broadway-bound plays and dramas. In 1994, the Old Globe revived their summer Shakespeare festival, and its two stages hosts crowd-pleasing works.
Old Town State Historic Park
San Diego Ave at Twiggs Street
San Diego, CA 92110
Phone: 619-291-4903
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Costumed guides take visitors on a journey back to when the Spanish and Mexican flags flew over Old Town, and the city’s Hispanic heritage is on full display. In addition to the historical structures here in Old Town, there are numerous small shops and stands, including the Bazaar del Mundo, where souvenirs and handicrafts can be bought. It’s all a reminder of San Diego’s vital and diverse history.