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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.
Ruben H. Fleet Science Center
1875 El Prado
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619-232-0248
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Just south of the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park is the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, a real treat for kids and adults alike. Here, dozens of interactive displays bring the laws of physics to life. Highlights include the Challenger Learning Center, where students and groups get a hands-on chance to run mission control on a simulated space voyage, and the world’s first IMAX domed theater, where thrilling IMAX adventures are projected on the theater’s huge ceiling.
San Diego Air & Space Museum
2001 Pan American Plaza
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619-234-8291
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One of the true highlights of Balboa Park has to be the San Diego Air and Space Museum, right at the end of Pan American Plaza. The spirit of the fearless early days of aviation is alive and well here at the museum, where both authentic aircraft and full-size replicas fill this cavernous hall. Every era of aviation history is represented here, from man’s first bungled attempts to get off the ground to those heady days of the 1960s when Americans held their breath as NASA raced to the moon.
San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum
910 N. Harbor Drive
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619-544-9600
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There’s no attraction on San Diego’s Embarcadero bigger than the USS Midway, now permanently docked at the Navy Pier, just north of Seaport Village. This aircraft carrier had a 47-year career as a naval vessel until it was decommissioned in 1991. And, when it opened as a museum in 2004, it attracted nearly a million visitors in its first year alone. Clearly, when it comes to some things in San Diego, size matters
2300 Expedition Way
La Jolla, CA 92037
Phone: 888-534-FISH
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Part of the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, this aquarium and museum puts the emphasis on education and enlightenment over glitz and showmanship. Inside are some sixty different tanks, all teeming with marine life, from the most delicate of jellyfish to the fiercest of sharks. Outside, there’s the Tide Pool Discovery Center, which showcases the hearty residents of these rocky basins. But whether you’re inside or out, the Birch Aquarium is a great way to spend a day in La Jolla.
Chula Vista Nature Center
1000 Gunpowder Point Road
Chula Vista, CA 91910
Phone: 619-409-5900
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About ten minutes from downtown San Diego is Sweetwater Marsh, and the Chula Vista Nature Center. Visitors can take a walk along the grassy marshes here and do some bird watching, or go into the center itself and check out their huge aquarium and aviary. In 2006, a new turtle exhibit opened up that features, well, turtles. Although this secluded preserve is just outside San Diego, the Chula Vista Nature Center seems worlds away.
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.
Legoland® California
One Legoland Drive
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Phone: 760-918-5346
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Located about forty minutes from downtown San Diego in the city of Carlsbad is Legoland, which is, as far as we know, the country’s only amusement park dedicated to a piece of plastic. At the park’s Miniland USA, we can see these handy little building blocks transformed into some of the world’s most famous structures, ranging from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Statue of Liberty. Catering to the twelve and under set, Legoland has plenty to keep young minds occupied. More intense rides are on hand as well, guaranteed to wipe the scowl off the face of even the most jaded tweens.