San Diego refers to itself as the finest city in America and you will find these words in its Motto. This statement tells you that there are so many things to do in San Diego. This destination is definitely among the best places to visit in the USA.
The city has so many world-class attractions, water sports, museums, and theme parks among others. You may discover that even the most extensive visit to San Diego will not allow you to explore everything.
Fortunate enough, there is a way of narrowing down your search options. Here is an overview of the top ten things to do in San Diego. The list is carefully crafted by travel and tour experts to give you the best out of your visit.
1. USS Midway Museum
You will find the museum on the harbor in the downtown San Diego. After retiring the U.S.A. Navy aircraft, she become the historical museum that is dedicated to the history of the U.S. military.
This museum is full of real-life stories that engage tourists of all ages. The center is highly welcoming to young visitors. The attendants encourage kids to touch everything, flip switches, and sit if the chair of the captain on the bridge.
The docents are the retired military workers from all recent wards from that of Korea onwards. A few of these revered docents fought in the Second World War. These people are very keen to pass the knowledge they possess especially to the youth who visit the USS Midway Museum.
Do not forget to carry along your camera because this site will give you spectacular views. You will be able to view the downtown of San Diego, Seaport Village, Point Loma, the San Diego Bay, and Coronado Island from this place.
2. LEGOLAND® California
This attraction in San Diego suits families that have young kids best. The attraction has severalLEGO®stations, games and rides that will delight your young ones.
LEGOLAND also has so many themed areas such as the Miniland U.S.A, Pirate Shores, LEGO Friends, Caste Hill, Land of Adventure, and Fun Town. Miniland is full of replicas of popular places and cities that are fully constructed from the LEGO bricks which is a perennial favorite.
The other top attraction here especially during the warmer months is the LEGO family attraction. LEGO Legends of CHIMA is the most popular area here that is complete with Crocodile Swamp and Lion Temple Wave Pool. You can build your own rafts from the LEGO at this place.
The LEGOLAND hotels provides a lot of fun even of you don’t stay there with your family. There is a caste play area in the lobby’s café with the best family night entertainment.
3. Balboa Park
This botanical park sits in 1200 acres of cultural land in downtown San Diego. The park has so many attractions and you can do some research to determine where you will prefer to visit.
You will get restaurants, theaters, botanical gardens, gift shops, natural history museums, art museum, and the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park. This site was reserved in 1835 hence it is among the oldest regions in the United States to be set aside for recreational purposes for the general public. In 1915-1916, Balboa Park hosted the Panama-California Exposition. It also hosted the California Pacific International Exposition that took place in 1935-1936.
These two events left remarkable architectural landmarks. As a result, this park appears on the National Register of Historical Places and designated as a national Historic Landmark. It gives visitors an opportunity to explore so many charming attractions and you should set aside three days to visit the Balboa Park.
4. San Diego Zoo
This is a famous Zoo that is found in Balboa Park. The Zoo hosts more than 3700 animals from over 650 subspecies and species. All these animals are displayed in enclosures that are very naturalistic.
The Zoological Society is a perennial favorite of the locals with more than 500,000 members who support the Zoo’s conservation efforts. The Zoo has various cultural zones with vegetation and animals from region like Asia, Australia, Africa, and many more.
You will be able to see the world-famous Giant Pandas, reptiles, birds, bears, monkeys, hippos, rhino’s elephants, tigers, lions, and anything in between. Plan a whole day visit to the Zoo to get the best out of it.
5. Interesting Facts about San Diego Zoo:
Cashless Entry: All you have to do is scan your digital pass while entering the zoo.
The Feel of Real: You can enjoy live talks, feedings and demonstrations in the San Diego Zoo
Extras: It also includes a bus ride, Kangaroo Express Bus, Sky safari Ariel Tram is another exciting activity in San Diego zoo.
Free Entry: The San Diego pass will give free access to many other activities; you will not have to buy passes or any entry ticket separately.
6. Sea World San Diego
Sea World San Diego is among the best places to visit in the USA. It is located in the Mission Bay and hosts so many family fun activities. You can explore the natural aquariums and sea life exposures which feature penguins, beluga whales, dolphins, seals, otters, freshwater fish, and ocean fish to name a few.
Most guest also like to visit the famous Electric ocean show. The park will appear to be illuminated as if with bio-luminescence while being transformed in the underwater wonderland of sound and light. There is so much that is associated with this destination when looking for the best things to do in San Diego. The park also has a playground for kids and so many energetic activities for your young ones.
7. San Diego Zoo Safari Park
It will take you close to 30 to 40 minutes to drive from the downtown San Diego to this Zoo. It is a preserve of 1800 acres that features more than 2600 animals from 300 species. San Diego Zoo Safari Park also has over 3500 plant species.
Apart from the small exhibits, these animals run freely in the large enclosures. Therefore, you will view them in an environment that is very close to their natural habitat.
The animals that are features in the exhibits are indigenous to the arid environments like South America, North America, Australia, Asia, Europe, and Africa. When you get to the free-range Africa enclosures, you will view animals like the antelopes, giraffes, buffaloes, cranes, and rhinos.
It is an extensive preserve that has so many things to do in San Diego. You may walk through the lemur enclosures, watch the Shirley cheetah hitting the top speed on her daily runs, check out the gorilla family, visit the petting zoo, tiger exhibit, and hike the botanical gardens.
Safari park also has a great selection of tours into the animal enclosures. Therefore, don’t forget to carry along your camera if you want to get the best memories out of your tour to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
8. The San Diego Air & Space Museum
This museum is located in the Balboa Park and has a dedication to the history of space exploration and aviation. It is the third largest museum in this category within the United States. There are famous aircraft in this place like the Montgolfier brothers’ hot air balloon model of 1783.
You will also view some genuine aircrafts that have been restored including Navy F6F Hellcat, A-4 Skyhawk jet, and the Spitfire Mk. XVI. You will also see the WWI and II aircraft exhibits, space age and modern jet aircraft, the accurate replication of Kitty Hawk, and an authentic landing module from the Apollo 9. You will also get an excellent gift shop and book store in this place.
The museum has several interactive videos and educational exhibits and flight simulator. We have the Zable Theater that has rotating films on relevant topics that come in the 4-D effects.
9. San Diego Natural History Museum
This scientific institution is the oldest in California and third oldest in the West. It is dedicated to preserving and exploring the environmental surrounding Baja California and Southern California. For the museum to stick to its vision, it has highly interactive exhibits on the ancient interactive flora and fauna that comprise of botanicals, fish, birds, woolly mammoths, and dinosaurs.
NAT is also a scientific laboratory and you will view scientists working on specimens like fossils. The other new and exciting artifacts you will find on the display include photographs, documents, specimens, etc. It has so many things to do in San Diego this weekend.
10. La Jolla Cove
La Jolla is a Spanish name for ‘the jewel’ and it is a jewel for the San Diego coastline. These shores Park overlook the ocean and this cove is a lovely place for the locals to enjoy all forms of water activities and sports.
The cove is a marine preserve that is fully protected. Therefore, the snorkelers will easily find fish species like eels, stingrays and many more within a few feet from the shoreline. You can also kayak or scuba drive in this cove.
The other thing to do here is walking along the trail that runs the kid’s pool. It is home to so many sea lions with several seals too. La Jolla Cove Should not miss out of your things to do in San Diego especially if you love wildlife photography.
Coronado Island
Visiting the Coronado Island summarizes our list of the top things to do in San Diego over the weekend. This destination is voted among the best beaches in the United States. It is off San Diego coast and offers a delightful village, pristine sand, and a gentle surf.
To get there, you can tale the Coronado Ferry or Coronado Bay Bridge. The Island also houses the historical Hotel Del Coronado where entourage and Marilyn Monroe filmed ‘Some Like it Hot.’
You may come across so many beach weddings in this place because the locals love tying the knot at this place. The village has high-end dining options, unique shopping, elegant gardens, and old-world mansions. You can rent bikes to use them in touring the beachfront boardwalk of the Island or spend your day relaxing on the sand,
Conclusion
From this article, you will discover that there are so many things to do in San Diego this weekend. You can choose any of them from the list depending on your budget and personal preferences. A weekend is too short to exhaust San Diego but you will walk away with great memories of the city.
