Location: Torrey Pines (15 Miles / 20 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Weekday Tours: 12PM – 1PM
Cost: Free
Features: Tour one of Louis Kahn’s most important architectural works, the Salk Institute
‘Find Attractions By Theme’ Theme
Mining for California Gemstones & Tourmaline in San Diego
Museum Curators, Gemologists, Jewelers, and Rockhounds from around the world descend on northern San Diego County looking for the perfect specimens to add to their gem collections. California’s gemstones came to notoriety during the latter part of the 19th century when abundant pockets of high quality gemstones were discovered in the Mesa Grande and Pala Districts of San Diego County. A number of famous California gem mines are now open to the public.
Wildlife Art at Hidden Forest Art Gallery & Nature Center
Location: Fallbrook (53 Miles / 55 Minutes Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Cost: None, unless you want to buy a wildlife painting.
Hours: Varies
Features: Meet Famed Wildlife Artist Gamini Ratnavira, Browse through his Wildlife Paintings, and Meet his Unique & Colorful Birds.
Lake Henshaw Scenic Overlook
Location: Santa Ysabel (75 Miles / 1.25 Hours Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Hours: Always Open
Cost: Free
Features: One of the top Birding Spots in San Diego overlooking the local mountains, grasslands, and Lake Henshaw.
Cupa Cultural Indian Center
Location: Pala (52 Miles / 55 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Hours: 9:30AM – 4:30PM, Monday through Friday
Cost: Free
Features: Displays of artifacts, photographs, arts & crafts, and history of the Pala Indians, including the Cupeno Trail of Tears
Arrowood Golf Course
Location: Oceanside (47 Miles / 55 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: Year-Round; Dawn – Dusk
Cost: $85 – $110; Discounts for Twilight Play and Southern California Residents
Features: New Course, Hilly Terrain, Surrounded by Natural Habitat.
The Crossings Golf Course at Carlsbad
Location: Carlsbad (35 Miles / 40 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: Year-Round; Dawn – Dusk
Cost: $100 – $120; Discounts for Seniors, Juniors, Twilight Play, and San Diego County Residents
Features: Championship Municipal Golf Course with Panoramic Views of the Pacific Ocean built in 2007; Beautiful Clubhouse & Natural Setting; Golf Club Rentals Available
Carlsbad Flower Fields
Location: Carlsbad (31 Miles / 35 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 9AM – 6PM from March through Early May
Cost: $10 ($9 for Seniors 60+ and $5 for Kids Ages 3 – 10)
Features: Enjoy 50 Acres of Giant Tecolote Ranunculus Flowers, All-American Rose Garden, World-Famous Poinsettias; Wagon Rides; Festivals
Oceanside Harbor
Location: Oceanside (39 Miles / 40 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Features: Sailboat Tours, Whale-Watching, Sportfishing, Boat Rentals
Oceanside Pier, Beaches, and Local Attractions
Location: Oceanside (38 Miles / 40 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Features: Longest Wooden Pier on the West Coast; 3 Miles of Beaches; Boat Harbor; California Surf Museum; Art Museum; Theatre; Thursday Night Hot Spot
California Surf Museum
Location: Oceanside (38 Miles / 40 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 10AM – 4PM. (8PM on Thursdays)
Cost: $3 ($1 for Students, Military, and Seniors 62+)
Features: State of California Surf Museum covering the History of Surfing in California; Skateboarding Memorabilia
Oceanside Museum of Art
Location: Oceanside (38 Miles / 40 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 10AM – 4PM (Opens at 1PM on Sundays and Closed on Mondays)
Cost: $8 ($5 for Seniors 65+, Free for Students and Military Families with I.D.)
Features: Hosts Impressive Art Exhibitions in a Modern Facility added to an Irving Gill Designed Building; Music & Art Events
Mission San Luis Rey Museum
Location: Oceanside (42 Miles / 45 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: Entry Allowed 10AM – 4PM
Cost: $6 ($5 for Seniors 65+, $4 for Kids 6-18)
Features: Largest Mission in California; Historic Water Conservation System; Oil Paintings; Abraham Lincoln Signed Document
San Luis Rey River Trail
Location: Oceanside (38 Miles / 40 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: Dawn to Dusk
Cost: Free, Including Bike Rentals
Features: Hike and Bike a 14.4-Mile Round-Trip Trail Along a Riverbed Starting Near the Oceanside Pier
Sunshine Brooks Theatre
Location: Oceanside (38 Miles / 40 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Performances: Year-Round
Cost: $17 – $20 (Discounts for Seniors, Students, & Military)
Features: Community Theatre is home to Plays, Musicals, and Concerts; Just a Few Blocks from the Oceanside Pier
Marine Corps Mechanized Museum
Location: Oceanside (38 Miles / 40 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Open Weekdays: 7:30AM – 4PM (1PM on Fridays); Closed on Weekends
Cost: Free; Must Show Driver’s License and have Proof of Car Insurance to enter Camp Pendleton
Features: Relics of Past Conflicts including Tanks, Missile Carriers, Howitzer, and other Combat Vehicles
Buena Vista Audubon Nature Center
Location: Oceanside (36 Miles / 40 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 10AM – 4PM (Opens at 1PM on Sundays and Closed on Mondays)
Cost: Free; Donations Accepted
Features: Nature Center Hosted by the Buena Vista Audobon Society on the only Freshwater Coastal Lagoon in Southern California; Mastodon Fossils
San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park
Location: San Pasqual Valley (34 Miles / 40 Minutes Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Open Weekends: 10AM – 5PM. (Closed Weekdays)
Cost: Free
Features: Bloodiest Battleground in the Mexican-American War. Also, the Most Controversial Battle Site in the War.
San Diego Archaeological Center
Location: San Pasqual Valley (35 Miles / 40 Minutes Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 9AM – 4PM. (10AM-2PM on Saturdays. Closed on Sundays.)
Cost: $2 Donation / $5 per Family
Features: 10,000 Years Worth of Archaeological Artifacts Found in San Diego County.
San Diego Escorted Tour Packages
What Type of Tours Does The Best Places In San Diego Offer?
We offer multi-day escorted tours throughout San Diego County. Tours are generally based around a specific theme.
What Kinds of Theme Based Tours™ Are Available in San Diego?
San Diego County is home to hundreds of attractions ranging from the Pacific Ocean to the Peninsular Mountains and the Sonoran Desert. Its ideal year-round weather and natural beauty attracts millions of tourists. This has resulted in an accumulation of attractions that will appeal to any visitor.
Do you enjoy birdwatching? Join a bird watching tour along our coastal byways where over 300 species have been spotted and in our mountains where over 200 species have been identified. Are you a military veteran or do you have an interest in not only learning the history of our military but seeing our troops in training? Take a military themed tour of San Diego’s attractions and military bases. Explore all the themes listed in the right sidebar and then mark the ones that interest you when you sign up for tour notifications from The Best Places In San Diego.
Why Join An Escorted Tour of San Diego?
- Many ‘Behind the Scenes Tours’ of famous attractions are only available to groups, not individual visitors. You get a unique experience that very few people ever get to enjoy.
- Someone else takes care of the driving while you enjoy the spectacular views throughout San Diego. You don’t have to fuss over maps or repeatedly find yourself on a dead end street that continues on the other side of a canyon.
- Get the Insider’s knowledge from your Tour Guide. Learn the little known but surprising facts and interesting stories about San Diego and its attractions.
- We make all the travel arrangements. You just show up and enjoy your vacation.
- We take care of any problems that pop-up. You spend your time relaxing and exploring.
Sign up for tour package notifications from The Best Places In San Diego
Pacific Southwest Railway Museum
Location: La Mesa (13 Miles / 20 Minutes East of Downtown San Diego)
Hours: 1PM – 4PM on Saturdays
Cost: Free
Features: 1915 Train Depot; Steam Locomotive and Freight Cars
Steele Canyon Golf Course
Location: Jamul (19 Miles / 25 Minutes East of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: Year-Round; Dawn – Dusk
Cost: $99 – $139; Discounts for San Diego County Residents
Features: Gary Player Designed Golf Course in a Picturesque Canyon Setting; Golf Club Rentals Available
San Diego Casinos
Locations – Most Casinos are East of I-15 either along Highway I-8 or North of SR-78
Features: Comparison of San Diego Casinos Including Types of Games offered by the Casinos, What Casinos Offer Non-Smoking Gambling, What Casinos Allow Gambling for Those Under 21, What Casinos offer Live Entertainment, and What Casinos offer Resort Facilities. Also, Information on Gambling Addiction Help.
