Location: Vista (44 Miles / 50 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 10AM – 4PM (Closed on Christmas and New Year’s)
Cost: $3 ($2 for Kids and Seniors)
Features: 55 Acre Farm Serves as a Museum for Thousands of Antique Farm Artifacts; Recreates the Typical California Farm from the 1850s – 1950s; Dozens of Items Used in Hollywood Movies.
Location: Downtown San Diego (Little Italy)
Hours: Thursday and Friday 10AM – 2PM; Saturday and Sunday 10AM – 4PM
Cost: $3 (Free for Kids).
Features: Firehouse Full of Old Fire Engines, including an 1841 Rumsey Hand Pumper; Listen to Stories from Firefighters.
Location: Julian (62 Miles / 1.25 Hours Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Features: Historic Town in the San Diego Mountains with Hiking, Wine Tasting, Gold Mines, Stargazing, Shops, Famous Apple Pie, and Surrounded by Forests
Location: Old Town (4 Miles North of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 10AM – 5PM
Cost: Free
Features: One of Only 7 Wells Fargo History Museums in the Country; Includes One of the Few Remaining Original Butterfield Stage Coaches.
Location: Old Town (4 Miles North of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 9AM – 5PM
Cost: Free
Features: Collection of Six Victorian-Style Homes and San Diego’s First Synagogue all in a Romantic Park Setting.
Location: Old Town (4 Miles North of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 10AM – 4PM (Closed on Sundays and Mondays)
Cost: Free
Features: Historic Relics from Early Lawmen dating back to 1850; Behind the Scenes Look at the Sheriff’s Department, including the Police Academy and SWAT
Location: Carlsbad (32 Miles / 35 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 10AM – 5PM (Closed on Mondays)
Cost: $7 ($5 for Students 4 – 18 and Seniors 60+)
Features: History of Music; Huge Collection of Musical Instruments; Music Exhibitions and Events
Location: La Jolla (12 Miles / 20 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Hours: 10AM – 5:30PM Tuesday through Saturday (8:30PM on Wednesdays)
Features: One of Sixteen Historic Music and Arts Libraries in the United States; Art Exhibitions and Lectures; Jazz & Classical Music Concerts
Location: Coronado (6 Miles / 15 Minutes South of Downtown San Diego)
Cost: Free for Self-Guided Tours; Fees for Other Activities
Features: Tour of Historic Hotel Built in 1888; Served World Leaders; Seen in Major Movies and on TV
Location: Coronado Cays (11 Miles / 20 Minutes South of Downtown San Diego)
Rides Daily: 3PM – Midnight (Starts at 11AM on Weekends); Reservations are Required
Cost: Starts at $85 for Two People
Features: Romantic, Venice-Style Gondola Rides around the Loews Coronado Bay Resort
Location: Downtown San Diego (Core District)
Performances: Year-Round
Cost: Copley Hall Tours are Free; Performance Tickets Range from $20 – $93 (Some $10 tickets available for Students)
Features: Watch the San Diego Symphony and other International Music Acts Perform in one of the Most Elegant Theatres on the West Coast. You can also Take Tours of the Historic Copley Symphony Hall, which was an Original Fox Theatre where Walt Disney Premiered his Movies.
Location: Campo (51 Miles / 1.25 Hours East of Downtown San Diego)
Hours: 9AM – 5PM on Saturdays and Sundays
Cost: $5 ($2.50 for ages 6-12); Train Rides are Extra.
Features: 1916 Train Depot is home to Over 80 Train Cars and Locomotives, many dating back to the 19th Century, Hour-Long Train Rides; Setting for Numerous Movies and Commercials.
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
Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Show Times: Sundays at 2PM Year-Round; Mondays at 7:30PM from June – August; Additional Concerts Tuesdays – Thursdays from June – August
Cost: Free
Features: Enjoy a Variety of Musical Performances at this Beautiful Outdoor Venue in Balboa Park, which is home to one of the World’s Largest Outdoor Pipe Organs played by an Internationally-Acclaimed Organist.
Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 11AM – 5:30PM during Summer; Otherwise 11AM – 4:30PM on Weekends & Holidays
Cost: $2
Features: Built in 1910; Award Winning Historic Carousel with Original Equipment; Still offers Brass Ring Game
Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Hours: Open Daily During Summer 11AM – 6:30PM. Otherwise, Only Open on Weekends and School Holidays from 11AM – 4:30PM.
Cost: $2
Features: Miniature Replica of a Real Train takes you on a 1/2 mile ride and includes a Tunnel.
Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Show Times: Generally Wednesdays – Sundays at 11AM, 1PM, and 2:30PM. (More details below.)
Cost: $5 ($3 for Kids 2 and up; $4 for Seniors 65+)
Features: Nation’s Longest Running, Full-Time Puppet Theater
Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 10AM – 4:30PM
Cost: $8 ($4 for Kids ages 7-17 and $6 for Seniors)
Features: Nation’s Largest Sports Museum; Interactive Exhibits; Hall of Fame; Covers a Broad Range of Sports; Many one-of-a-kind Trophies on Display.
Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 10AM – 5PM (Must enter by 4:30PM). Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
Cost: $8 ($4 for Kids ages 6-15 and $6 for Seniors 65+)
Features: Over 100 Cars and Motorcycles, including a 1909 International Harvester Wagon, 1914 Model T Ford, 1981 De Lorean, and a 1990 Ferrari Testarossa.
Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 10AM – 4:30PM (Must enter by 4PM). Open until 5:30PM during Summer. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Cost: $15 ($6 for Kids ages 3-11 and $12 for Seniors)
Features: One of the Nation’s Best Aerospace Museums; San Diego has the Richest Aviation History in the World
Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 11AM – 4PM (5PM on Weekends). Closed on Mondays.
Cost: $7 (Free for Kids under 15 with a Parent, $6 for Seniors 65+)
Features: World’s Largest Indoor Model Railroad Display
Location: Balboa Park (3 Miles Northeast of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: 10AM – 5PM. Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
Cost: $5 ($2 for Kids under 18, $4 for Seniors 65+)
Features: Great Stories and Photos of San Diego’s History; Learn about the Changes in Power from Kumeyaay Indians to Spanish Colony, followed by Mexican Independence and then American Statehood.
Location: Carlsbad (35 Miles / 40 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: Generally Open 10AM – 5PM (8PM during Summer); Additional Hours during School Vacations
Cost: Several options starting at $67 ($57 for Kids ages 3-12 and Seniors 60+). Parking is $12
Features: More than 50 Family Rides; Focused on Kids ages 2 – 12; Attractions built out of LEGO blocks include Pirates, Dinosaurs, Animals, and National Monuments.
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
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
Location: Anza-Borrego Desert (Visitor Center is 93 Miles/ 2 Hours from the Coastal Areas of San Diego)
Visitor Center Hours: 9AM – 5PM; Thursday through Monday From October to May; Weekends from June to September.
Cost: Free (Except for $6 per day parking at 3 Campgrounds)
Features: Sonoran Desert Meets the Peninsular Mountain Ranges Creating the Most Diverse Desert Landscape in the World and offering Hiking, Camping, Horseback Riding, Desert Wildflower Viewing, Stargazing, and Geological Exploration.
Location: Mission Beach (8 Miles / 15 Minutes Northwest of Downtown San Diego)
Open Daily: Generally 11AM – 11PM. However, rides are generally not in operation on weekdays from November to February. (Check schedule and ride calendar for specific times.)
Cost: Most rides cost $2 – $6. There is No Entrance Fee and Parking is Free.
Features: Only Oceanfront Amusement Park in San Diego, Giant Dipper Wooden Roller Coaster, Miniature Golf, Bumper Cars, Perfect Wave Rider, Largest Swimming Pool in Southern California.
Location: Del Mar (22 Miles / 20 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Schedule: Daily from Mid-July to Early-September (except Mondays and Tuesdays). Generally runs 2PM – 6PM. Starts 3PM on Fridays.
Cost: Several options starting at $6. Parking is $8 ($10 for Friday & Saturday Concerts).
Features: One of the Top Horse Racetracks in the Country; Several Stakes Races; Place to See and Be Seen; Free Friday Concerts
Location: Del Mar (22 Miles / 20 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Open: June 12th – July 5th, 2009 (Closed Mondays June 15th and 22nd);
Cost: $13 ($7 for Kids ages 5-12 and Seniors 62+). Parking is $10
Features: Top 10 Fair in the Country; Several Dozen Amusement Rides; Concerts with Top National Performers; Competition in a Wide Array of Activities; Carnival Games & Food; 2009 Theme is ‘Music Mania’
Find out what the locals know.
Top 10 Reasons San Diego is more than just a leisure destination.
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