Travel and Explore San Diego, CA!

San Diego, CA San Diego is the birthplace of California. Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo landed in what is now San Diego Bay and claimed the area for Spain in 1542. In 1769, Father Junipero Serra established the Mission San Diego de Alcala. Originally populated by Indians, the area has been governed by the Spanish, Mexicans, and since 1846, the U.S. Today, beautiful beaches and near- perfect weather, make San Diego a popular vacation spot. San Diego events include: Sandcastle Festival, Cabrillo Festival, Avocado Festival, Threshing Bee & Antique Engine Show, and Poway Rodeo & BBQ.  Barnstorming Biplane Adventures  Palomar Airport Rd.  San Diego  California  (760)438-7680 or (800)759-5667  The biplanes offer scenic tours of San Diego County and also offer mock combat flights in vintage aircrafts.  Belmont Park  W. Mission Bay Dr. and W. Mission Blvd.  San Diego  California  (619) 491-2988  The park is an oceanside amusement park containing a restored 1925 wooden roller coaster.  Black Hawk Smithy & Stable  Mason and Juan sts.  San Diego  California    The building was opened in the 1860s and offers demonstrations of vintage blacksmith techniques.  Bolboa Park    San Diego  California  (619) 239-0512  The park features a 200-foot California Tower.  Botanical Building    San Diego  California  (619) 235-1100  The building contains subtropical and tropical plants.  Cabrillo National Monument  Cabillo Memorial Dr.  San Diego  California  (619) 557-5450  The monument is dedicated to Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, an explorer of the Western Coast of the U.S. in 1542.  Children's Museum/Museo De Los Ninos  200 W. Island Ave.  San Diego  California  (619) 233-3473  The museum offers various exhibits for children's learning of cultures.  Colorado House/Wells Fargo Museum  San Diego Ave.  San Diego  California  (619) 238-3929  The museum is in a 1851 Colorado House Hotel and offers historical exhibits.  Firehouse Museum  1572 Columbia St.  San Diego  California  (619) 232-3473  The museum offers antique fire equipment from around the world.  Hornblower Dining Yachts  1066 N. Harbor Dr.  San Diego  California  (619) 234-8687  The yachts offer narrated tours of San Diego Bay.  Horton Plaza    San Diego  California  (800) 214-7467  The plaza offers outdoor entertainment, over 140 shops, a theater, restaurants, and a 14-screen cinema.  Hot Air Balloon Rides    San Diego  California  (619)756-1790 or (800)244-1790  The air balloon rides are offered year-round and last for 1-hour.  Japanese Friendship Garden    San Diego  California  (619) 232-2780  The garden offers a small entry garden and a sand and stone garden.  Johnson House  Mason and Colhoun sts.  San Diego  California    The house is a reconstructed house frame founded around the year 1869.  Junipero Serra Museum  2727 Presidio Dr.  San Diego  California  (619) 297-3258  The museum contains exhibits aobut San Diego's historic Mexican and Spanish periods.  La Casa de Estudillo  4001 Mason St.  San Diego  California    This 1827 restored adobe contains Spanish and Early American furnishings.  Machado-Stewart Adobe    San Diego  California    This 1830s restored adobe shows everyday life during the Mexican period of San Diego.  Maritime Museum of San Diego  1306 N. Harbor Dr.  San Diego  California  (619) 234-9153  The museum offers three historic vessels and some oceanographic exhibits.  Mason Street Adobe    San Diego  California    This 1865 one-room framed building has been restored and returned to its original site.  Mingei International Museum  1439 El Prado  San Diego  California  (619) 239-0003  The museum offers exhibits of folk art from around the world.  Mission Basilica San Diego De Alcala  10818 San Diego Mission Rd.  San Diego  California  (619) 281-8449  The mission was founded in 1769 and is one of California's first missions.  Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor & Interpretive Center  1 Junipero Serra Tr.  San Diego  California  (619) 668-3275  The mission offers exhibits showing information about natural history.  Museum of Contemporary Art Downtown  1001 Kettner Blvd. at Broadway  San Diego  California  (619) 234-1001  The art museum offers permanent and changing exhibits of various artworks in four galleries.  Museum of Photographic Arts    San Diego  California  (619) 238-7559  The museum offers changing displays of historic and contemporary photography.  Museum of San Diego History  1649 El Prado  San Diego  California  (619) 232-6203  The musuem has exhibits showing the region's growth since the 1850s.  Old Town Dental Museum  Sna Diego Ave.  San Diego  California    The museum is a replica of a late 1800 dentist's office and contains furnishings from its period.  Old Town Plaza    San Diego  California    This was center the town's community center after the the founding of the pueblo of San Diego in 1821.  Old Town San Diego State Historic Park    San Diego  California  (619) 220-5422  The park is dedicated to the founding of the first permanent settlement in California.  Old Town Trolley Tours    San Diego  California  (619) 298-8687  The tours offer 2-hour trolley bus trips showing the best attractions.  Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center  1875 El Prado  San Diego  California  (619) 238-1233  The center offers OMNIMAX films in a Space Theater and over 50 exhibits on science.  Robinson-Rose Building  4002 Wallace St.  San Diego  California    The 1852 adobe was built by an attorney and houses the headquarters for the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.  San Diego Aerospace Museum    San Diego  California  (619) 234-8291  The museum offers a aircraft restoration facility including a replica of Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis.  San Diego Automotive Museum    San Diego  California  (619) 231-2886  The museum offers over 60 historic automobiles as well as other vehicles.  San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum    San Diego  California  (619) 234-2544  The museum conatains exhibits on San Diego's sports history.  San Diego Harbor Excursion  1050 N. Harbor Dr.  San Diego  California  (619)234-4111 or (800)442-7847  The excursion offers tours, seeing the largest Navy fleet in the U.S. and San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge.  San Diego Model Railroad Museum    San Diego  California  (619) 696-0199  The museum offers four scale-model railroad layouts of railroad development in Southern California.  San Diego Museum of Art    San Diego  California  (619) 232-7931  The art museum offers a variety of excellent collections of artwork in its galleries.  San Diego Museum of Man    San Diego  California  (619) 239-2001  The museum offers exhibits about the origens of humankind.  San Diego Natural History Museum    San Diego  California  (619) 232-3821  The museum contains exhibits about the San Diego County and Baja.  San Diego Scenic Tours    San Diego  California  (619) 273-8687  The tours offer narrated tours of San Diego in an air-conditioned minibus.  San Diego Union Museum  2602 San Diego Ave.  San Diego  California    The 1851 restored museum was a newspaper office in 1868 and is furnished in its period.  San Diego Wild Animal Park  Rancho Pkwy.  San Diego  California  (619) 234-6541  The park contains over 3,000 animals and also has over 3,000 species of exotic plants.  San Diego Zoo  Pershing Dr.  San Diego  California  (619) 234-3153  The zoo contains over 4,000 animals in natural surroundings.  San Diego-Coronado Ferry    San Diego  California  (619) 234-4111  The ferry takes you from San Diego to Coronado.  Sea World    San Diego  California  (714) 939-6212  This 150-acre marine park offers a variety of shows, rides, aquariums, and attractions.  Seaport Village  Kettner Blvd. and West Harbor Dr.  San Diego  California  (619) 235-4014  This 14-acre complex offers entertainment and an 8-acre park.  Seeley Stables  2648 Calhoun St.  San Diego  California    The museum is a reconstruction of a 1869 stable and holds a collection of horse-drawn vehicles.  Spanish Village Art Center    San Diego  California  (619) 233-9050  The art center contains over 40 studios for artists.  Spreckels Organ Pavillion    San Diego  California  (619) 235-1100  The center contains the said to be the largest outdoor pipe organ in the world.  Sunset Cliffs  Sunset Cliffs Blvd.  San Diego  California    The cliffs provide lovely seascape views of the sea and its cliffs.  The Courthouse  2731 San Diego Ave.  San Diego  California    The courthouse was built in 1847 by Mormon Battalion and was first used as the town hall.  Timken Museum of Art    San Diego  California  (619) 239-5548  The art museum offers a collection of artworks by Old European Masters and some American paintings.  Whaley House  2482 San Diego Ave.  San Diego  California  (619) 298-2482  This 1857 house is said to be the first two-story brick house built in Southern California.