San Diego attractions

Just west of downtown San Diego across the northernmost waters of San Diego Bay, Shelter Island is in the middle of the city but feels worlds away. The neighborhood is known for its nautical vibe with marinas, bayside parks, hotels, and restaurants.

San Diego's Embarcadero sits on the east side of San Diego Bay, and its waterfront promenades stretch along Harbor Drive—perfect for a leisurely stroll with many sightseeing opportunities and unobstructed views of Coronado Bridge. Its attractions include the Maritime Museum, USS Midway Museum, Seaport Village, and Embarcadero Marina Park.

The city’s waterfront Embarcadero district is one of the San Diego Bay's most vibrant areas. From museums to maritime attractions, and from Seaport Village's shops and restaurants to the area’s parks, the San Diego Harbor is known for its entertainment offerings and family-friendly attractions.

The San Diego Convention Center is a staple venue in the Southern California city. The impressively equipped space hosts many famous events and happenings—most notably, the entertainment bonanza that is Comic-Con International. Visitors can enjoy the sunny, bayside views while attending one of the events held here, before walking over to the nearby restaurants and shops in the historic Gaslamp Quarter.

Located between La Jolla and Mission Beach, Pacific Beach (or PB, as the locals refer to it), is one of the most popular beach towns and beaches in San Diego. A favorite with a younger crowd and families, Pacific Beach offers miles of sand and surf, a boardwalk, plenty of restaurants, bars, and shops, and a lively nightlife scene.

El Prado, the beautiful 13-acre (5-hectare) Spanish colonial complex built for San Diego’s Panama-California Exposition in 1915, is considered a jewel of Balboa Park. The former House of Hospitality is now home to a popular restaurant, while the Spreckels Organ Pavilion hosts free outdoor concerts in the summer.

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park, part of the larger San Diego Zoo, is an 1,800-acre (728-hectare) open-range park housing some 3,500 animals from about 430 species. The park’s open layout allows herds of giraffes, zebras, rhinos, and other animals indigenous to Africa to roam the recreated valley floor.

If walls could talk, the Whaley House could fill history books. Completed in 1857, the Greek Revival House in San Diego’s Old Town has served as a family home, general store, theater, and county courthouse. Today, visitors mostly come looking for a good scare, as the Whaley House is considered one of the most haunted places in the US.

A coastal community that lies on a narrow peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay, Mission Beach offers a variety of outdoor activities from sunbathing and surfing to bicycling, kayaking, skateboarding, beach volleyball, and basketball.

El Campo Santo Cemetery in San Diego’s Old Town was used during the mid- to late-1800s. As San Diego grew, the old cemetery was reduced in size and many of the graves were paved over to build a streetcar line and roads. Since then, tales of car trouble, ghostly apparitions, and shadowy figures have been reported.

A hub of artistic creativity in San Diego, the Spanish Village Art Center is located inside Balboa Park. Originally built in 1935 for an exposition to depict a Spanish village, the center is home to working art studios and pieces by more than 200 local artists.

Occupying the oldest structure in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, this museum is a great place to learn about what life was like in San Diego during the Victorian era. Perhaps the most unusual thing about the house is that it was pre-fabricated in Maine in 1850 and then shipped to San Diego by boat via Cape Horn.

In a city known for its beaches, Mount Soledad stands out as the mountain worth visiting. The highest coastal point in sunny San Diego overlooks the palm tree–lined Pacific Beach and the bluffs of Torrey Pines. The mountain is home to the the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial, which honors living and deceased veterans from the Revolutionary War to the present day. On a clear day, 360-degree views of the La Jolla shores, the bridge to Coronado Island, Mission Bay, and even the mountains of Mexico can be seen.

A wild piece of the California coast just north of San Diego, Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve encompasses more than 1,500 acres (607 hectares) of unspoiled beaches, hiking trails, oceanfront bluffs, Torrey pine trees, and other native vegetation. Visitors find a pristine environment treasured by local nature enthusiasts.

Built in 1935 and modeled after Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, the Old Globe Theatre is one of San Diego’s top performing arts venues. It has produced more than 20 productions that have gone to Broadway and off-Broadway, and earned multiple Tony Awards. Enjoy classic and contemporary works, plus the annual Shakespeare Festival.

Dedicated to the natural history of Southern California—from ancient times to the modern day—the San Diego Natural History Museum (also known as The Nat) is one of the city’s most popular, family-friendly museums. Across four floors, its exhibition spaces are dedicated to topics ranging from dinosaurs and fossils to minerals and more.

Just one of the many gardens in San Diego’s Balboa Park, the Japanese Friendship Garden is a serene oasis inside the bustling, attraction-filled park. Representing the friendship between San Diego and the Japanese city of Yokohama, the 12-acre (5-hectare garden features more than 200 cherry trees amid the manicured landscape.

The San Diego Museum of Man explores the meaning and mysteries of human culture, from ancient Egypt and native Californian Kumeyaay people to the history of beer making and cannibalism. Interactive exhibits take visitors through thousands of years of anthropology, all inside a landmark Spanish colonial building in Balboa Park.

Housed in a historic former naval base, Liberty Station is a thriving dining, arts, shopping and entertainment hub located a few miles north of downtown San Diego in Point Loma.

In Balboa Park, home to more than a dozen gardens, Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden blooms with roughly 1,600 roses in season, including more than 130 varieties. It’s a garden lover’s dream come true, with winding paths, fountains, and gazebos to explore at your leisure.

The melodious sounds from Spreckels Organ Pavilion float across San Diego’s Balboa Park, treating passersby to a free symphony. One of the world’s largest outdoor pipe organs, the instrument is set in an ornate structure and was gifted to the city in 1914 by the Spreckels family, who ran the Spreckels Sugar Company.

A must-visit for architecture lovers, San Diego’s Heritage County Park preserves some of the city’s finest examples of Victorian homes. Located adjacent to Old Town San Diego State Historic Park—and spanning some 8 acres (3 hectares)—the park was developed in the 1970s and ‘80s, when the historic houses were relocated to this site.

Dedicated to artwork created since 1950, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego – Downtown is one of two locations of the museum (the other is in La Jolla. The MCASD’s collection of 4,700 pieces includes a variety of mediums, from sculpture and painting to video, photography, and installations.

The San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) is at the center of Balboa Park. Inside the ornamented building, you’ll find an extensive art collection that spans more than 7,000 years, from great works by European masters, such as El Greco and Francisco Goya, to an array of South Asian paintings, sculpture, and American and Latin American art.

Unleash your imagination at LEGOLAND® California, a theme park built entirely out of colorful plastic LEGO® building blocks. With more than 60 rides, shows, and attractions, this 128-acre (52-hectare) theme park offers fun for the whole family. Modeled after the original LEGOLAND in Denmark, it’s the first of its kind in the US.

Part of the LEGOLAND California Resort located just north of San Diego proper, the SEA LIFE® Aquarium comprises numerous habitat areas, diving shows, and other educational activities across 16 interactive zones. Popular among families with children of all ages, the aquarium makes it easy to discover the wonders of the deep sea.

One of Balboa Park’s many museums, the Fleet Science Center is a science wonderland home to hands-on exhibits, live experiments, and an IMAX theater that’s particularly popular. Movies feature subjects like pandas, volcanoes, and the Great Barrier Reef.

At the San Diego Model Railroad Museum (SDMRM), America’s love affair with train travel comes alive. Part of Balboa Park, this 27,000-square-foot facility details the routes that once crossed—or almost crossed—the American West in highly accurate and detailed scale models. Visitors will also learn about the history of US train travel in permanent and temporary exhibits.

Discover the past, present, and future of the automobile at the San Diego Automotive Museum, and see a collection of Harley Davidson motorcycles and the famous 1947 Louie Mattar Cadillac that drove 6,300 miles (10,139 kilometers) without stopping. Learn about the history of the automobile and view a collection of classic cars.

Connecting San Diego's community with the native wildlife of Southern California, this nonprofit nature center in Chula Vista aims to inspire coastal conservation. While smaller than other zoos and aquariums, Living Coast Discovery Center is loved for its close animal encounters, dedicated staff, and scenic setting on the San Diego Bay.