My husband and I are headed to San Diego for three days over Mother’s Day weekend. Any suggestions on what to do/where to eat? We are staying in the gas lamp district but will have a car.
The USS Midway tour is pretty cool. Visitors always seem to like it–even the ones who think they aren’t so into that stuff. Check groupon for sure. Have a fun visit!
Check out Old Town and definitely eat there. Whale watching is fun as well. Also, check out La Jolla - great kayaking opportunities and beautiful sunsets.
Coronado Island and Hotel del Coronado
Balboa Park. Some things cost (museums, zoo) but others don’t.
Good restaurants in La Jolla proper are George’s, Eddie V’s and Duke’s all have great ocean views. Patti’s or Barbarella’s if in La Jolla Shores. We like Herb and Wood or Juniper & Ivy in Little Italy (not far from the Gaslamp).
The Zoo and Balboa Park are a great day. If you like to hike Torrey Pines is a nice place. Ride bikes around Mission Bay or Coronado.
I’m guessing every guidebook in the world recommends a walk along Sunset Cliffs at sunset because it has become very crowded on lovely warm evenings. Lovely sunsets
Cabrillo National Monument
Burritos: Bahia Don Bravo in Birdrock. Fish tacos: Oscar’s Mexican Seafood on Turquoise in north PB. These are not glamorous eateries, but the food is authentic and good, and you can walk down to the beach to have a picnic if you want (to Tourmaline from Oscar’s, to Calumet Park from Bahia). Extraordinary Desserts has decadent desserts (one on the edge of Little Italy, another on 5th avenue on the west side of Balboa Park) Little Italy is nice to walk around in, especially if you like to see 737s up close and personal. Hillcrest is a happening neighborhood (akin to West Hollywood)–good for dinner and walking around. There are a couple of places known for breakfast in Hillcrest–Hash House a Gogo is one. For tidepools: You’ll have pretty low early afternoon tides that weekend–there are pools at Sunset Cliffs, at Cabrillo Natl Monument (down the hill to the right after the entrance), at the north end of La Jolla Shores, and many other places in La Jolla. If you go to the north end of Shores (north of Scripps Pier) you can cross over to Black’s beach and walk along the beach under the cliffs. There’s a cafe at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, just south of the pier, called Caroline’s–very popular for breakfast/brunch/lunch–nice patio, pretty good food ,great view. Top of Mt Soledad is the “view spot” if the weather is clear. If you’re interested in going farther afield, Solana Beach has the Cedros Avenue design district, and you can head farther north to Cardiff–Swami’s park is a fun place to hang out and watch the surf/surfers, and there’s a nice commercial strip there. Endless parade of cyclists, runners, triathletes on Saturday and Sunday mornings through Cardiff and Del Mar. For something non-beachy, if you want to do a pretty strenuous 4-8 mile hike, try Mt Woodson—great boulders, and potato chip rock at the top. Go early morning. Closer to town in Mission Trails park.is Cowle’s Mountain–a very popular hike, but gets you out and nice views at the top.
I second Carrillo Monument. Not necessarily for the lighthouse, although it’s interesting…but for the sweeping views over the entire harbor, views of Coronado and all the way to Mexico. Plus, the drive out to the point goes through a huge beautiful veteran cementary on the cliffs above the ocean and harbor
If you like seafood, there is a Roy’s in San Diego!
Another vote for Hash House a Go Go.
Get out of the Gaslamp/ some stuff to do but not a whole lot. They’re trying to clean up the area.
-Hodad’s for a burger in OB.
-Little Italy for Italian fare.
-Thai- Taste of Thai- in Hillcrest
-Coffee- Coffee Bean and Tea leaf
-Boba- Boba Bar and Desserts in Kearny Mesa.
-If you’re into beer, SD has a huge beer making industry: https://www.sandiego.org/articles/breweries/san-diego-breweries.aspx
Stone Brewery and Karl Strauss. They also have brewery bus tours.
-Casinos in East County.
-Balboa park museums.
Wine tours in Temecula
Torrey Pines State Park
What to do:
What sorts of things do you enjoy doing on vacations? Do you want to see scenic views, do physical activity (hiking, biking, kayaking) , go dining and drinking? I think San Diego’s best features are the outdoors and the water, so with only three days that’s where I would concentrate my attention. Other than the USS Midway, I wouldn’t recommend museums. The Midway is outstanding if you haven’t toured an aircraft carrier before. I love getting out on the water and there are several different boat tours to look into. Or maybe take the ferry to Coronado and rent bikes to get around there (dockless bikes are not permitted on Coronado).
My very favorite views are from Cabrillo Monument and it looks like it will be good weather. And as long as you’re on Point Loma, it’s fun to swing by Ocean Beach for the surfer/hippie vibe and maybe walk the pier. Balboa Park is lovely to walk around - fantastic gardens and architecture.
Everywhere will be very busy so go early and allow extra time to find parking. Weather looks very promising and don’t get worried if it looks overcast in the morning - it’s called May Gray and should burn off.
This is the list I sent my brother when he visited earlier this spring - but he was here for six days. Notice Gaslamp isn’t on the list - very conventioneer and tourist oriented. Although if you love baseball, Petco Park is impressive and they have tours on Friday, Saturday, and Monday. DS talked us into going on one last year and it was quite fun.
https://oceanbeachsandiego.com/
https://www.nps.gov/cabr/index.htm
https://www.midway.org/
http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/
https://www.balboapark.org/
http://www.oldtownsandiego.org/
https://hoteldel.com/ Where Some Like it Hot was filmed. Also the beautiful beaches, the Coronado bridge, and the views of downtown from Coronado.
https://www.lajolla.com/guides/la-jolla-cove-guide/
https://torreypine.org/
http://www.belmontpark.com/ Just because it’s a classic beach side California amusement park bordering the oceanfront (concrete) boardwalk.
Where to eat:
Presumably you’re not looking for a Mother’s Day Brunch - DS will be in town and we’re going to the Prado in Balboa Park. Then we’ll check out the free organ concert and the International Houses. After that we may stop at Bertrand at Mr. A’s for a drink - fantastic views - go up there at sunset maybe. So that’s what we’re doing Sunday but I digress…
What sort of food do you like? Give us some parameters so we can speak to your preferences (style, price range, ambiance).
The popular breakfast places will probably have waits of over an hour (more on Sunday). A very fun experience is to go to one of the year round farmer’s markets; you might enjoy Little Italy on Saturday; maybe can even walk up from your hotel. https://www.littleitalysd.com/events/mercato It’s about one third produce (with samples), one third food stands, and one third crafts and artisinal products. You can eat your way from one end to the other.
I’m not a fish eater (or beer drinker), but there’s a very well rated casual place on Point Loma: http://www.pointlomaseafoods.com/ (Roy’s is a chain in several states). Hodad’s in Ocean Beach is fun and very popular with tourists (brother and SIL loved it). I enjoy relaxing with tacos and a drink on the upper deck of South Beach Bar & Grill, watching the waves and the surfers.
A couple of my favorite restaurants include Juniper and Ivy (fancy) and Crack Shack (casual) in Little Italy, and Duke’s La Jolla, Locals will tell you the best Mexican is not in Old Town San Diego (but very fun to go to Casa de Reyes) and the best Italian is not in Little Italy (which is becoming a foodie destination; way more than Italian). We were surprised to find a number of decent French restaurants in town.
There are countless options. Different people have different preferences, so it helps to know what types of things you enjoy or food genres you like.
I agree with the comments above about Cabrillo, particularly the tidepools area. If you are going that way, Kaiserhof is a good choice for a meal, which emphasizes German foods.
Well…I know you are only going to be there for three days…but…if you decide totake a drive someplace, i would suggest the little mountain town of Julian. It’s a charming town and a beautiful drive. The thing you will see is a LOT of places selling apple pie. Get some. It’s absolutely THE BEST apple pie I’ve had in my life.
It’s a day trip.
The most local food of San Diego is a fish tavo. There are hundreds of fish taco places
Do you like baseball? It looks like the Padres are in town. Petco Park (which is right in the Gaslamp district) is one of my favorite parks.
This is why I love CC- advice on everything from trips to what color tux to wear for band performances!
My parents will be with us. They are in good shape but older, so no strenuous hikes.
As for food, we are pretty open. I did look at the brunch at the Coronado hotel but at $189 a person, it’s too expensive.
I think my husband and my dad will be seeing a Padres game while my mom and I go to Coronado. The Point Loma lighthouse has been mentioned several times (and by my friend who grew up in San Diego), so we’ll definitely do that.