I love San Diego! Take the train, fly direct into San Diego International Airport (located about three miles from downtown), or drive about two hours south of Los Angeles and here you are, in southern California, a stone’s throw from Mexico.
For those of a certain era (ahem), San Diego is most famous for Top Gun. For other people it’s famous for SeaWorld San Diego and the Zoo, but these days I boycott SeaWorld (and you can read why in that link), and I also found San Diego Zoo a bit traumatic after seeing a polar bear in his tiny concrete quarters several years ago. In fact I have decided that animals in captivity is just not my thing any more.
So this post features the best things to do in San Diego.
My picks for the best things to do in San Diego!
1. Hang out in Gaslamp Quarter
This historic downtown San Diego neighbourhood covers 16 blocks and home to 94 beautiful Victorian historic buildings. It was built circa 1880 and dotted with, you guessed it, gas street lamps.
This is where you go for shopping, eating and a vibrant nightlife. It’s also near the Padres ballpark so fans congregate in one of the many bars, clad in their team strip, to down a few beers before (and after) the game.
The shops open about 11am till late and with 145 restaurants and nightclubs with every taste from tapas to Italian, dance floors to cocktail lounges, you’ll not be disappointed.
This would be a fun part of town to stay in too. See my recommendation for which hotels to stay in further down.
2. Visit Kansas City Barbecue
This is your Top Gun moment! If you’re looking for the Top Gun bar, it’s located opposite the Manchester Grand Hyatt (where we stayed a couple nights in the Gaslamp Quarter).
Kansas City Barbecue not only has great barbecue but if there’s a game on you’ll be all amongst it. AND this is the bar made famous in the 1986 hit movie Top Gun.
You remember the scene where Meg Ryan and Goose sing Great Balls of Fire before her iconic line, “Goose! Take me to bed or lose me forever”? It was filmed here. The best decision the owners made, they say.
Today the bar is filled with movie memorabilia as well as police patches from all over the US and beyond. And as I was traveling with my husband, aka the Thin Blue Line, we added the New Zealand police shoulder flash to the wall. Prizes for anyone who can find it!
3. Tour the USS Midway Museum
The USS Midway Museum is one of five aircraft carriers that are now retired and laden with fighter aircraft. This will enthral every male no matter his age – and doesn’t do too badly with females either. I loved it!
You can buy skip-the-line tickets online which gets you an audio tour on a supplied headset and off you’ll go, climbing up narrow ladders and through hallways, past crew sleeping quarters and onto the flight deck where several planes are parked including the Skyhawk alongside the Top Gun F14 Tomcat.
I don’t want to stereotype, but you could send the boys here while you try a massage or hit the shops if planes and ships are not your thing?
4. Swim with sharks
You can actually swim or snorkel with leopard sharks for free at La Jolla Beach, San Diego! And there’s nothing to fear, these guys are harmless. Also known as the tiger shark, they grow to four or five feet long and spend about six months each year here to feed and breed.
The best time to see them – or jump in and swim with them – is from June to the end of September/early October, with August being the peak. But don’t worry if you’re here at other times, as there are typically more than 100 here year round and you can even take a boat tour to snorkel with them.
They typically hang out in the shallow waters of La Jolla Cove looking for food and a mate and are more scared of you than you are of them! There are life guards and as with any wild animal, you’re not allowed to touch them.
If you don’t have your own snorkelling gear you can join a local tour company and rent theirs. If you want to get out in the water, you will love this sea kayaking tour with a local guide.
5. See an old fashioned drive-in movie
If you’re looking for things to do at night in San Diego, drive-in movies are having a renaissance! But if you are like us and took the train to San Diego from Los Angeles, you’d have to rent a car for the night just to see the movie(!)
For those of you with wheels, this is a fun night out in America’s finest city. Not to mention, just the ticket for social distancing!
There are two drive-in movie theatres in San Diego: Santee Drive-In Theatre, since 1962 but now with digital screens and sound. It’s open seven nights a week no matter the weather. Bring your own food or buy burgers and snacks on site. Sound is broadcast on your car radio – so make sure it’s working.
And South Bay Drive-In Theatre, since 1953, 20-minutes from San Diego. It’s been upgraded with three 100-foot digital screens and sound and also sells snacks and food. Sound is via your radio, so they suggesting bringing an FM radio lest your car battery run flat. FYI, both theatres have jumper leads!
