2024-25 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 69
LEMERGE/SHUTTERSTOCK
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OPPOSITE:
PATRICIA
ELAINE
THOMAS/
SHUTTERSTOCK
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MISSION BAY PARK With plenty of room for
jogging, bicycling, boating, kite flying and countless
other activities, this 4,235-acre aquatic and land park
is centrally located along I-5 near the wildly popular
communities of Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and
Ocean Beach. Some areas have fire rings, playgrounds
or picnic areas, while others are best for watercraft
and swimming. Cruise along Mission Bay Drive for an
overview and keep an eye out for crowds, as boat
races, charity runs and other events are common.
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sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/regional/
missionbay
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LA JOLLA This upscale Mediterranean-style
community lives up to its name ("The Jewel" in
Spanish), with a postcard-ready setting, white sands,
turquoise waters, sea caves (including Sunny Jim
Cave, California's only known land-access sea cave)
and the Underwater Park teeming with pinnipeds,
rays, scuttling lobsters and countless fish. It's not
just another pretty face, though; it hosts the Tony
Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse, Museum of
Contemporary Art San Diego (reopened in April after
an extensive renovation and expansion), Murals of
La Jolla and the Birch Aquarium—while also offering
the "Rodeo Drive of San Diego," named for Prospect
Street's stellar shops, galleries and restaurants.
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lajollabythesea.com
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ANZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK
There aren't many places where you can drive from
the beach to the mountains and on to the desert in
less than a day. San Diego County encompasses all
three, including California's largest state park. Traffic
reaches rush-hour proportions during the spring
cactus bloom, when the vast brown explodes with
color. The park is fascinating any time of year, as is
the town of Borrego Springs.
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parks.ca.gov
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BALBOA PARK The country's largest urban
cultural park is a rambling landscape of museums,
theaters, attractions, artists' studios and gardens.
The tiled California Tower, with its unobstructed
360-degree view of the park and city, has become
a treasured landmark.
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balboapark.org
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CABRILLO NATIONAL MONUMENT
High above the tip of Point Loma, this sprawling
park commemorates Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo and
San Diego's early history. It's most popular for the
panoramas of the boat-filled bay and sea, the
mountains to the east and the hills of Tijuana to the
south. It's a great place to look for whales spouting
offshore in winter.
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nps.gov/cabr/index.htm
GASLAMP QUARTER MARDI GRAS Feb. 9, 10 and 13, Downtown San Diego gaslampevent.com
COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL Mar. 29-31, Downtown San Diego comic-con.org
SAN DIEGO CREW CLASSIC ROWING REGATTA Apr. 5–7, Mission Bay crewclassic.org
FIESTA OLD TOWN CINCO DE MAYO May 3–5, Old Town San Diego
oldtowncincodemayo.com
GATOR BY THE BAY May 9–12, Spanish Landing Park gatorbythebay.com
ROCK 'N' ROLL MARATHON June 1–2, Central San Diego runrocknroll.com/san-diego
SAN DIEGO COUNTY FAIR June 12–July 7, Del Mar Fairgrounds sdfair.com
OB STREET FAIR & CHILI COOK-OFF June 22, Ocean Beach oceanbeachsandiego.com
BIG BAY BOOM FIREWORKS July 4, San Diego Bay bigbayboom.com
DEL MAR THOROUGHBRED CLUB HORSERACING July 20–Sept. 8, Oct. 31–Dec.1, Del Mar
dmtc.com
STOCKZILLA CATFISH STOCK EVENT Sept. 14–15, Santee Lakes santeelakes.com/fishing-
events
SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW Dec. 29, 2024–Jan. 1, 2025, Downtown San Diego
sdautoshow.com
a narrow strip of road and sand running
past Navy installations and pristine
beaches to the south county. The red tur-
rets atop the Victorian Hotel del Coronado
peek above the city's modest skyline.
Coronado's pleasures include shopping
and dining on Orange Avenue, visiting the
Coronado Museum of History, ogling the
San Diego skyline from Tidelands Park
and teeing off at Coronado Municipal
Golf Course.
Balboa Park
San Diego's century-old cultural heart
occupies 1,200 acres of hills and canyons
just east of downtown. It hosts 18
museums and cultural institutions and
The Old Globe theater, winner of multiple
DOWNTOWN VIEW FROM HARBOR ISLAND, SAN DIEGO, opposite; Coronado Bridge, above.
MUST
DO
SEE,
SPECIAL EVENTS 2024
