San Diego: Activities You Should Never Miss

A city in the US state of California, San Diego City sits on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and about 120 miles south of Los Angeles. Considered as the “birthplace of California”, it served as home to the Kumeyaay people. When Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo landed in US soil in 1542, he claimed San Diego Bay for the King of Spain. 200 years later the Alta California first settled in the area and in 1769, the Presidio and Mission San Diego de Alcalá formed the first European settlement which later becomes California. 

The city’s main economic industry includes tourism, international trade, manufacturing, military, and defense-related activities. With the foundation of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and affiliated UCSD Medical Center, San Diego became as the biotechnological center in the state. 

If you are thinking of going in a quick getaway but on a tight budget, you might want to drive in San Diego as the city offers a lot of free things to do for families. Here are some of the best free things you can do: 

Enjoy the Beach 

As with another west coast, you can enjoy the beach whenever you go. But San Diego has all-day free access to the beach which is one of the best beaches in the country. You can swim, surf, and hang around to get the perfect tan. Kids will love building sandcastles, run around the beach, and comb for hidden treasure in the sand. 

For a more memorable family bonding moment, fly a kite in the Tecolote Shores of Mission Bay Park. Feel the soft grassy field on this 4,600-acre aquatic park. There are no trees or overhead wires, just the sky and ample supply of relaxing breeze blowing all day long. Just bring along your picnic basket and get ready to have the best family day ever: no gadgets, no emails, and no pesky phone calls, just pure family fun. 

Teach your kids how to Bird Watch 

Kids love the outdoors – before cell phones, game consoles, and gadgets were invented. Teach them again how fun it is to be with nature. The city is known to have a year-round bird migration in the country, go bird watching in some of San Diego's natural wetland reserves like Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, Famosa Slough in Point Loma, or in Tijuana Estuary. With over 500 species of birds along the migratory path, kids will love how birds of different species share common things in life. 

Visit museums 

San Diego has several museums that offer free days like the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego which opens for free during the third Thursday of each month. Or visit Flying Leatherneck Aviation during Tuesdays to Sundays and marvel at the 31 historical and famous aircraft. They even offer free of charge programs like Open Cockpit Days and Pilot Talks. 

To end your amazing vacation, get the full view of the city and drive to the very top of Mt. Soledad in La Jolla. It offers a great 360-degree view of San Diego and snapped that perfect family picture.

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San Diego is a city filled with a lot of places to eat and hang out. You will definitely love this city as there are plenty of spots to have fun-filled adventures. You can have fun at the beach, go to Legoland, and visit the zoo. Below are the things you can do in San Diego:

1.        Go To La Jolla

One of San Diego’s upscale beach town, La Jolla means “the jewel.” It is located on the cliffs and overlooks the ocean. This prime location makes it a great place to view the entire marine area. There are excellent restaurants with stunning ocean views. Shops also abound in the area.  Activities you can do include tide pool-hopping, biking, surfing, running, and ocean kayaking.

 

2.                Go To A Tour Of USS Midway Aircraft Carrier

This tourist attraction boasts of an aircraft carrier that is 972 feet long. The USS Midway is able to carry about 4000 people. It was the world’s largest ship from 1945 to 1955. Aside from the ship, you can also see approximately 25 aircrafts displayed throughout this tourist attraction.

3.                Visit Balboa Park

San Diego’s most-loved park, Balboa has a lot of buildings that is great for taking pictures with. In Balboa Park, you can actually ride a bike, take a walk, watch a Shakespeare play, visit the San Diego zoo, and ride a carousel. Balboa Park boasts of 15 museums and eight gardens. This ensures you that you won’t get bored within the area.

4.                 See Coronado Island

Coronado is actually a peninsula, not an island. It’s a narrow land strip located between the Pacific Ocean and San Diego Bay. Even though it’s a little space of land, there’re still lots of fun to be experienced in Coronado Island. It has a classic hotel, a great beach, and a little downtown area. To know more about interesting history and gossip, you can talk the Coronado Walking Tour too.

5.                Taking The Harbor Cruise

You can explore much of San Diego’s waters by taking a harbour cruise. With the cruise, you can take a peek at Pacific Fleet. Since water is a significant part of San Diego, this attraction is not to be missed.

6.                Go To The San Diego Zoo

Wildlife? Yes, San Diego has it. This place plays an active role in animal conservation. Giant pandas are popular in San Diego Zoo and are a must-see attraction. They also have koalas, an albino boa constrictor, California Condors, and warty pigs. The zoo boasts of 4000 endangered, rare animals and a botanical collection of 700,000+ exotic plants.

7.                Go With The Kids To Legoland

San Diego has one of the Legolands scattered all over the world. These Legos, small brick toys, are very popular among kids. In Legoland, you will find an array of life-sized dinosaurs, traffic cops, and other creations. Your kids will surely love this place. There are also rides that can be the source of enjoyment of your little ones.

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Interesting Places to Visit When in Los Angeles to San Diego|Custom Topographic Art

Navigation:

• Things to See From Los Angeles to San Diego
• The Richard Nixon Library and Museum
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art
• Hollywood
• Carlsbad Flower Fields
• San Diego Zoo

Things to See From Los Angeles to San Diego

Among all the road trips ever taken around California, one of the more notable ones is the trip from Los Angeles to San Diego This two, to two and a half hour trip can go many ways, often taking Route 5 so you get to see the ocean view, especially if you’re going LA to SD.

Here are some highlights and stopovers you can take to fully enjoy this lovely ocean-side drive.

The Richard Nixon Library and Museum

Located in 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd, Yorba Linda, a bit away from the highway, lies this magnificent museum. They host live shows and tours, perfect for kids, history enthusiasts, and those who want to soak in as much of North America’s history in a short span of time.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Going here, in 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, will inject you with a huge dose of art and culture. A sight to see even for people who aren’t inclined or aren’t as enthusiastic about art. At the very least, it’s a treat for the eyes as various museums display a mix of modern and rural art of both eastern and western roots, some of them deep, intense and meaningful, others colorful, simple and meant for you to look at and smile. There are live plays, film showings and their fair share of restaurants when you get hungry.

Hollywood

No tourist should leave California without stepping in the place where the magic happens. Take a tour in one or two movie studios, especially the special effects theme parks at Universal Studios and the Warner Bros. Studios. At the very least take a walk in the Walk of Fame.

That's during the day. At night, the place becomes even more alive with restaurants opening up and there's also the Sunset Strip Clubs for those looking for a more risque flavor to their evening.

Carlsbad Flower Fields

Located in 5704 Paseo Del Norte, this place has 50 acres of vast, unforgiving, unadulterated, flowers. The best times to go to this place is during Spring, to see the blooming phase of nearly all the flowers. There is an entrance fee for going there, and you can host parties, gatherings, and weddings in this majestic place.

Or, at the very least drive through the highway. Driving with the expansive flower fields by your side is a relaxing experience on its own.

San Diego Zoo

Voted as the top zoo in America in 2015, San Diego Zoo felt the praise and the pressure to improve. It houses more than two thousand animals, scoring over 500 species and subspecies. The entire zoo attempts to recreate a rainforest environment, using open-air, cageless exhibits. This is also one of the zoos that officially breed Giant Pandas and if you're lucky enough to see them you'd understand why they are among the most popular animals in the world.

They currently have renovations going on, so expect a few areas to be closed off, but as soon as they open, you’ll have a zoo experience unique to San Diego, and perhaps to the rest of the country.

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Know the History Behind California's Largest Cities| Collectible Custom Wood Art For Your Home

Navigation:

• Story behind California’s Largest Cities
• Los Angeles: The City of Angels
• San Diego: The Birthplace of California

Story behind California’s Largest Cities

The two largest and busiest cities in California are Los Angeles and San Diego. Both cities are acclaimed in their own rights. But with great cities come rich histories. Let’s dive into how Los Angeles and San Diego became the great cities that we know today.

Los Angeles: The City of Angels

Before celebrities and the movie industry flocked to Los Angeles, also known as L.A., it was the home to its first known settlers, the Tongva and Chumash tribes. A Portuguese explorer, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, discovered the southern area of California while on an official military expedition for the Spanish Empire in 1542. On August 2, 1769, Gaspar de Portolà and Juan Crespi discovered the site of Los Angeles.

The Spanish era of Los Angeles contributed to its Roman Catholicism. This period built the first mission and communities that were devoted to the religion. In fact, the name Los Angeles came from the name of its original Spanish community “El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Ángeles del Río Porciúncula”. This translates to “Town of Our Lady, The Queen of Angels of the River Porciúncula”.

In 1821, New Spain separated from the Spanish Empire. With this, the community moved on to be a part of Mexico. However, the Mexican influence lasted only until the end of the Mexican-American War.

The Americans won over battles and took control from the Californios, the descendants of Spanish ancestry that ruled over the area. Their victory led to the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga on January 13, 1847, which surrendered the territory to the United States.

Under the Americans’ rule, oil was discovered in the city in 1892. This led to the state’s success in being the country’s largest oil producer. This success attracted more residents to the city of Los Angeles.

In 1910, Hollywood, which was then a separate neighborhood, merged into Los Angeles via vote. The film industry had already been booming during this merge. The merge focused the world’s film industry within Los Angeles, which resulted in the star-studded city we know today.

San Diego: The Birthplace of California

When the Europeans first discovered the state, they set foot on the San Diego Bay. This is the reason why San Diego is known as the birthplace of California.

The first inhabitants of San Diego were the Kumeyaay Native American people. It was discovered by Portuguese born explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. After landing 1542, he named the area “San Miguel” and claimed it for the Spanish Empire. In 1602,

Sebastián Vizcaíno arrived on the flagship San Diego to map the California coast. His flagship later became the namesake of the city of San Diego. Despite his successful expedition, however, the Spanish did not colonize the land yet.

It was in May 1769 when Gaspar de Portolà founded Fort Presidio of San Diego near the San Diego River, making it the first European settlement of the state. Later that year, Franciscan friars founded Mission San Diego de Alcalá which drew in more people into Alta California.

When Mexico separated from Spain in 1821, San Diego became part of the Mexican territory. Here, they attempted to extend their power over the coastal territory of Alta California. But it was conquered by the United States during the Mexican-American war. The signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga in 1847 surrendered San Diego to the United States.

At this time, the town of San Diego was at the foot of Presidio Hill. Since it was several miles from the water, there were several attempts to move the town. In 1850, William Heath Davis proposed the constructions near the Bay shore to create New San Diego. In 1867, Alonzo Horton moved to the bayside area. He encouraged the move due to the convenience of being near water for shipping. Several residents and businesses agreed and thus created “New Town.” New Town became the center of economy of the city while the original settlement became what is known as Old Town today.

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