|
Agua Caliente County Park |
County Highway S2 north of I-8, San Diego
County (858) 694-3049 |
This 910-acre park is home to a natural hot
springs that flows into an indoor and outdoor pool. The site is host to
140 campsites, hiking trails, and picnic areas that are open from Labor
Day to Memorial Day. The county-run Agua Caliente airstrip is nearby the
park. |
|
Anza-Borrego Desert State park |
Five miles north of I-8 on Highway 79, San
Diego County (760) 767-5311 |
The Anza-Borrego Park is known for its
beautiful wildflowers that bloom in the springtime for two to six weeks.
You should make sure to call ahead to find out the approximate times it
would be best to visit. In addition to the wildflower season, the park
is home to 110 miles of hiking trails and over 500 miles of unpaved road
that are open to off-road vehicles and horseback riding. Around
two-thirds of the park has been designated to wilderness life and a
visitor’s center is open daily from October to May. |
| Balboa Park |
El Prado from Sixth Ave. San Diego (619)
239-0512 |
As stated by the San Diego Union-Tribune,
“Nothing epitomizes the extraordinary diversity and unity of [San Diego]
as much as Balboa park, perhaps our greatest, goodest place. It captures
the ecological, cultural and sociological diversity of our region in a
manner with which we can all identify.” Created for the 1915
Panama-California Exposition, Balboa Park celebrated the opening of the
Panama Canal. The park’s location, near downtown, spans 1,200 acres and
is one of the biggest urban parks in the country! The classic Old Globe
Theatre, world-famous San Diego Zoo, the Starlight Bowl, Spreckels Organ
Pavilion, multiple museums, an 18-hole golf course, and the 25-court
Balboa Tennis Club all reside within the park’s collection of
enlightening and communal establishments. |
| Belmont Park |
3146 Mission Blvd., Mission Beach (619)
491-2988) |
Located on the water's edge, this park
includes a variety of shopping sites, restaurants, as well as "The
Plunge" swimming pool and the historic Giant Dipper roller coaster. |
| Cuyamaca Rancho State Park |
12551 Highway 79, San Diego county (760)
765-0755 |
Easily accessable via Interstate 8 and located
40 miles east of San Diego, this large park is home to amazing oak and
pine forests, and fantastic views of the Anza-Borrego Desert. The 25,000
acre park includes over 100 miles of horseback riding and hiking trails
as well as camping facilities. |
| Legoland |
One Lego Dr., Carlsbad (760) 918-5346 |
Legoland is a great theme park for children
ages 2-12. The 128-acre park uses vibrantly colored bricks to mimic the
internationally renowned lego toys from Danish toy manufacturing
company, “Lego”. Legoland is the first of its kind in the United States.
Young ones can enjoy many different attractions to joyously fill an
entire day at the park. Kids can even play with original Legos,
themselves, in the Imagination Zone. For older children, Castle Hill has
larger rides and attractions. At the Ridge they can enjoy a maze and sky
ride and in Fun Town a child can earn their own Legoland driver’s
license. Village Green is an area with figures from children’s story
tales as well as life-size jungle animals all created out of Legos. As
is easily imagined, children’s creativity and imagination will abound at
Legoland. |
| Old Town State Historic Park |
San Diego Ave. and Twiggs St., San Diego (619)
220-5422 |
The historic Old Town is well revered for the
Bazaar del Mundo including many shops, popular Mexican restaurants and
musical entertainment. Old Town is the location of the early 19th
century settlement of San Diego and five of the original adobe
structures, a historic schoolhouse, blacksmith shop, newspaper office
and stable still sit there today. Over 6 million people visit Old Town
each year. |
| Palomar Mountain State Park |
County Route S7, Palomar Mountain (760)
765-0755; (800) 895-4427 for Downhill Bicycling Info |
During the winter Palomar Mountain Park is a
popular spot for playing in the snow. When summer hits and throughout
the rest of the year, visitors rush here for camping, hiking, picnicking
and bicycling. Well-abled cyclists enjoy the Palomar Plunge, an 18-mile
ride straight down the mountain including no pedaling whatsoever! The
beautiful park contains 1,897 acres covered with conifers so large it
may feel like you are actually in the Sierra Nevadas. The Palomar
Observatory features a 200-inch Hale telescope as well. |
| San Diego Wild Animal Park |
15500 San Pasqual Valley Rd., Escondido (760)
747-8702 |
The San Diego Wild Animal Park near Escondido
spans 2,000 acres and is home to a vast array of wild animals including
giraffes, rhinos, elephants, and deer. If a safari setting is what
you’re craving, the animals in this park move about as openly as they
would in their native habitats in African or Asia.
There are many entertainment options for a visitor of the Wild Animal
Park. There are frequent shows and informative speeches on the diversity
and variety of the park’s wild birds and animals. The 1.75 mile hiking
trail and caravan tour aboard a safari truck both provide
up-close-and-personal photo opportunities. The 5 mile long Wgasa Bush
Line monorail runs about 55-minutes round trip and presents an immensely
relaxing way to see the animals around the park. The Heart of Africa, a
new exhibit, allows visitors to walk among the animals of Africa as if
they were literally on a safari.
The Wild Animal Park in addition to the San Diego Zoo are operated by
The Zoological Society of San Diego. Summer, evening, and holiday hours
are all offered at each park. |
| San Diego Zoo |
2920 Zoo Dr., San Diego (619) 234-3153 |
The amazing San Diego Zoo is one of the most
famed and highly praised zoological parks in the world. It contains over
4,000 exotic and rare birds, animals and reptiles} that are all on
display at the 100-acre tropical garden site. Among the Zoo’s most A
world leader in the propagation of rare and endangered animals, the
Zoo’s Center for the Reproduction of Endangered Species is very proud of
a rare baby panda born in August of 1999.
Tiger River, Gorilla Tropics, Hippo Beach, Scripps Avery, Polar Bear
Plunge, and the all new Ituri Forest are all exhibits whose design has
been very systematically planned out as to provide a natural,
bioclimatic setting for the animals to live in.
Guided tours in open-air double decker busses provide a relaxing and
entertaining view of the park. There are many performances of the Wild
Ones show, a children's petting zoo and a baby animal nursery. The
popular Sea Lion show also presents an exciting performance for all
ages. |
| Sea World |
500 Sea World Dr., San Diego (619) 226-3901 |
The world-famous attraction that is SeaWorld
features five major shows and numerous exhibits of sea turtles, seals,
bat rays, a dolphin feeding pool and aquarium. Located on Mission Bay,
SeaWorld places a high value on the care and comfort of their animals.
Visitors can view a 20 minute video on JJ, a baby gray whale rescued by
SeaWorld that was later released back into the wild in 1998.
Tourists also watch the Penguin Encounter where varieties of penguin
species live in a special world created just for them. The Manatee
Rescue and The Shark Encounter are areas where one can visit and learn
about these endangered giants of the sea. Close to 20,000 mammals,
birds, fish, and reptiles live in the marine park including the famed
Shamu and his killer whale friends that star in the Shamu Show.
New to SeaWorld is the adventure ride, Shipwreck Rapids, where visitors
can enjoy the simulation of being lost on a remote island with an escape
route involving raging rapids and roaring waterfalls. The attraction
features a dining area and more chances to interact with various
animals. |
| Torrey Pines State Reserve |
North Torrey Pines Rd. south of Carmel valley
Rd., Del Mar (858) 755-2063 |
This reserve is world-renowned for the rarest
of trees, the Torrey Pine, grown only on this 1,750 acre reserve and on
Santa Rosa Island, 170 miles northwest. The area presents breathtaking
views from lookouts 300 feet above the sea as well as walking trails
down the bluffs straight to the beaches below. Torrey Pines State
Reserve is home to some of the most refined and unique scenes along the
San Diego coastline. |
