Wedding Bowl, Cuvier Park, La Jolla
Lawn over cove with glorious views of clear, blue-green water. Nearby, gently-curved rocky outcroppings.
Spreckels Organ Pavilion, Balboa Park
A beautiful sight! Italian-Renaissance style organ pavilion where free concerts are held and people take wedding or quinceanera photos.
Balboa Park
Stroll past beautiful architecture, ponds, fountains, flowers, and trees. Visit many different museums! And best of all, walk through sumptuous gardens.
Calumet Park, Bird Rock La Jolla
Small lawn on cliffs over the sea, with ice plant in spring, and sound of huge pebbles below.
Mary, Star of the Sea Church, La Jolla
White-washed church with bell towers, rose window, Mary and contented baby Jesus sculpture.
UTC Outdoor Mall
Gorgeous outdoor mall near UC San Diego, with lots of public spaces, cafes, and even a huge outdoor climby for kids.
La Jolla Cove and Scripps Park Walk
Heavenly area with seals, perfect cove, flowers hugging the cliff, and 1.5km walk above the sea.
Leucadia State Beach
Very beautiful beach with high cliff overlooking beach of huge pebbles. Steep path lined with wildflowers.
Point Loma neighborhood walk
Adorable houses with gardens full of flowers, and streets leading down to lookout points over the ocean.
Del Mar Plaza (gorgeous views)
Plaza with cafes and small children's museum, and amazing public patio overlooking the ocean.
Seagrove Pk and Powerhouse Beach, Del Mar
Lively beach with lawn, cypress trees, and lots of people having fun.
Fletcher Cove Beach Park, Solana Beach
Pretty spot, with cliffs and palm trees, and lawn over the sea.
Spanish Village, Gem Mus and Carousel, Balboa Park
Special area of Balboa Park with adobe buildings, mesquite trees, and brightly colored tiles on the ground. Heart sculpture, and SD Gem Museum. Plus, the wonderful carousel!
Birch Aquarium, La Jolla
Small aquarium with two halls full of beautiful tanks, plus two decks stunning views over a cove.
Scripps Pier & Pinpoint Cafe, UCSD
Gorgeous spot on the UC San Diego campus with pier, beach, park overlooking the beach, cafe, and coffee shop.
Terramar Beach and Cliffs, Carlsbad
Gorgeous beach with steep steps leading down, and red cliffs like a national park!
Cabrillo National Monument
Feel like you're on top of the world while standing at Cabrillo National Monument!
Centennial Park, Coronado
Sublime park with views across the smooth blue water to the San Diego skyline.
Mission Beach and Lagoon
Mission Beach is a happening place! Soft sandy beach, boardwalk, restaurants, amusement park, wave pool, lagoon, and playgrounds.
Kellogg Park playground, La Jolla Shores Beach
Playground by the sea with whale sculpture, shade canopies, climbies, spinning monkey bars, baby swings, low twisted trees to climb, and grass to run on.
La Jolla Shores Beach and Sea Caves
Beach with boardwalk, playground, magical mansion, and kayak rentals to kayak to sea caves, plus cafes nearby.
Sail Bay boardwalk and cafes, Pacific Beach
Beach area where partying college students live and SeaWorld visitors stay, with bland 1950s architecture, bad traffic, and dirty beach, but some wonderful finds such as Moray's at Sail Bay.
Pacific Beach Point, Bird Rock La Jolla
Great spot with views of Pacific Beach and its pretty pier. Stairs down to a beach of huge pebbles that you can't really walk on!
Liberty Station, Point Loma
Restaurants with magical gardens, shops, fountain, open grassy areas, historical salmon-pink Spanish Revival architecture.
San Diego Museum of Art, Balboa Park
Art museum in a beautiful building in Balboa Park, with pleasant patio cafe beside a lawn.
Sunset Cliffs, Point Loma
Wealthy neighborhood with cliffs covered in wildflowers above the turquoise sea.
Del Mar Highlands Town Center
Shopping plaza with a deck offering lots of attractive public space, a trampoline for young kids, a sky deck bar, a dark public market with lights, cafes, stores and coffee shops.
One Paseo Plaza, Carmel Valley area
Upscale, colorful plaza in farmhouse style, with modern cafes. Kids climb on a huge log. The fire pit is fantastic at night, surrounded by eucalyptus trees.
Bird Rock cafes, La Jolla
Cute main strip with cafes, a few block from a beautiful coastline of rocky coves.
Village of La Jolla cafes
Healthy cafes, sweet Mary Star of the Sea Church, coffee shops, and walk past the amazing cliffs and coves of La Jolla.
Kate Sessions Park, Pacific Beach
Park high above the city with views of the bay and sea, a paved loop walk, a playground, music classes for toddlers, plus a canyon hike.
Old Town San Diego
Cute, bright historic area with cafes and gift shops, and a lovely park in front of Temple Beth Israel. Nice views of hills covered in houses and desert plants.
Art + Play Space Children's Museum, Del Mar
Cute and modern, small children's museum in an upscale plaza with amazing ocean views.
Camino Del Mar main strip, Del Mar
Cute street to walk along, with cafes and shops, a few blocks back from the beach.
Moonlight State Beach, Encinitas
Sit atop the cliffs and watch the sunset over Moonlight State Beach!
Hotel del Coronado and Coronado Beach
Historic resort with red turrets on foggy beach of fine white sand.
Comic-Con Museum, Balboa Park
Costumes from movies, comic books from days of old, and items from favorite shows, all in a spacious museum with high ceilings and places to rest.
Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park
Interesting museum with folk art and crafts from around the world, in a sumptuous building with an upper sun deck with views. Nikigator out front for kids to climb on.
South Park neighborhood
1920s craftsman houses, and a gentille main strip with adorable Cafe Madeleine, woodsy Station Tavern, and a bookstore with a great kids section and lots of art books.
Carlsbad Premium Outlets Outdoor Mall
A colorful, spacious outdoor mall with boba tea, a toy store, and lots of teen clothing stores!
Coronado Ferry Landing shops and pier
Touristy shops in an awesome location by the ferry terminal, Bayshore Bikeway, and Centennial Park. Lovely waterfront restaurants too.
Bayshore Bikeway, Coronado Island stretch
Fantastic one-mile stretch of off-street bike path along the north coast of Coronado Island!
Liberty Station Esplanade walk, Point Loma
After your meal, you can walk along the water at Liberty Station Esplanade, a wild area with birds and plants. See the planes fly directly overhead!
Pacific Beach Boardwalk
Boardwalk along a fairly grotty beach, where people rollerblade and stroll together.
Renaissance Towne Center, University City
Small shopping plaza with pretty clock tower and landscaped stream.
Nobel Athletic Area Walk, University City
Loop walking path popular with residents, plus a playground.
Hilltop Community Park, Rancho Penasquitos
Large field with sweeping views, playgrounds, workout stations, picnic pavilions, and walking path around the field.
Dog Beach, Ocean Beach
Popular beach with dog owners, on the channel, with lots of open space and dunes, plus jetties and a view of the pier.
Solana Pacific School Playground, Carmel Valley
On weekends and after school, residents walk and play at the school playground.
Calumet Ave beach houses walk
Walk past four lookouts over rocky coves, and in front of beach houses, admiring their gardens and architecture.
San Elijo State Beach
Campground and spot to watch the sunset or eat at a restaurant, along S. Coast Highway 101.
Shops at La Jolla Village plaza
Shopping plaza near UCSD with Mendocino Farms cafe, Whole Foods market, Cava Bowls, Rubio's Coastal Grill, Philz Coffee, and some nice murals.
Kate Sessions Park Canyon Hike, Pacific Beach
1.5 km loop hike down into a canyon and back up again. Abundant flowers in spring!
Penasquitos Creek Park trail, Rancho Penasquitos
Pretty hike through wide open spaces, past rolling hills, and along a creek.
El Camino North Shopping Plaza, Oceanside
Average shopping plaza with Barnes and Noble, Jamba Juice, and Ross.
Presidio Park, near Old Town
Lovely park atop a high hill, with Spanish presidio (fort) and monuments to early European settlers in California, plus flowers and gorgeous trees.
Del Mar Shores Dog Park, Del Mar
A friendly dog park, during certain hours, with slight views of ocean.
Beachside Shopping Plaza, Del Mar.
Grocery store shopping plaza that is cozy, with eucalyptus galore, not on the beach though.
Coronado Tidelands Park, Coronado Island
Cheerful playground along the water and the Bayshore Bike Path.
San Diego State University
Modern campus with tropical blooming trees and Spanish architecture on the northern end of campus.
Allied Gardens Community Park
A large grassy stretch with an older playground and animal sculptures to climb.