Nothing says California like San Diego!
Luckily I have a girl friend who lives in San Diego and was able to show me all the best spots to visit! Here’s a quick review of all the places we visited and what we did. Be sure to add them to your “must-see” for your next trip out to San Diego!
You really can’t go to San Diego and not visit the beach! But there are so many beaches, knowing which one is the best is hard. Luckily, my friend knew exactly which one to take me to and I’m sharing the secret with you.
La Jolla Shores is the perfect beach for anyone wanting to do some laying out and light swimming. When we went, it was pretty busy but not to the point where it was too crowded. There was many people with their towels and umbrellas just laying out and enjoying themselves. It’s also a family friendly beach, so if you want something more grown up, I suggest going elsewhere.
When I went, we just walked the beach and enjoyed the sound of the waves crashing. I was so excited that I also found a ton of sand dollars. I came back home RICH! Hehe.
There is free parking along the street that is first come, first serve. Just make sure you don’t park in restricted areas or in front of someones driveway so you don’t get towed!
San Diego is not just beaches though. There are a lot of mountains in California with hikes that have great views of San Diego. We went to Cowles Mountain near La Mesa. The trail is rated moderate on AllTrails and is three miles in and back.
The trail is also good for running and mountain biking. Dogs are welcome as long as they are kept on a leash.
Some things to note. The trail can get pretty crowded, it’s a popular trail. This can also affect parking. We had to park on the street (this is a residential area) and walk up to the trailhead. Also, if you do not like the heat, I’d recommend going earlier in the morning because there is no shade on this trail. The terrain is slightly rocky so make sure you wear appropriate shoes. And please bring plenty of water!
You don’t need to go Napa Valley to enjoy some delicious California wine. Just an hour south of San Diego you will find the town of Temecula with a ton of award winning wineries! Deciding which ones to check out is the hard part.
We ended up going to two: Europa Village and Akash Winery.
From the villa to the outdoor gazebos, you feel like you are truly transported to Europe when you visit Europa Village. The ambiance they set is great and I recommend you check them out.
We did their Prelude Passport tasting. The tasting is $25 per person and included 6 tastings. The options are from their regular menu and include whites, reds, sparkling, and dessert wines. I purchased my glass as a souvenir but have since then broken it. However, I choose to see this as an opportunity to go back and get another one!
Europa Village is open daily, from 11am – 6pm, with last call at 5:30pm. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. They have plenty of parking available on site.
While doing research for this post, I also found out that Europa Village offers a lot more. Some options include:
I’ll definitely have to make it back out to try out all these additional experience.
If you are looking for a more aesthetic vibe, I would highly recommend Akash winery!
At Akash, we decided to sit inside and order a couple glasses of wine (rosé) and just catch up and enjoy our surroundings. Afterwards, we were able to walk around outside and take photos in the vineyards. The building is surrounded by them and it looks so beautiful!
They offer standard wine tasting for $20 – 25, depending on the day you go. Tastings do not require a reservations and are first-come, first-served. You get 5 1.5oz pours. But they also offer upgraded packages known as “wine experiences” where you get a behind the scene tour and tasting. These experiences begin at $49 per person and are offered on the weekends.
They also offer special charcuterie boards and individual snacks and drinks for purchase.
Akash Winery is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 12 – 6pm, Tuesday 12 – 8pm, Friday and Sunday 11am – 6pm, and Saturday 11am – 8pm. There is plenty of parking on property.
The beach not for you? Looking for something indoors? Then you are going to want to go to Wonderspaces! Wonderspaces is an interactive art exhibit and is so much fun for people of all ages!
Ever wanted to try VR? Wonderspaces offers a limited time show. The shows rotate and vary when you go. When we went, we got to experience Where Thoughts Go. participants explore a welcoming, dreamlike terrain where they can listen to thoughts, stories, hopes, and secrets shared by previous participants. Participants are also prompted to record their own.
The other art installations are constantly changing so I suggest checking out their social media pages to see what they have. When we went there was a sound room, a rainbow room, a couple different light rooms, and a confessional among others. It’s really hard to explain everything because it’s one of those “you have to experience it for yourself” places. So go check it out!
General admission tickets are $15 per person. Students, seniors, military, and children (ages 3-12) can get tickets for $13 per person. Wonderspaces is only open on the weekends. On Friday 5 – 10pm, Saturday 3 – 10pm and Sunday 11am – 6pm. They don’t offer parking so you’ll have to find somewhere to park in the surrounded areas.
Of course I couldn’t go to San Diego without visiting Balboa Park. I feel like this is such a center point of San Diego. The whole area around Balboa Park is very popular too. That is where the San Diego Zoo is, as well as the Japanese Friendship Garden, Museum of Us, and the San Diego Air and Space Museum
I unfortunately didn’t get to see everything while I was there. This place is huge and you could easily spend 1-2 days just exploring it.
I did get to see the area of Balboa Park where all the buildings are at. I went into the Botanical Building and we walked all the way to Cambrillo Bridge for a great view of San Diego. To see this and all the other things I talked about in this post, check out my video recap!
San Diego is a beautiful place to visit and I still have so much more to explore! Now that I’m living in Arizona and it’s only a 7-8 hour drive from me you can bet that I will be visiting a lot more during my time here.
What is your favorite part of San Diego? What other recommendations do you have for my next trip?
XO,
Mayra
PS. Don’t forget to check out my video recapping all the places we visited during my trip!
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