The unseen side of San Diego
If you were asked to name as many main tourist attractions in San Diego as you could, how many do you think you could come up with? For most people it’s just one – San Diego Zoo. Well, we’re here to tell you there’s a whole lot more to America’s Finest City, so if you’re planning a trip soon make sure you add the following to your itinerary.
- La Jolla Underwater Park
If you’re a snorkelling and scuba fan – or even if you just fancy trying it out – you can’t miss this golden opportunity to explore this underwater paradise. Pronounced ‘La Hoy-ya’, it means ‘The Jewel’, and most people would agree that’s exactly what it is. Rather than just being one expanse of seabed, this place has four different underwater habitats including a kelp bed, a rocky reef, sand flats and a submarine canyon. This means plenty to explore and lots of marine wildlife to discover; there are even a few sea lion hangout spots. What’s more, if not all of your party fancy taking to the water, there’s always the beautiful beach itself to relax on.
- Potato Chip Rock
For all you daredevils out there, this is the place for you. Seemingly wafer thin and one of the state’s most popular photo-op destinations, Potato Chip Rock lies at the peak of Mount Woodson and isn’t a spot for the faint hearted. It hovers 2,800 feet above ground level, but this doesn’t deter people from posing on the rock for the craziest photos possible – though the view is most certainly worth the hike. Search the internet for #potatochiprock to see what we mean – it’s up to you to decide if you dare join them.
- San Diego’s Craft Beer Scene
You may not have heard, but San Diego has a rich and booming craft beer scene. If you’re a beer drinker and want to sample something more interesting than the standard global lager brands then San Diego will not let you down. A great secret spot for finding a good beer is ‘The Best Damned Beer Shop’ – hidden inside a natural food market at 1036 Seventh Avenue, you’ll find over 1000 different ales. You’ll also find a variety of independent breweries offering tours as well as a bunch of ale-centric bars and restaurants dotted all over the city – you could make it your mission to sample them all.
- Mineral Hot Springs of Agua Caliente
Who knew San Diego was home to natural hot springs? Open September through to May, the hotsprings in the Agua Caliente Regional park is where the locals love to relax. The site boasts a freshwater indoor mineral soak pool, an outdoor pool and a kid’s pool plus sun deck and picnic areas. The best part is, you can use all of these facilities for just $5; not bad. There are also convenient overnight camping spots if you want to stay the night and hiking trails for the more active travellers.
- South Bay Drive-In
Last but not least we recommend a visit to the South Bay Drive-In movie theatre. For just $9 for adults and $1 for children, you can view all the most recent movies from the comfort of your own car at a traditional American drive-in. Complete with a classic snack bar selling pretzels and soda, it really is just like you’ve seen in the movies. There’s even a world-famous swap meet event held on-site every Wednesday in case you want to do a bit of thrift shopping before your movie, admission is just $1 so, really, you can’t afford not to.