Lisa's Travels

Posts Tagged ‘travel destinations’

The most difficult decision to make when planning a vacation to San Diego is determining what things to do. San Diego has an excellent array of fine and trendy restaurants covering a wide range of cuisines, world-class beaches and hotels from lavish to budget. This article lists six things to do in San Diego that you should not miss when visiting one of America’s finest vacation destinations.

1. The Gaslamp Quarter is San Diego’s vibrant dining, entertainment and shopping district. A walk through this eighteen-square-block in historic downtown San Diego takes you by modern restaurants and nightclubs inside turn of the century architectural buildings, complete with gas lamps and brick sidewalks. Explore avant-garde art galleries, historic theaters, unique boutiques and shops, more than a hundred restaurants, chic bars, hot nightclubs and a hardware store founded more than 100 years ago. One of San Diego’s best travel destinations, the Quarter is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and extends from Broadway to Harbor Drive, from Fourth to Sixth Avenue.

2. Get Culture And Fun: Take in an organ concerts at 2 p.m. any Sunday at the famous Spreckels Organ Pavilion in pastoral Balboa Park. The Organ Pavilion features one of world’s biggest outdoor pipe organs and has been a San Diego landmark since 1914. Here you can see organists from all over the globe play their traditional favorites and fun show tunes on the huge thirty-two-foot pipes. A fun time will be had by all.

3. Look at Jupiter’s moons through a telescope in Balboa Park as the San Diego Astronomy Association sets up many of their big telescopes by the fountain in front of the Reuben Fleet Science Center. Because there are several amateur astronomy groups and professional observatories in San Diego, this is a great opportunity for you to explore the cosmos. Held each month on the first Wednesday after dark, you’ll be able to see the rings of Saturn, the planet Neptune and the craters on the moon – and understand why San Diegans consider Balboa Park the Smithsonian of the West.

4. The San Diego Natural History Museum is where you will have fun combining education with knowledge. See the huge tree in the front yard? It’s a Moreton Bay fig tree that has been documented as one of the largest of this species in the state. Inside you’ll find a Foucault Pendulum that gives visual proof of Earth’s rotation. You can become mesmerized watching it swing back and forth, knocking over a circle of dominos with no force acting to make it change direction other than the turning of the Earth beneath it. Wow!

5. Explore the tide pools in LaJolla at low tide and see strange and unusual life forms. There’s lots to see if you look closely: scuttling hermit crabs, colorful sea anemones, real octopus, creepy dead man’s fingers and cavernous gaping barnacles. Many of these creatures shelter under rocks or bury themselves in the sand; some use their camouflage to hide in plain sight. Like a hidden puzzle, tide pools must be examined carefully to reveal their treasures. San Diego travel tip: look closely!

6. How can we not mention the beach? With over 65 miles of coastline, this best part of San Diego is absolutely free – and all the beaches are just perfect for trying your hand at surfing or boogie-boarding.

W. Terry Hunefeld decided to quit his job 2 years ago as a CEO to pursue his passion of exploring the oceans of the world to observe seabirds and mammals. Terry and his wife Ann Dunham own and operate the delightful Inn At Moonlight Beach Bed and Breakfast in the San Diego area. For more information visit: San Diego Bed and Breakfasts or Encinitas Hotels.

Carlsbad is a picturesque seaside village ideally located 30 miles north of San Diego. Here you will find irresistible sandy beaches, three unique lagoons, two luxurious resorts and more than two dozen fine hotels. Visitors love walking around the “village center” that offers outstanding shopping and dozens of great restaurants for every taste and pocketbook. There is a never-ending array of things to do in Carlsbad – this report shares six things every outdoor-loving visitor MUST do.

1. The Flower Fields are one of Carlsbad’s most beloved and famous traditions. Fifty acres of Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers are in a full bloom for six or seven weeks each year – from early March through early May. The yearly color burst of red, orange, yellow, green and purple blossoms is part of Carlsbad’s heritage – and nature’s method of announcing the official arrival of spring. Telephone: (760) 431-0352.

2. The 610-acre Batiquitos Lagoon is one of SoCal’s few remaining tidal wetlands. Interpretive signs along the trails assist visitors with identifying the many species of birds and wildlife that call the lagoon home. A stroll along the two miles of nature trails from the Visitor’s Center takes you by nesting sites of red-wing blackbirds and through rookeries of great blue herons, great egrets, black-crowned night herons and snowy egrets.

3. If you have kids, don’t miss Legoland. This unique theme park provides a very pleasant experience for both children AND parents. The park is clean, pleasantly landscaped and alive with color. Adults enjoy “Miniland” where entire city skylines are recreated with Legos. Attractive cafs with reasonable prices offer tasty yet healthy choices for hungry kids (try the apple fries). Lines to ride the attractions are short compared to Disneyland, especially first thing in the morning.

4. The “downtown” area of the Village of Carlsbad is located along Historic Coast Highway 101 along the Pacific Ocean coast. The majority of the hotels and vacation rentals are in (or very close to) the village; some properties are directly on the beach while many others are within walking distance to the ocean. The well-known Carlsbad Inn is a Bavarian style hotel at the edge of town with ocean views (for $350 a night in summer) from some rooms.

5. Carlsbad Village offers many restaurants from the very casual to quite upscale. Le Passage on State Street is a local favorite – a delightful French bistro with outdoor dining. Fish House Vera Cruz is a well known and popular family-style seafood restaurant with a marvelous fish market. There are great bars and night spots that get fun and lively, especially on summer weekends,

6. The Agua Hedionda Lagoon Nature and Discovery Center features a native garden with nearly a thousand California native plants of more than 50 different species. Visitors can walk short trails lined with educational panels explaining Agua Hedionda Lagoon and its flora and fauna. Seven species of sage, five varieties of Manzanita, five varieties of wild lilac, and a selection of coffeeberry, buckwheat, currants, honeysuckle and fuschia grow in the garden. The Discovery Center features many interesting and informative exhibits offering glimpses into the lives of Native Americans who once inhabited the area.

Terry Hunefeld retired in 2007 from his job as a CEO to pursue his passion of sailing the Pacific Ocean to observe seabirds and mammals. Terry and his wife Ann Dunham own and operate a romantic 4-suite Bed and Breakfast Inn near San Diego, California. For more information visit: Carlsbad Bed and Breakfasts or Hotels in Carlsbad California.