San Diego, California: There's More Than Theme Parks to See and Do This Summer

The State of California has much more to offer the vacationer than just Disneyland. With so much on the agenda, it may take your family several vacations to enjoy what California has to offer. Here, are several places in California that will keep visitors coming back again and again for their vacations.

This summer start your vacation in San Diego and see what the southern most parts of California has to offer.

The Gaslamp Quarter

This is one of San Diego's sizzling hot spots. 16-blocks of premier dining, nightlife and varied entertainment make the Gaslamp Quarter a place to visit. Located right across from the San Diego Convention Center is the Gaslamp Quarter. Easy to get too and just 16-blocks long so it make for an easy walk. A great hotspot for nightclubs like the Stingaree or Belo a visit the Gaslamp Quarter provides visitors with live music from jazz to Rock.

The Beach

Everyone who comes to San Diego needs to see the Beach. One or all of these places may take a day or more but, visiting all twenty-eight miles of uncrowded and beautiful beaches are just a short distance. Once in Coronado Beach visitors can enjoy the sights, eat at the Hotel del Coronado or just enjoy the Navy jets that practice in the area. Take the San Diego/Coronado Ferry from the 5th Ave. Ferry landing or, drive to the Beach in your own auto.

There is also Pacific Beach where visitors can sink into the sand along the Beach and enjoy the sun. Take the day and just soak up the rays. There are also bike rentals, surfboard rentals and various outlets on the boardwalk for shopping and eating. One terrific place to visit is, Newport Avenue, take in a few antique shops for a taste of the olden days. Pacific Beach is a pet friendly beach, and visitors can see everything from surfers, bikers, and hippies along this stretch of the Pacific Ocean.

Arts and Culture

Balboa Park

Balboa Park is one of the largest urban parks in the nation. The park covers 1,200 acres of land and is just minutes from 15 of San Diego's museums and 85 cultural organizations. The old Globe theatre, San Diego Zoo, and gardens, just to mention a few of these attractions.

Spend the day visiting botanical gardens within the steel structures of the city of San Diego. The lush Spanish-renaissance architecture alone is a something many visitors come to Balboa Park to see.

Stop by the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and have hands-on, interactive, fun with the amazing exhibits. Children and adults alike enjoy the "Earth Exposed" exhibit running now through June of 2011.

Visit the San Diego Veterans Museum and Memorial Center a place that honors the men and women who have served and are serving in the US Military. This Memorial Center is located in the former chapel of the Naval Hospital on Inspiration Point.

If you're a real history buff, then the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park is the place for you. Exhibits and hands on activities can take visitors through over 75 million years of the fossil history of Southern and Baja California.

Resources:

www.gaslamp.org
www.balboapark.org
www.sdmaritime.org
www.sdmart.org