Tours

As if the glorious weather alone were not enough of a draw, San Diego boasts several world-renowned attractions that keep tourists coming to this sunny Californian metropolis. For a visitor staying downtown, a rental car is not necessary as many of the city's most famous sights are clustered here and are accessible via public transportation and the San Diego Trolley. However, if you want to venture further afield to North County attractions, renting a car is highly recommended.

Tour #1: Balboa Park The 1,200-acre Balboa Park is the cultural and tourist center of San Diego with numerous museums and theaters, a sporting complex, beautiful gardens, an open-air pipe organ, and the world's most famous zoo on its premises. The official entrance to the park is from the west on Laurel Street, which turns into El Prado, a tree-lined boulevard that is also the park's main pedestrian mall. One of the first buildings to greet the arriving visitor is the California Tower, whose facade is adorned with carved statues of famous Californians. The tower houses the Museum of Man, an anthropological museum documenting the Southwestern and Mexican cultures. Next to the museum, the Simon Edison Center for the Performing Arts houses the venerable Old Globe Theatre.

Continuing east on El Prado, you will soon come to the Plaza de Panama. On the south side of the square is the House of Charm, home to the delightful Mingei International Museum. The San Diego Museum of Art and the Timken Museum of Art are also located on this square, as well as the House of Hospitality, which functions as the Balboa Park Visitor's Center.

The Pan American Plaza is another highlight in Balboa Park, featuring the Japanese Friendship Garden complete with koi pond and tea room. If you are here at the right time, you may even be able to hear the lilting strains from the 4,445-pipe Spreckels Organ next door in the Spreckel's Organ Pavilion. Of course, Balboa Park's most notable feature is the world-famous zoo. As the premier attraction in the city, the top-notch San Diego Zoo is home to more than 4,000 species of rare and endangered animals.

Tour #2: Downtown, Gaslamp Quarter and Coronado Start your morning off on the Embarcadero at the corner of Ash Street and North Harbor Drive. The hard-to-miss windjammer moored at the dock is the Star of India, the world's oldest floating merchant ship. The ship is part of the San Diego Maritime Museum. Also located along the Embarcadero is the New England-style Seaport Village, a waterfront spread encompassing nearly 75 specialty shops, restaurants, a working 1890s Looff Carousel, and free entertainment from musicians, mimes and magicians. Slightly east of Seaport Village, the historic Gaslamp Quarter, highlighted by gas street lamps and Victorian-style buildings, draws countless tourists and locals. Covering 16 blocks between 4th and 6th Avenues, and between L Street and Broadway, the Gaslamp Quarter was redeveloped in the 1970s, and now hosts some of San Diego's finest restaurants and liveliest nightclubs. You can tour the district on foot, by trolley, pedicab or horse-drawn carriage. After visiting the downtown San Diego attractions, take the ferry from Broadway Pier or drive across the arching, 2.2 mile-long San Diego-Coronado Bridge to Coronado, a beautiful resort community boasting some of the most exclusive homes, boutiques and restaurants in San Diego. If you take the ferry, you will disembark at the Ferry Landing Marketplace. From here catch a shuttle bus that will take you to the town's main tourist drag, Orange Avenue, anchored at its southern end by the Hotel del Coronado. Tour #3: Old Town A slice of historic life has been preserved and re-created at the Old Town State Historic Park, a kind of dusty Mexican theme park complete with restored haciendas, costumed characters and serenading mariachis. Start your visit at the Seeley Stables where volunteers give free daily tours. The restored adobes ringing the town square include a courthouse, a school and the city's first drugstore. Other buildings house a variety of tourist shops and restaurants, many of which are clustered in the colorful Bazaar del Mundo. The "haunted" Thomas Whaley Museum is a must-see attraction in Old Town, as is the Presidio Park and the Presidio/Junipero Serra Museum.

Tour #4: Mission Bay An aquatic playground sprawled across 4,600 acres, Mission Bay is a monument to the active outdoor lifestyle for which San Diego is justly famous. The most popular attraction around the bay is SeaWorld, a 150-acre marine park inhabited by penguins, seals, dolphins, whales and other marine animals. West of Sea World is Belmont Park, a free-admission amusement park, shopping and entertainment center catering to the young and the young-at-heart. Heading west from Belmont Park will land you on Mission Beach, one of the most popular beaches in San Diego.

Tour #5: North County North County is becoming increasingly popular with tourists eager to discover new sights off the beaten path. Heading north from San Diego, visitors can first stop in Del Mar where competitive horseracing reigns supreme at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and Racetrack.

Further north, the city of Carlsbad boasts a number of noteworthy attractions, chief among them being LEGOLAND California, an ideal outing for families with children. Right next door and not to be missed, the Carlsbad Flower Fields are a riot of gorgeous reds, yellows, oranges and pinks every Spring.

Moving inland to Escondido, the wildly popular Wild Animal Park is a must-visit for anyone interested in the preservation of endangered animals and plants. With historic museums, affluent boutiques, adventurous water sports and breathtaking ocean views, San Diego boasts a variety of entertainment venues for any tourist. So, choose a tour that piques your interest and enjoy the first-class attractions of sunny San Diego.