La Jolla is wonderful. Dinner at AR Valentien at The Lodge at Torrey Pines is a treat.

https://www.lodgetorreypines.com/ar-valentien

Bike rides on Coronado, kayaking in LaJolla. Also the first time we used electric bikes was to tour Balboa Park. Lots of good restaurants. I recall one in LaJolla with a large tree growing up through it --- trying to place the name. Rent a convertible!

Lunch at Hotel Del Coronado, The Children’s Pool in La Jolla to see the seals.

Cabrillo National Monument. Consider staying on Shelter Island.

Legoland for Legomom? 😂

We did a whale trip in mid-February last year, I think they are still migrating in March. We got a great deal with a Groupon, our expectations weren't high but it was a gorgeous day and we saw quite a few whales and other wildlife.

We ate at Mitch's seafood and Torrey Pines. Both were very enjoyable, definitely on different ends of the spectrum.

Here is my thread asking for advice before we went last year. I can't believe I found it.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6225356/suggestion-for-a-san-diego-visit-please

San Diego has its own micro-climate, so don't assume it will be sunny and warm just because it is Southern CA! We visited La Jolla about 4 times when we lived in LA and it was always much colder than the weather in LA, just 3 hours away.

We love Mitch's Seafood, highly recommended. Love the zoo, less so the wild animal park. At least have a cocktail at the Hotel Coronado. We stayed in Del Mar a number of times.

https://mitchsseafood.com/

I had dinner at Allegro on a work trip last week. It was a wonderful experience.

https://www.allegro-sd.com/

We also started the evening at a fun tiki bar, if that's your thing. Lots of fun, and something I wouldn't have done on my own. https://falseidoltiki.com/

Have a great trip!

I’m excited for your suggestions as we are going to San Diego in late June. We have never been to California. I will also look ar Dee’s thread for suggestions. We are going to a vineyard wedding and I should really make another thread about what to wear!

Friends just got back from San Diego and two highlights were the tour of the USS Midway, renting e-bikes and touring Coronado Island.

There’s an important rule of thumb in SoCal: that just because it looks close on a map, doesn’t mean it will be a quick drive no mater what time of day or day of the week. So don’t over-plan.

I haven’t spent a ton of time down there in the past few years, but I would go to the Wild Animal Park before the Zoo. Or enjoy the rest of the park instead, if you're here for just a couple days.

La Jolla would be a lovely short stay.

Another thing I thought of is that microwbrewing/artisan beer is hugely popular in San Diego. If you like beer, visit Coronado Brewing Co. They have two locations, one on Coronado Island and one in Imperial Beach. Mike Hess Brewing (also in Imperial Beach) is another popular spot. I suggest those two because I'm familiar with them, but there are lots of breweries to chose from. There's even a brewery/tasting tour that leaves Old Town on a shuttle and takes participants to several locations. They do recommend that you use public transportation or a cab to get home though!

The warning about micro-climates is a good one. I went to grad school at UC San Diego and the closest dining hall was Oceanview Terrace, and I ate there often. I started in August, but I didn't actually see the ocean from Oceanview Terrace until November due to coastal fog. The marine layer is no joke. I used to walk to campus and crossed an arroyo that was routinely 10 degrees colder than anything around it because it was funnelling up air from the ocean.

I love both the zoo and Wild Animal Park. The Wild Animal Park (I think they actually call it the Safari Park now) is more unique, but it's also quite a drive outside of San Diego. The zoo is in Balboa Park which had lovely architecture and museums and other things to see (if you still have energy after doing the zoo).

Old Town San Diego is lovely; it was always on my list of places to bring visitors.

I was there so long ago that I have no lodging recommendations, but La Jolla is a good choice.

My favorite restaurant in San Diego is Khyber Pass, which is Afghan cuisine. It is fairly rare to find Afghan restaurants, and this one is excellent. It is also in my favorite neighborhood in San Diego: Hillcrest, which has interesting shops and restaurants. Alexi's Greek Cafe in Hillcrest is good for inexpensive Greek food, and Micho'z Fresh Lebanese Grill is good for inexpensive Lebanese food.

In general, I find that San Diego has a lot of very inexpensive restaurants (compared to L.A.), but they are still quite good.

If you want high end food, go to La Jolla, where you will find snooty diners (who all dress alike, and not that well), but that does not mean that the food is any better - it just depends on what you like. If you want to be with other tourists, go to Old Town, but expect tourist quality food there. Mexican food there is low quality, and resembles TexMex more than authentic Mexican food.

We always stay in Hillcrest when we visit San Diego.

We did not eat at the Museum of Man

but it is still worth a visit. Balboa Park is a must see.

Thank you for all the suggestions! Making the list. Decided to stay by myself an extra day to get more in!

my favorite neighborhood in San Diego: Hillcrest

Lars, before my daughter and now son-in-law left San Diego, we would walk with them around Hillcrest and North Park. I know if they had stayed in the area those are the neighborhoods they would like to have lived in. Balboa Park is one of my favorite places - museums and gardens, the perfect combo!

The last hotel where we stayed at Inn At The Park, which is just a few blocks south of Hillcrest, but it is across the street from Balboa Park, which is nice. Hillcrest hotels were booked up, as there aren't many of them, and this was about as close as we could get.

We liked it, but it is an old hotel (1926) and looks it. When we were there, it was still called Park Manor, but it was sold and then renamed and renovated. I'm sure it does not look as antique as it did when we stayed there, and I noticed that the price for rooms has more than doubled since we were there, about 11 years ago.

More recently we stayed at a Bed and Breakfast that was in a condo building, and it might have violated the condo rules. It was walking distance from The Crab Hut downtown, which we liked.