3 Unique San Diego Outdoor Activities

Many travelers to San Diego are repeat visitors.  While San Diego has a number of very popular tourist attractions like the Zoo, Sea World, Balboa Park, the beach, etc., return travelers may want to experience something different than what they’ve done before.  We’ve scouted out three unique San Diego outdoor activities perfect for both first time and repeat visitors, as they take advantage of our sunny weather, visit some of the popular places in San Diego, and provide a unique way to experience them.

Rolling the Streets of San Diego by GoCar

We have seen GoCar Tours’ little three-wheeled yellow cars driving around downtown San Diego for eight years.  We’ve always wanted to try them out, but never got around to it until now.  Boy were we missing out! 

San Diego GoCar Tours’ cars provide a GPS guided tour of four popular areas of San Diego: (1) Downtown/Harbor/Seaport Village/Gaslamp, (2) Balboa Park/Hillcrest, (3) Old Town/Presidio Park, and (4) Point Loma.  GoCars can be rented from one hour to all day.  We took our GoCar for three hours and explored downtown, Balboa Park, and Old Town.  Each area covered by a tour includes 50 minutes of driving time and allows for 10 minutes to stop and explore along the way.

Driving a GoCar is similar to driving a motorcycle in that everything is controlled by hand.  You twist the grip to give it gas and use the hand brakes to stop.  It’s easier than a motorcycle, however, as there is no shifting.  The top speed is 30 miles per hour, so don’t plan on drag racing along the streets of San Diego.  The radio plays the GPS commentary.  Note that while the GPS knows where you are on the designated route, if you go off-route it can’t guide you back, so you will need to pay attention to the provided map if you take a detour.

All GoCar tours start at the GoCar office conveniently located in downtown San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood.  After going around the block to make sure everything is working, the tour begins first by heading down to Harbor Drive along the San Diego Bay.  You’ll drive by the tall ships, the U.S.S. Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum, Unconditional Surrender (also known as the San Diego kissing statue), and Seaport Village.  The route then turns into downtown, passing by Horton Plaza and Petco Park before passing through the Historic Gaslamp Quarter.  I’ve worked downtown for 20 years, but driving through the Historic Gaslamp Quarter in the tiny open GoCar made me see the architecture and color of the buildings in a completely different way.  In addition to providing directions, the GPS also gives fun facts about San Diego.  For instance, I didn’t realize Wyatt Earp had come to San Diego after the shootout at the OK Corral, purchased some buildings in what was then called the Stingaree District, and leased some saloons and gambling halls.

The next area covered during our tour was Balboa Park.  We drove through Kate Sessions Park and learned about how this parkland was created in San Diego.  We drove across the Cabrillo Bridge and passed many of Balboa Park’s museums including the San Diego Museum of Man with its famous tower and the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

After passing by the San Diego Zoo we drove through the Hillcrest neighborhood, past the oldest nursery in San Diego, opened by Kate Sessions in 1910, and down a back neighborhood road into Presidio Park and through Old Town.

While I was nervous at first about riding around in such a tiny vehicle, that went away in a few minutes and then it was just fun.  We’re both pretty sure we had goofy smiles on our faces the entire time because our drive was such a fun and different experience.  Everybody we passed along the way looked, smiled, and waved too.

Paddling Out to Sea with an Everyday California Kayak Tour

Going to the beach is a popular San Diego activity, but what about seeing the beach from a vantage point out in the Pacific Ocean?  To do so, we joined one of Everyday California’s La Jolla kayak tours.  Since we took a tour in winter, we joined the whale watching kayak tour which is only available November to March.  However, Everyday California offers Pacific Ocean tours year-round, including sea cave kayak tours, sunset kayak tours, combined kayak and snorkel tours, snorkeling tours, and paddle-boarding tours.

Our tour took us approximately two miles out into the waters of the Pacific Ocean.  We learned there is a large ocean canyon off of the shores of La Jolla, which is why whales can often be seen there so close to land.  The canyon provides areas deep enough for the whales to dive and feed, but also provides the shallows nearby.

Even though we didn’t see any whales or dolphins, we did get to see other sea life.  During a kayak trip through the La Jolla waters, you will most likely encounter sea lions, seals, and seabirds.  We had a few sea lions swimming alongside our kayaks, and we saw a number of seabirds, including cormorants, which we learned can dive deep into the ocean and stay underwater for a long time. 

In addition to the sea life and sea caves to be seen, La Jolla kayak tours provide gorgeous views of the San Diego coastline from an angle not seen by most visitors to San Diego.

Everyday California will give Travel the World readers 50% off of any full price tour.  Call them directly at (858) 454-6195 to book your tour and give them the coupon code Travel50.

Scooting Along the San Diego Sidewalks with San Diego Segway Tours

So I will admit Segways just look dorky.  When I first saw a Segway tour I thought “I will never take one of those tours.”  However, at the San Diego Travel & Adventure Show San Diego Segway Tours set up a practice course which I begrudgingly tried out.  In that short session I was converted.  It didn’t matter how dorky I looked rolling around on two wheels with a helmet on my head, riding a Segway was fun.

San Diego Segway Tours offers two tours, one through Balboa Park, and the other through downtown San Diego, the Historic Gaslamp Quarter, and Embarcadero Waterfront.  We chose the newer Balboa Park tour.  While both our GoCar and Segway tours traveled through Balboa Park, they passed different areas as the Segways stick to the sidewalks and can visit the pedestrian only areas.

After a short training session, the Segways are very easy to drive and control.  The real concern is getting too comfortable, as within a short time you become one with your Segway and start paying more attention to the scenery then where you’re going.  As long as you watch out for curbs and bumps, you’ll be zipping along just fine, covering a lot of ground, and having a great time.

During our Segway tour we encountered some gems of Balboa Park we had never seen before.  There is a statue of Kate Sessions, who is credited for many of the trees and plants in the park, causing her to be referred to as the “Mother of Balboa Park.”  There is also a grouping of statues of some of the city’s founders including Ephraim Morse, Alonzo Horton, and George White Marston.

In addition to passing by the many museums of Balboa Park, we also visited the Organ Pavilion, fountain, rose garden, and cactus garden, which has a cactus that was 150 years old when it was transplanted 80 years ago.  Again, visiting Balboa Park on a guided Segway tour allowed us to see things we had never seen before, even though we’ve lived in San Diego our entire lives and have visited the park numerous times.

San Diego Segway Tours will give Travel the World readers 40% off their total purchase by entering the online coupon code TRAVELEXPO at checkout.

If you’re looking for some unique things to do in San Diego, don your helmet, board your vehicle, and try out one or more of these fun outdoor activities to get a different view of America’s Finest City.

Thank you to GoCar Tours of San Diego, Everyday California, and San Diego Segway Tours for hosting our unique San Diego outdoor activities and making this post possible.  Also, thank you to my aunt Kathy, a repeat San Diego visitor looking for new things to do, for the inspiration.  As always, all opinions are my own.

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Hiking San Diego’s Stonewall Peak Trail

One of the great things about San Diego is that you can visit the beach and the mountains all in the same day.  Believe it or not, sometimes those mountains in San Diego County actually have snow.  Descanso is located in the Cuyamaca Mountains in San Diego County and has one of my favorite San Diego hiking trails, Stonewall Peak Trail.  Stonewall Peak Trail is a beautiful hike any time of year, but if you can coordinate your hike to occur after it snows, it is that much more beautiful. 

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is located in east San Diego County in the Peninsular Range, which includes Cuyamaca Peak, the second highest point in San Diego County at 6,512 feet.  Stonewall Peak is a little lower, at 5,700 feet, and can be reached via a two-mile hike from Paso Picacho campground (which offers day parking for hikers).  The trail climbs from 4,800 to 5,700 feet but is only moderately difficult as there are a number of switchbacks.  The final climb to the peak involves climbing up some stairs with a handrail (this part can get a little slippery in the snow). 

Stonewall Peak overlooks the previous site of the Stonewall Mine, one of the region’s most profitable gold mines in the late 1800s.  Lake Cuyamaca can also be seen in the distance.  Stonewall Peak is a great place to relax, have a snack, and cool off.  It can get windy at the top, but it feels good after the hike up.  Even with snow on the ground we got pretty hot.

While many hikers to Stonewall Peak hike back the same way they came, the more scenic route is to keep heading north along Stonewall Peak Trail.  This portion of the trail is not as heavily trafficked, and when there’s snow this is where it sticks for the longest.  When we hiked the trail the snow was virtually untouched and we actually saw animal tracks following the trail. 

The Stonewall Peak Trail intersects with the Vern Whitaker Trail, which leads from the Vern Whitaker Horse Camp, and is where you will make a left to start heading west.  A short while later you’ll make a left turn again onto the Cold Stream Trail, which parallels Highway 79.  Hiking through this section you will still see the devastating effects of the 2003 Cedar Fire, with blackened tree trunks lying scattered along the ground.  There are also signs of the reforestation project which is replanting the park.

Altogether the Stonewall Peak Trail is a loop that is just over five miles and is a hike that can be enjoyed by hikers of varying abilities.  The Cuyamaca Mountains are less than an hour drive from San Diego, giving visitors an easy escape from the city to visit forests and mountains and nature.  The Stonewall Peak Trail is in my opinion one of San Diego’s best hiking trails, especially during the rare times when snow is on the ground.

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A Romantic Weekend in Coronado

The tiny island of Coronado is one of my favorite places in San Diego.  If I could, I would live there.  But since we will probably never be able to afford living in Coronado, we make up for it by occasionally spending the day in Coronado, eating breakfast in the outdoors at the dog-friendly Tent City, drinking a beer at Coronado Brewing Company, taking the dogs to Coronado Dog Beach, or wandering through the historic Hotel del Coronado.

There is one place in Coronado that holds a special place in my heart, and that is Loews Coronado Bay.  Fourteen years ago Romeo and I celebrated our first Valentine’s Day together at Loews.  The restaurant at the time was offering a package of dinner for two and a gondola cruise.  Views of Coronado Bay, fine dining, and a cruise through the Coronado Cays in a Venetian gondola sipping champagne and eating chocolate covered strawberries; what could be more romantic?  Ten years ago Romeo and I were married at the Coronado Cays Yacht Club.  Our wedding ended with us boarding a gondola and gliding back to Loews Coronado Bay where we spent our wedding night and our first day as a married couple. 

Loews Coronado Bay

We were scheduled to spend our 10 year anniversary weekend in Tri-Valley, but our plans suddenly changed when Romeo had an emergency appendectomy and his surgeon ordered he not travel for two months.  I knew immediately what we should do instead.  A staycation in Coronado, celebrating our 10 year anniversary at the same hotel where we had stayed our wedding night, dining at almost the same restaurant of our first Valentine’s Day, and again taking a cruise through the Coronado Cays in a gondola.

Loews Coronado Bay, as the name implies, is located on the waterfront of Coronado Bay.  It is on the Silver Strand, a land mass south of Coronado connecting the island to the mainland.   The hotel is five connected buildings and rooms either face the resort and pool or the bay.  Rooms are decorated in 21st Century style with a retro flair.  Our king size partial bay view room was decorated in light blue and pale yellow with silver accents and white linens.  Loews rooms are always spacious with a seating area, desk and plenty of open floor space.  

Of course my favorite feature of Loews resorts is they are dog friendly.  Henry and Charlie stayed with us on our wedding night before we flew off on our honeymoon and they stayed with us again on our 10 year anniversary.  We even chose Loews Ventana Canyon in Tucson on a road trip through Arizona because of Loews’ incredibly dog friendly pet policy.

Mistral

When we sat down for dinner at Mistral, Loews Coronado Bay’s restaurant, and looked out the second story windows at the view of the bay, Coronado Bridge, and San Diego skyline, I was reminded that our Valentine’s Day dinner at the prior restaurant had been one of my first introductions to fine food and helped shape me into the food lover I am today.  Mistral, which opened approximately six years ago, did not disappoint.  In addition to the gorgeous views we were served a stellar meal.  Mistral’s chef Adam Cho is a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, worked under Todd English, and previously oversaw San Diego’s Katsuya. 

Because of Chef Cho's sushi background, a couple of appetizers on the Mistral menu are sushi inspired, including the unusual Salmon Carpaccio expertly paired with crispy shallots, finger lime ponzu and cara cara orange segments.  Our waiter also clued us in on the very popular White Peach Salad made with kale, pancetta, peaches, and sweet and spicy pecans, letting us know we wouldn’t be able to see a single table in the restaurant without one of these salads.  While the Sizzling Beef or Shrimp is the most popular entrée, Rome opted for the Pan Seared Alaskan Halibut and I chose the Char Siu Pork Tenderloin, which is brined in a beet mixture that allows the pork to mimic Chinese pork and is served with roasted summer cherries and a shaved Brussels sprout coleslaw.  All of this was perfectly paired with the Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon our server suggested and completed with a trio of ice creams including lemon rosemary gelato, banana gelato, and chocolate ice cream.

The Gondola Company

One of the most unusual and memorable experiences to be had in Coronado is to cruise the Coronado Cays in a traditional Venetian gondola.  The Gondola Company has been running cruises since 1997.  Most of the gondolas were made in Venice, though the fleet does include a handful of California-made gondolas.  The best time of day for a cruise is about an hour or so before sunset, followed by evening.  Since our weekend was planned at the last minute, we enjoyed an early afternoon gondola cruise.  Guests can bring their own beverages and The Gondola Company provides ice buckets, glassware, wine openers, and blankets.  What I didn’t know before is that gondola rides are dog friendly.  I asked on a whim and learned Henry and Charlie were invited to join us.  However, if your pup has a propensity for jumping in the water or is very large and likes to wander, you might want to consider leaving them behind.  Just like in Venice, your gondolier will serenade you for part of the cruise.  Our gondolier had his favorite sections of the Cays which provided the best acoustics.  While at first I thought it might feel odd to be serenaded in the middle of the day, our gondolier’s voice was so gorgeous and clear it was still a beautiful experience, even with the sun high in the sky. 

The Gondola Company’s main office and departure point is within the Coronado Cays, just south of Loews Coronado Bay.  They have a second departure point on the Loews Coronado Bay resort grounds.  There is an additional cost for being picked up at Loews.  Cruising the Coronado Cays in a gondola is a romantic experience and we were told that of the many marriage proposals made during a gondola cruise, not one has been turned down.

1500 OCEAN

Another one of my favorite places in Coronado for a romantic dinner is 1500 OCEAN in the Hotel del Coronado.  1500 OCEAN is on the ocean side of Coronado and has ocean views from the patio and window tables, perfect for watching the sunset.  It’s always fun visiting the historic Hotel del Coronado and viewing it’s iconic red-shingled sloped roofs.  For the second night of our anniversary weekend we dined at 1500 OCEAN and had a dinner of Burrata & Beets, Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi, California Duck Duo, and Colorado Lamb Rack.  1500 OCEAN and the adjoining Sunset Bar also make unique and delicious cocktails.

Coronado Beaches

One of the most relaxing activities to enjoy on a romantic weekend getaway is to just soak in the sun by the water.  In Coronado there are two ways to do this.  For pool lovers, Loews Coronado Bay has three pools from which to choose, an adults-only pool for those on a romantic weekend, a family pool, and a children’s pool.  For beach lovers Coronado offers miles and miles of white sandy beaches.  During the summer some of San Diego’s beaches can get quite crowded.  But with so many miles of beach in Coronado, you will rarely be jostling for sand space and can easily spend some romantic alone time together.  

The northernmost beach in Coronado is Coronado Dog Beach, which is my favorite dog beach in San Diego.  The beach is large and clean and the dogs are almost always well-behaved and well-trained.  South of Coronado Dog Beach is Coronado Beach, which runs along the west side of the island past the front of the iconic Hotel del Coronado.  South of Coronado Beach is Silver Strand State Beach, which runs along The Strand.  Silver Strand State Beach is directly across the street from Loews Coronado Bay Resort and can be reached via a pedestrian walkway or in a resort golf cart.

Coronado Neighborhoods

While in Coronado you will most likely want to explore the little island itself.  It’s always fun to walk along the main streets of shops and restaurants and maybe stop for a beer at the pub or an ice cream at MooTime Creamery.  Or you can wander through the neighborhoods, a mix of multi-million dollar homes occasionally neighbored by tiny cottages with owners that are holdouts in a place where new mansions pop up frequently. Walking is not the only way to get around Coronado.  Visitors can rent bicycles, tandem bicycles, surreys, golf carts, or Segways.

I’ve lived in San Diego my entire life and Coronado is one of my favorite places in the county, especially for a romantic evening or weekend.  I might be a little biased because of my special memories, but I’m pretty sure you’ll agree if you visit for a day or weekend.

Thank you to Loews Coronado Bay and The Gondola Company for hosting our stay and making this post possible.  As always, opinions are my own.

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