TIPS
Local know-how for San Diego — where to go, what it costs, what trips people up — checked against the agency, the dataset or the law that decides it, and dated so you can see how fresh it is.
Start here · Outdoors5 min
How to see San Diego's glowing blue waves (bioluminescence)
Wait for a red tide, then go to a dark beach at least two hours after sunset. The glow comes from a plankton called Lingulodinium polyedra, and Scripps says nobody can yet predict when it will bloom or how long it will last.
- What glows
- Lingulodinium polyedra
- When to look
- 2+ hrs after sunset
- Can it be forecast?
- Not yet
200 tips · showing 1–15
10 free things to do in San Diego that are actually worth it
Balboa Park's gardens, the Sunday organ concert, Sunset Cliffs, La Jolla's seals, shore whale watching, Mount Soledad, Old Town, Chicano Park, the Little Italy Mercato and Liberty Station. The usual catch is parking.
Organ concertSun 2 p.m.
USS Midway Museum tips: 2026 tickets, parking and how long to allow
The Midway is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at 910 N. Harbor Dr. Adults pay $39 online, veterans $26, active duty free. Allow 4 to 5 hours, arrive early for the $20 Navy Pier lot or take the trolley.
Adult ticket$39 online
Kids Free San Diego 2026: what's actually free this October, and the catch
All of October 2026, kids get in free with a paid adult at 70-plus museums and big attractions. The Zoo and Safari Park admit up to six kids 11 and under per adult. The catch: rules vary by place, and CityPASS-style passes don't count.
DatesOct 1-31, 2026
San Diego's most haunted places, and the real history behind the ghost stories
Start in Old Town: the Whaley House stands where a man was hanged in 1852, and El Campo Santo has graves under the street. Then the Hotel del's 1892 mystery guest, the 1863 Star of India and Villa Montezuma.
Whaley HouseFrom $15
Día de los Muertos in San Diego 2026: where to go, and what's free
Old Town is the heart of it: altars, a street market and a candlelit procession to El Campo Santo cemetery, mostly free, October 31 to November 2. Barrio Logan, Sherman Heights and the San Diego Museum of Art hold free celebrations too.
Old TownOct 31-Nov 2
Can you take a boat from San Diego to Catalina Island?
Not directly: no ferry leaves San Diego. The closest is Catalina Express from Dana Point, about 70 miles up I-5, with a 90-minute crossing at $44 each way for adults. Or ride Amtrak to San Juan Capistrano and skip the drive.
Ferry from San DiegoNone
Julian apple picking: when to go this fall
Right now: Julian's u-pick season runs from early September into mid-November 2026 — Volcan Valley is Saturdays only through mid-October with no reservation needed, and Julian Farm & Orchard is Friday–Sunday through November 15 by reservation; October is peak for Fuji.
SeasonEarly Sept – mid-Nov 2026
Potato Chip Rock: how long is the line, and which way up is easier?
Expect a 30-60 minute wait for the photo on weekend mid-mornings. The shorter way is about 6 miles round trip from Highway 67 on a shadeless paved road; the classic Lake Poway route is 7.5 miles with about 2,000 feet of climbing.
Lake Poway route7.5 mi, ~2,000 ft
Where to stay in San Diego: the best area for your trip, with hotel picks and prices
No car and first trip: Downtown or Little Italy. Beach vacation: Mission Beach, Pacific Beach or Coronado. Splurge and scenery: La Jolla or Del Mar. Tight budget: Old Town or Mission Valley, on the trolley.
City hotel tax11.75-13.75%
San Diego's 7 Bridges Walk: a swaying suspension bridge, a 1905 wooden trestle and 5 more in one loop
A free 5.5-mile loop through Bankers Hill, Hillcrest and Balboa Park crosses seven historic footbridges, including the 1912 Spruce Street Suspension Bridge that wobbles as you walk. Allow about three hours.
Loop5.5 miles
5 best places to watch the sunset in San Diego
Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma, Coronado Central Beach, Mount Soledad above La Jolla, the Torrey Pines Gliderport and the Oceanside Pier. Skip Cabrillo (gate shuts at 5 p.m.) and the closed OB Pier.
Mt. Soledad822 ft
Where to swim with leopard sharks in La Jolla (and when they show up)
Every summer and fall, hundreds of harmless leopard sharks gather in waist-deep water off La Jolla Shores near the Marine Room. Go June to early December, peak August–September, on a calm morning at low tide.
SeasonJun–early Dec
5 day trips from San Diego worth the drive
Tijuana by trolley, Julian for apple pie, Temecula wine country, Crystal Cove on the Orange County coast, and Anza-Borrego's desert and metal sculptures. All five fit in a day, and each is at its best in a different season.
ClosestTijuana
Fleet Week San Diego 2026: dates, free ship tours and what to know
Fleet Week runs November 6-15, 2026, at Broadway Pier downtown. When the Navy sends ships, tours are free and first come, first served: bring photo ID and closed-toe shoes. A 2025 shutdown canceled them, so check first.
DatesNov 6-15, 2026
How to see La Jolla's seals and sea lions without breaking the law
Watch from the sidewalk and bluffs above La Jolla Cove and Children's Pool, stay at least 50 yards (150 feet) away as NOAA advises, and know the closures: Point La Jolla is closed year-round, and the Children's Pool beach closes every December 15 to May 15 for harbor seal pupping.
Recommended distance50 yards (150 ft)
