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.
12 tips
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
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
How to hike to the Goat Canyon Trestle, the world's largest wooden trestle
Hike in from Mortero Palms in Anza-Borrego: about 5.5 miles round trip with 2,200 feet of climbing and real rock scrambling. Go October to April, look but don't walk on it, and skip the railroad-track route, which crosses private property.
Built1932-33
Sunny Jim Cave: the La Jolla sea cave you reach through a gift shop
Inside The Cave Store at 1325 Coast Blvd., a tunnel dug in 1902-03 drops 145 steps to a platform inside a sea cave. It's $13 for adults and $7 for ages 3-17, open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, first come, first served.
Steps145
Can you visit the Salk Institute courtyard? Yes, but only on a tour
The famous Louis Kahn courtyard is only open on a registered tour. Public tours run Wednesday to Friday at 10 and 11:30 a.m. for $25, last about an hour, and need advance tickets. There's no visitor parking on campus.
Public tour$25
How do you get down to Black's Beach, and what should you know first?
Walk the paved road off La Jolla Farms Road, or walk the sand at low tide from La Jolla Shores or Torrey Pines. The Gliderport trail has collapse warnings. Black's is remote, the surf is powerful, and the north end is clothing-optional.
Cliffs~300 ft
How to see the Sunset Cliffs sea caves (and why the tide decides everything)
Only at a negative low tide on a calm day. Sunset Cliffs Natural Park in Point Loma hides arches and sea caves below 68 acres of bluffs, but the cliffs are unstable, falls have been fatal, and even at low tide you may wade or swim.
Park size68 acres
Mount Helix: the hilltop amphitheater with a 360-degree view most San Diegans skip
A 1925 stone amphitheater and 35-foot cross sit on top of Mount Helix in La Mesa, free to visit from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can drive almost to the top, but parking is tiny, so come at sunrise or on a weekday.
CostFree
Old Mission Dam: the 200-year-old stone dam hiding in Mission Trails
Kumeyaay laborers and Franciscan missionaries built this stone dam on the San Diego River between 1813 and 1816 to water Mission San Diego. It's free to see, a few steps from the Old Mission Dam parking lot in Mission Trails.
Built1813-1816
Presidio Park: the hilltop where San Diego began in 1769
Above Old Town, free 40-acre Presidio Park marks where Spain founded its first mission and fort on the West Coast in 1769. The Serra Museum there opens weekends 10 to 4 for a suggested $10 donation, with views to the ocean.
Founded1769
The free clifftop meditation gardens above Swami's in Encinitas
The Self-Realization Fellowship Meditation Gardens at 215 W. K St. are free, with koi ponds and a clifftop view over Swami's surf break. Open Tuesday to Saturday 9 to 5 and Sunday 11 to 5; closed Mondays and when it rains.
CostFree
Chicano Park in Barrio Logan: the 1970 takeover, the murals, and how to visit
Chicano Park is a 7.4-acre park under the Coronado Bridge ramps, created after Barrio Logan residents occupied the site on April 22, 1970. Its murals made it a National Historic Landmark. Free, by the Barrio Logan trolley stop.
FoundedApril 22, 1970