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.
42 tips · showing 16–30
Things to do after Marine graduation in San Diego, and what new Marines can and can't do
Family Day liberty stays on the depot. After Friday's ceremony, Marines start 10 days of leave on their orders. Nearby: Liberty Station, Old Town, Shelter Island, Cabrillo, the USS Midway (free for active duty), Seaport Village and OB.
Family Day libertyOn depot
Things to do in San Diego in November 2026: the dates worth knowing
November 2026 opens with Día de los Muertos (through Nov 2) and the Food + Wine Festival (Nov 1–8), then Beer Week (Nov 6–15), Del Mar's fall racing (Nov 6–29), the Veterans Day Parade (Nov 11) and the Hotel del's ice rink from Nov 20.
Free festivalNov 1–2
Why is it called San Diego?
Because Sebastián Vizcaíno named it in November 1602 for San Diego de Alcalá (Saint Didacus), whose feast day is November 12, and for his flagship, the San Diego. Cabrillo had called the bay San Miguel 60 years earlier.
Named byVizcaíno
5 easy coastal hikes in San Diego while Torrey Pines is closed
San Elijo Lagoon's Nature Center loop, the Tijuana Estuary River Mouth loop, Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, Cabrillo's Bayside Trail and the Batiquitos Lagoon Trail. All are 3.25 miles or less round trip.
Shortest0.5 mi
Are San Diego beaches lifeguarded in winter?
Yes, but only at the City's permanent stations — Ocean Beach, South Mission, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, North Pacific Beach, Children's Pool, La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores — generally from 9 a.m. to dusk; the extra summer towers come down after the season.
Year-round stations (City list)8
Can you go metal detecting on San Diego beaches?
On City of San Diego beaches, generally yes: the city's beach rules don't ban detectors. State beaches set rules park by park, so call first, and Cabrillo National Monument bans even carrying one. Fill your holes.
City beachesGenerally OK
Can you smoke weed on the beach or in a park in San Diego?
No. California bans using cannabis in public, and San Diego bans smoking and vaping, cannabis included, on city beaches, parks, boardwalks and piers. Federal land like Cabrillo is off-limits entirely. Legal use means private property.
Beaches & parksBanned
Grunion runs in San Diego: when the fish come ashore, and when you can catch them
On spring and summer nights after the highest tides, from March to August. April through June is look-only; in March, July and August you can catch up to 30 by hand with a license. CDFW posts each year's dates in advance.
SeasonMar–Aug
The best San Diego neighborhoods for eating out
Little Italy for density, North Park's 30th Street for neighborhood spots, Convoy for Asian food, and East Village and Barrio Logan for newer places — Michelin's own San Diego picks cluster in exactly those areas.
Most choiceLittle Italy
The best sports bars in San Diego, by type: big-screen bars, dives, upscale lounges and the ones with good food
Novo Brazil and The Bullpen for giant screens, Bub's and Tom's Watch Bar by Petco, Harbor Town and Time Out for a neighborhood feel, Nason's for a nicer room, and Dirty Birds or Sandbar when the food matters.
Venues20
Do you need a fishing license to fish off a San Diego pier?
No. California doesn't require a license on public piers, and San Diego County has about a dozen, from Shelter Island to Oceanside. Size and bag limits still apply, you get two rods, and the OB Pier is closed.
License on public piersNone
Navy homecoming in San Diego: which pier, who gets on base, and where to watch
Surface ships return to Naval Base San Diego, carriers to NAS North Island, subs to Naval Base Point Loma. Families need command sponsorship and base access. No pass? Watch from Shelter Island, Cabrillo or the Midway.
CarriersNAS North Island
Pumpkin patches and corn mazes in San Diego 2026: prices, hours and which are free
Free to get in: Bates Nut Farm, all four Pumpkin Station lots, Goff's at Liberty Station and Mr. Jack O'Lanterns. For a real corn maze, Carlsbad Strawberry Co. has a 1.5-mile one ($10 plus entry). Most patches close October 31.
Free entry4 patches
Veterans Day 2026 in San Diego: the parade, ceremonies and free admission
The Veterans Day Parade steps off at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov 11, from the County Administration Center. Cabrillo National Monument is free that day for U.S. residents, and the USS Midway admits veterans plus a guest free all November.
Parade10 a.m.
7 places to eat fish tacos in San Diego, and what to order at each
Start at Oscar's Mexican Seafood in Pacific Beach or Hillcrest for the smoked fish taco. Then South Beach in Ocean Beach for the mahi taco it's served since 1992, and Fish Guts in Barrio Logan, a critic's pick three years running.
Cheapest on the list$3.75