La Jolla Children`s Pool

The Children`s Pool in La Jolla has been one of our favorites for many years. This beach has a protective wall that allows safe swimming.The wall was built in 1931 with funding provided by Ellen Browning Scripps. Over the past few years the beach was closed to people due to the large number of seals that have made this their home. There was a movement by some over zealous animal rights people to try to get the beach closed completely to humans. This seems to be faltering. We wrote about this issue back on March 31, 2011. At that time there were only seals on the beach. last Sunday April 8, 2012 the beach still had seals, but also had people on the beach and in the water. This is a great development. As you can hopefully see from the above photo, people and seals can get along fine at this wonderful beach.
For more information see: http://www.friendsofthechildrenspool.com/ and www.sandiego.gov/lifeguards/beaches/pool.shtml

Heritage Park

We have visited Old Town San Diego many many times. For some reason, we have never ventured over to Heritage Park. This is where six Victorian-era homes and a synagogue have been relocated and restored. The synagogue is Temple Beth Israel which was the first synagogue in San Diego. You can reserve it for weddings, receptions and bar mitzvahs. There is a small shop in one of the homes, but the others are not always open to the public. Heritage Park is a fun place for a short stroll to see these great old buildings. Enjoy!
For more information see www.sdcounty.ca.gov/parks/heritage or http://www.heritageparksd.com/

Whaley House

Whaley House is located in Old Town San Diego. This Greek Revival style brick home was built by Thomas Whaley in 1857. At the time it was said to be one of the finest brick buildings in Southern California. Over the years the building was used a general store, residence, court house and the first commercial theater in San Diego. This historic house is open to the public for tours at a nominal fee. Besides the interesting artifacts and history, the house is considered the number one most haunted house in the United States. Enjoy!
For more information see http://www.whaleyhouse.org/

Blue Sky Ecological Reserve

Blue Sky Ecological Reserve in Poway is one of those quiet out of the way places to take a hike. This 700 acre riparian habitat is a good area to see what Northern San Diego County might have looked like before we built it up. There are native oak trees as well as other native plants and animals. The trail runs through a valley that has a small stream and lots of shade. This is an easy hike and dogs are permited. If you are looking for somewhere to enjoy nature for a few hours this is it. Enjoy!
For more information see www.poway.org/bluesky

Birch Aquarium at Scripps

The Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography sits on a hill high above the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla. The aquarium has fish from the local waters around San Diego and from around the world. This is always a great place to see the wonders of the ocean and to enjoy a great view of the coast. There are lots of aquariums here with all types of fish, crustaceans, jellyfish and seahorses. Scripps has offered the public access to their facilities since 1905. The current facility has been open since 1992 and more than 400,000 visitors visit the aquarium each year. There are few places that offer such a great ocean educational experience and do so much for our oceans. Enjoy!
For more information see http://www.aquarium.ucsd.edu/

San Diego Maritime Museum

The San Diego Maritime Museum along the Embarcadero in downtown San Diego has one of the best collections of historic ships in the world. This is a fantastic location for these great vessels. The museum is on the water and close to restaurants, hotels and public transportation. There are several ships, a submarine and lots of great information about what it must have been like to be on these old boats. Even if you do not go into the museum itself, you can see the vessels from the walkway. The Star of India was built in 1863 and is the world`s oldest sea going sailing vessel. This is one of the fun ways to experience what San Diego`s bayfront has to offer. Enjoy!
For more information see http://www.sdmaritime.org/

San Diego Botanical Garden

San Diego Botanical Garden is in Encinitas. It was formerly called Quail Botanical Gardens. This is a 35 acre garden with unique plants from around the world. The garden was once a private residence and was donated to the County of San Diego and opened to the public in 1971. This is a great place for an afternoon stroll and there is even a children`s area. February is a good time to visit because so many of the plants are in bloom. Take some time to visit this scenic San Diego spot. Enjoy!
For more information see www.sdbgarden.org