San Diego is often called America’s finest city – and La Jolla is the gem of San Diego – a beautiful community situated along San Diego’s Pacific Coast. People flock to La Jolla, captivated by its trendy boutique-lined streets gemmed with art, clothing, jewelry, gifts and other shopping destinations. Indulgent soft sand beaches, amazing weather, laid back people and an abundance of activities make La Jolla a visitor’s paradise. Here are five activities that should not be missed.
Children’s Pool (850 Coast Boulevard) was originally designed as a safe place for children to wade into the ocean; it’s now home to dozens of wild Harbor Seals and their pups. Many consider the seals to be one of the most fun sights in La Jolla because the seals are so up-close and persona.. A cement walkway allows visitors to walk out over the ocean while waves and surf crash around them. The walkway provides a wonderful vantage from which to enjoy the antics of the Harbor Seals basking and playing just a few feet away.
La Jolla Cove is situated along a bay sheltered from the ocean’s surge. Its soft sandy beach offers great sun bathing, swimming and surfing; the clear waters along the offshore reefs provide excellent snorkeling and scuba diving opportunities. In the summer and autumn months the surf is gentle, the water warms into the 70s, and the beaches are busy with swimmers, scuba divers and surfers making it a great place for participating or just people watching.
Visit The Cave Store. What would you expect to find in a “cave store” – maybe some fossils or seashells? There’s more. Here you will find a hole in the floor of the store leading to a 100 year old hand-dug tunnel that descends down to the only sea cave in California that you can enter by land – the wonderful and spooky Sunny Jim Cave. The smells, the sounds, the feel! You can hear water trickling down the walls of the tunnel as you go down… down… down 143 steps, until you walk out onto a small wooden dock into the cave, the ocean crashing on rocks around you, gulls nesting in tucked-away places above.
Mount Soledad has the best drive-up views of San Diego. Take Nautilus Street up to the park at the top where you are met with incredible views. On a clear day you can look north along the coast into Orange County or south into Mexico. The park is home to an enormous cross that looks majestically down from the mountain, visible from more than 10 miles away. Interestingly, Mount Soledad holds the last home lived in by Dr. Seuss. His widow, Audrey Geisel still lives on Mt. Soledad in an abandoned observation tower that is referred to as “the Seuss House” by local residents.
Torrey Pines Glider Port Park lies within Torrey Pines City Park on 350-foot oceanfront cliffs between La Jolla and Torrey Pines State Reserve. The rugged sandstone bluffs overlook Scripps Pier and San Diego’s scalloped coastline. If you have ever dreamed of soaring like an eagle without powered assistance, you can register for a 30-minute flight lesson, then head out tandem with an experienced instructor for the adventure of a lifetime flying off the cliffs, over the ocean. Those less dare-devilish can simply watch as pilots and their strange crafts leap off the cliffs into the wind and soar away.
Here are two resources with useful accommodation information for when you visit the towns along the San Diego coast: Carlsbad B&Bs and Hotels in Del Mar California.