San Diego Travel Blog

San Diego--Home for the Holidays

San Diego makes a great "Home for the Holidays".  Get in the holiday spirit this year--with the multitude of holiday activities planned in San Diego.  Check out the sampling of activities below:

November 22 – December 18, 2006 – Skating by the Sea – Although the temperatures feel like summer, you can still ice skate close to the waves at the Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island.  The Windsor Lawn becomes a skating rink for skating aficionados with daily sessions from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.   Weekends and holidays also include a matinee session from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  The cost to skate for two hours is $15 for adults and $10 for children age 10 and under. Skate rental costs an additional $5. 

November 23, 2006 – Thanksgiving Day - If you want to work off the Thanksgiving feast, you can participate in a Thanksgiving Day Paddle with Hike Bike & Kayak in La Jolla, California.  Kayaks launch in the waves at the end of Avenida de la Playa at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and go out to the caves in La Jolla Cove. Cost is $30 per person and reservations are recommended.  Call 858-551-9510 for reservations.  Amy Kangleon said they expect 20 to 30 people and “we always have a lot of fun”.   www.hikebikekayak.com

November 23, 2006 to January 1, 2007 – Festival of Lights – The racetrack at the Del Mar Fairgrounds is aglow with 350 light displays from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.  The cost to drive through the displays is $13 per car up to five people and $18 per vehicle with six or more people. www.sdfair.com

December 3, 2006 – 2006 La Jolla Christmas Parade and Holiday Festival “Legends of the Season” – This annual parade begins at 1:30 p.m. and travels down Girard to Prospect.  It includes traditional floats and marching bands and coincides with the Holiday Festival on Silverado Street from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m..  www.ljparade.com

December 8 & 9, 2006 – Christmas on the Promenade – Travel through Christmas Tree Alley or play in the snow in the Winter Wonderland Snow Zone located in the NTC Promenade in Point Loma.  Activities run from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.  www.christmasonthepromenade.org

December 9, 2006 – Pacific Beach Holiday Parade – This parade run from noon to 3 p.m. down Garnet Street between Haines and Cass Street, and features the Budweiser Clydesdales.  www.pacificbeach.org

December 10 & 17, 2006 – 35th Annual San Diego Bay Parade of Lights “Aloha Holiday” -  A fireworks display starts the show on both dates at 5:30 p.m. followed by the parade of brilliantly lit boats from Shelter Island past the Embarcadero and Seaport Village, ending at the Ferry Landing on Coronado at approximately 9 p.m. www.sdparadeoflights.org

December 11, 2006 – 32nd Annual Mission Bay Christmas Boat Parade -  Watch 100 boats lit up like Christmas trees when they leave Quivira Basin at 7 p.m. and pass by Crown Point, Vacation Island, and Fiesta Island.  The parade culminates in a fireworks display and lighting the Skytower Tree of Lights at Sea World at 9 p.m.   

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San Diego Presidio

Rich in old California history in a setting reminiscent of San Francisco or Monterrey, San Diego’s Presidio is a great getaway from the urban pace of America’s finest city.

Established by Spaniards in 1769, the San Diego Presidio is the oldest European settlement on the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada. Its strategic hilltop location overlooks San Diego Harbor, Mission Bay and Mission Valley, an important fact for the once fortified military colony. Traveler’s can see the bell tower and crème colored adobe walls from the modern crossroads of Highways 8 and 5.

Adults will enjoy the Presidio’s unique setting, historical exhibits and Spanish architecture. Kids enjoy the simple pleasure of rolling down the Presidio’s expanse of steep green lawns that lead up to the main adobe building. No kidding, that was the motivation my parents used to turn an otherwise boring history lesson into a fun adventure, the chance to roll down the grass. The steeply pitched lawns are perfect for a nice tumble, at least until "grass itch" sets in. You can also check out the grass-covered mounds near the lower parking lot, perfect for a game of "king of the hill".

Presidio Park has trails that lead through steep canyons with forests of tall dark trees, the kind you don’t often see in San Diego. Take a short hike or let the kids loose to explore, a perfect backdrop for childhood adventure and fantasy.

You can walk around the main adobe building and visit Serra museum with interpretive exhibits and historical artifacts. There is also a gift shop with some great books about the Presidio and the usual fare of t-shirts and collectibles.

Visiting San Diego’s Presidio makes a nice "finisher" after a day at Sea World, the Zoo or the beach. Afterwards Old Town is just a couple blocks away with shopping and some of the best, most authentic Mexican food in San Diego.

Presidio Park sits at the southeast corner of the intersection of Highways 8 and 5 next to Old Town San Diego. From Highway 8 take the Hotel Circle exit west to Taylor Street. From Taylor Street watch for signs leading up the hill to the Presidio. From Highway 5 take the Old Town exit and follow the signs to Old Town and the Presidio.