San Diego hidden gems?

[ktlm]

If you have any musicians on the trip and do head a little up the coast towards the Carlsbad area, the Museum of Making Music is a hidden gem. We had a friend who lived in the area that took us there and we really enjoyed it.

 

[magsnwonderland]

Since you'll be there in April, the Carlsbad flower fields will be in full bloom and are amazing. You'll have to navigate around everyone there for the instagram pics, but it truly is gorgeous.

And I second the music museum. I took my son there and there was only one other family there. They have a lot of exhibits but then also have instruments you can actually pick up and play (or attempt playing). My son loved that he could try so many different instruments (and has been begging for an electronic drum kit since).

 

[plumsiren]

Since you'll be there in April, the Carlsbad flower fields will be in full bloom and are amazing. You'll have to navigate around everyone there for the instagram pics, but it truly is gorgeous.

And I second the music museum. I took my son there and there was only one other family there. They have a lot of exhibits but then also have instruments you can actually pick up and play (or attempt playing). My son loved that he could try so many different instruments (and has been begging for an electronic drum kit since).

We're not music people, but the flower fields look great! Might fill the void left by the fact that we weren't in Holland during tulip season!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Don't know yet (yes, the panic is absolutely setting in!)! I kept thinking, oh, I'll nail everything down "after Christmas". Then it was "after New Years". And now it's February!

Good Luck!!! DM me where you end up picking!

 

[plumsiren]

Good Luck!!! DM me where you end up picking!

I will!

 

[glocon]

None of these are necessarily "hidden", but we loved them. Go to Old Town and wander around the markets & get some mexican food. That was a super fun night. Go to La Jolla - it's beautiful. Also go walk around Ocean Beach. Super cool town. Get a burger at Hodads.

When you mentioned Hodads, it reminded me of the Oceanside Farmers Market.
The market is open on Wednesdays starting at 4pm.
Lots of food trucks/stands and lots of crafts. Not as much fruit/veggies.
But we got food from a truck (I think Ethiopian food maybe?) and walked down the street past Hodads to the ocean and sat on a wall and watched the sun set.
There was a DJ playing and you could see the pier.
Really a nice time!

 

[IronBoss]

When you mentioned Hodads, it reminded me of the Oceanside Farmers Market.
The market is open on Wednesdays starting at 4pm.
Lots of food trucks/stands and lots of crafts. Not as much fruit/veggies.
But we got food from a truck (I think Ethiopian food maybe?) and walked down the street past Hodads to the ocean and sat on a wall and watched the sun set.
There was a DJ playing and you could see the pier.
Really a nice time!

Sounds awesome! That may be my favorite place on the planet!

 

[Frogman88]

It isn't too late for me. We are heading to San Diego in April of next year. I am going to save all of these recommendations! Thanks!

Make sure you go to the taco joint that won best taco of U.S.A!!

It’s literally a hole in the wall joint on Coronado ave. not Coronado island. It’s called Ed Fernandez Birria Or try Tacos el Gordo thank me later !

 

[Timandalicia]

Looking for recommendations for things to see/do in San Diego that aren't the go-to attractions on the top 10 lists. Anyone have ideas? Open to anything!

Grownups or kids? I have 2 completely different lists.

 

[felice]

Also, on Coronado island, we can recommend a lovely restaurant called 'The Tavern'. It's close to the shopping area, near to where the trolleybuses drop off and pick up.

 

[plumsiren]

Grownups or kids? I have 2 completely different lists.

Grownups!

 

[Timandalicia]

Grownups!

Is Tower 23 hidden? We thought it was when we discovered it. We stayed there a couple years ago. Also, is Del Mar too far? Depending on your age, it is a peaceful little day trip.
But I agree with above. Coronado Island looks like Hollywood in the ‘20’s. So much charm. And the hotel has a restaurant on the beach with a margarita called the “some like it hot”. It’s really cool.

 

[Aspencreek]

We are heading down to SD for a week in late March. Some great suggestions on here and will be adding some of the ideas to our to-do list.

Not sure if this is common knowledge and I'm late to the party or not, but I recently discovered the GoCity passes for San Diego (can buy reduced from Undercover Tourist website - no affiliation). Looked into it a bit and you can buy either unlimited passes for a set number of days, or passes that get you a set number of attractions within 2 months. The list of items on the passes are different (some overlap) but have things like: SD zoo, safari park, SeaWorld, whale watching tours, trolley tours, whaley house, jet skis, Midway, Petco park, Birch aquarium, etc, etc. I bought us the Explorer 7 item passes for us and have already scheduled/reserved a few of the excursions including the mini-speed boats (someone on here recommended them), electric scooter tour, sea-lion/harbor cruise, whale watching, and will hit the zoo and Birch for sure also. Anyway, sorry if this is known but with how much it saves (just do a couple items and it pays for itself) I thought I'd mention it.

https://gocity.com/san-diego/en-us/products/all-inclusive
or
https://gocity.com/san-diego/en-us/products/explorer