1. Visit Old Town and witness the living legacy of San Diego history. Guests wander through Old Town’s historic buildings, including the blacksmith shop, Seeley Stables and the oldest schoolhouse in San Diego. Some visit Old Town for shopping – some of the shops carry very nice handicrafts. Others like to have a big platter of tacos and enchiladas washed down with a margarita while still others poke around inside the historic buildings, imagining life in early California.

2. Visit La Jolla Cove and watch magnificent sunsets on the ocean. La Jolla Cove is one of the most spectacular natural settings in the world with tide pools for exploring at low tide. A trip down into “the” Cave (via the Cave Store) takes you through a manmade tunnel down, down, down until you enter the unusual and breathtaking Sunny Jim Cave. You can also enter the cave from the sea (via kayak) along with the other six ocean-carved caves, but Sunny Jim is the only sea cave in California that you can access from a stairway. Sunny Jim Cave is so cool that the Encyclopedia Americana calls it one of the “must” sights in Southern California.

3. On your next trip to San Diego you can be assured of two things: the weather will be amazing and you’ll discover lots to do at Seaport Village. Here you can explore 50-plus diverse shops, 17 unique eateries and outdoor entertainment and find everything under the sun. Hungry? Most any craving can be satisfied here. Dine at any of four restaurants or nibble, snack or chow down at more than a dozen smaller eateries. Surf and turf to burgers and pizza. Ice cream, cookies, popcorn. Whatever. Thirst’s covered too-sodas, milkshakes, lemonade, beer, wine, cocktails and, well, too many drinks. One last decision to make: a table inside or out on the deck with a view of the bay?

4. Spend a cool, relaxing day at the enormous (4,000 plus acres!) Mission Bay Park surrounding Mission Bay. Many families pack the car and spend the day here. They bring bikes, scooters, camping chairs and foldable picnic tables. On the way to the park be sure to pick up a bunch of take-out food… (we recommend Rubio’s or Filberto’s) and pack a cooler full of drinks and extra snacks. Bring the badminton set and books, crosswords and Sudoku puzzles. It’s a great place to relax or bike or walk along the sidewalks. Just find a nice spot under one of the many trees and either catch some sun or fall asleep in the shade. On warm days you get a cool breeze from the bay and the ocean. Oh, and you can bring your dog too. This is America’s Finest City, get outside and enjoy it!

5. Grab your beach towel and Coppertone and get to one of dozens of San Diego beaches (they are all free) and swim, jog, boogie-board, read a spy novel, watch world-class surfers or just bake in the sun. Alcohol is prohibited on all San Diego beaches. Both South Mission Beach and Ocean Beach are hotspots for beach volleyball. Ocean Beach has six courts, and South Mission Beach has 15 courts.

Here are some lodging resources in the San Diego area:: San Diego B&B, Carlsbad CA Bed and Breakfasts and Del Mar Hotels – Del Mar California.