City Attractions

Historic Attractions

Cabrillo National Monument
1800 Cabrillo Memorial Dr.
619-557-5450
Delight in magnificent views while exploring California history at this 144-acre preserve commemorating Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the Portuguese discoverer of America's West Coast. The visitor center features films and lectures about his voyage, tidal pools, and the gray whales migrating offshore. Bring a picnic and rest on a bench over looking the sailboats. Visitors can admire the absolutely divine panorama over the bay, from the snowcapped San Bernardino Mountains to the hills surrounding Tijuana in the south. From mid-December to February, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse is a marvelous vantage point from which to watch the migration of the Pacific gray whales using high-power telescopes. More accessible sea creatures can be seen in the tidal pools at the foot of the monument's western cliffs.

El Campo Santo
San Diego Avenue
626-968-8492
This adobe-walled cemetery established in 1849 was the burial place for many of the Old Town's founding families, as well as the final resting place for some gamblers and bandits who passed through San Diego until 1880.

Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery
Cabrillo Memorial Dr.
619-553-2084
Many buried here lost their lives in battles that predate California's statehood. A 75-foot-tall granite obelisk called the Bennington Monument, pays tribute to the 66 crew members who died in a boiler explosion and fire onboard the USS Bennington in 1905.

Gaslamp Quarter
Situated between 4th and 5th Avenues from Broadway to Market St.
This 16-block National HistoricDistrict contains most of San Diego's Victorian-style commercial buildings from the late 1800s, when Market Street was the center of downtown. The Gaslamp Quarter Council rescued the buildings in 1974 and now they are a major tourist draw. The William Heath Davis House (410 Island Ave.; 619-233-4692), one of the first residences in town, now serves as the information center for the area. Docents give tours of the house during museum hours. Two-hour walking tours of the historic district leave from the house on Saturdays at 11am. Also, don't miss the small Chinese Museum that serves as a tribute to the surrounding Chinese district, a collection of modest structures that once housed Chinese laborers and their families.

Heritage Park
At the intersection of Juan and Taylor Streets
858-565-3600
This small, 7.8-acre park is home to seven original 19th-century residences moved here from other places and given new uses as a bed and breakfast, a doll shop, a gift shop, offices, shops, and restaurants. One of the most interesting sites is the Sherman Gilbert House, which has a widow's walk and intricate carving on its decorative trim. Bronze plaques detail the history of all the houses.

Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala
10818 San Diego Mission Rd.
619-281-8449
This was the first of a chain of 21 missions founded in California by Spanish missionary Junipero Serra. It was established in 1769 on Presidio Hill and moved to its present site in 1774. A few bricks belonging to the original mission can be seen in Presidio Park in Old Town. A highlight is the 46-foot-high campanario, the mission's most distinctive feature. A small museum documents the history of the mission. Mass is held regularly in this still-active Catholic parish.

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
4016 Wallace St.
619-233-3004
To walk through Old Town is to revisit Mexican California, which existed here until the mid-1800s. You can reach Old Town by trolley or Coaster at the numbers listed above. Six square blocks mark the heart of Old Town. Most of the 20 historic buildings are preserved or re-created and cluster around Old Town Plaza, bounded by Wallace Street, Calhoun Street, Mason Street, and San Diego Avenue. There is a tour map available at Seeley Stable, which gives details about the historic houses. Don't miss the Robinson-Rose House or La Casa de Bandini. The houses are open from 10am to 5pm.

Santa Fe Amtrak Depot
1050 Kettner Blvd.
Three blocks west of Horton Plaza lies this masterpiece of mission-revival architecture whose arches welcomed visitors to the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. A booth at the tile-domed transit center, which serves Amtrak and Coaster passengers, has bus schedules, maps, and tourist brochures.