San Diego Visitors Guide - San Diego Official Visitors Guide Spring/Summer 2013

The allegedly haunted Whaley House in Old Town

ITINERARY

HISTORY
San Diego is rich with blasts from the past ranging from scenic
parks stocked with architectural wonders to haunted houses, plus
a slew of historic buildings, each with a story to tell.

Cabrillo National Monument on the tip of Point Loma commemorates the landing of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542.

William Heath Davis House (home of the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation) Built in 1850, this is the oldest house in the Gaslamp Quarter. Take a tour and be transported back to the Victorian Era, where each room represents a different period and function. Join a paranormal investigation with the San Diego Ghost Hunters (June 1 & 29, July 2 & 30, August 30).

410 Island Avenue

STAY

Opened in 1886 and 1910 respectively, Downtown’s Horton Grand Hotel (311 Island Avenue) and THE US GRANT (326 Broadway) provide guests with turn-of-the-20th-century appeal, while the Courtyard by Marriot San Diego Downtown (530 Broadway) retains some key elements from its former life as a 1920s bank. In Coronado, the circa-1888 Hotel del Coronado (1500 Orange Avenue) is a Victorian gem steeped in history. The The Grand Colonial Hotel in La Jolla (910 Prospect Avenue) is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Pork belly pastrami at Grant Grill

EAT

Do brunch, big, at Hotel del Coronado’s Crown Room (Sundays only, 1500 Orange Avenue). Follow the feast hours later with a light lunch of mock turtle soup at the once “men’s only” Grant Grill (326 Broadway). Then, head to Bali Hai (2230 Shelter Island Drive), San Diego’s Polynesian paradise since 1955, for tiki drinks and bay views before tucking into a hearty helping of clam chowder at at Anthony’s Fish Grotto (1360 North Harbor Drive), a seafood restaurant with more than 60 years of history in San Diego.

PLAY

Explore Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, home to 17 museums and historical buildings built between 1820 and 1870. Then, admire the gardens and buildings in

Balboa Park (1549 El Prado)— the site of international expositions in 1915 and 1935. Or make a trip to Julian, a historic mining town 60 miles from downtown San Diego, or