Landmarks

This is the largest community center in San Diego and was established by the late Joan Croc, wife of Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald's. The center includes an area for performing arts, Olympic-size skating rink and a competition-sized swimming and diving pool on 12.5 acres. The center created opportunities for development on University Avenue and La Mesa Boulevard.

Carriers have always been a fixture of the Navy's presence in San Diego. Now in addition to the active carriers stationed at North Island, San Diego has the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum.

Plants from all over the world thrive here in the mild coastal climate 30 miles north of San Diego. Spanning 37 acres, find four miles of trails, the largest collection of bamboo in the country and the largest children's garden on the West Coast. 

San Diego Bay promises entertainment and adventure for the entire family from Point Loma, along Harbor Drive, south to the shores of Imperial Beach. Visit all the attractions, parks and shops and enjoy San Diego Bay's points of interest set against its spectacular views. The area's beauty is accented by a growing collection of public art.

San Diego is responsible for setting more than 42 historical "firsts" in aviation. These include records for altitude, distance, speed, duration, in-flight refueling and aerial photography. Others include the first aviation radio and the first night flight.

Located in the center of Balboa Park, the Museum of Art is renowned for its sophisticated collection of Italian Renaissance and Spanish Baroque Art, but is also famed for special cultural exhibits such as the first exhibition of art from Dr. Seuss, the exhibit of the famous Fabrege Eggs, the Jewels of the Romonov exclusive West Coast exhibit, and this year's Monet exhibit. All in all the museum's permanent collection contains approximately 10,500 objects from Egyptian and Pre-Columbian periods to the 20th century. Inspired by the artwork on display during the 1915 Panama Exposition in San Diego Mr. and Mrs. Appleton Bridges offered to build an art gallery for the community. The distinctive two-story building with decorative facade has served San Diego since.

The San Diego Zoo has become known as an educational way for guests to view and enjoy the animals. The exhibits at the zoo have been designed to closely simulate life in the wild that provides a stimulating environment for the animals. There are many exhibits to choose from and include African rainforest settings or Arctic tundra settings.

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park (formerly San Diego Wild Animal Park) is physically located inland from Escondido in the San Pasqual Valley. But its really in the bush of another continent or so it seems to visitors. Here animals are seen in their natural settings with so much room to roam that it hardly seems like a zoo.? Visitors ride the trams to view the various exhibits and its almost possible to believe its a real safari.  

In 1970, the San Diego City Council dedicated 6,000 acres of tide and submerged lands as an underwater park. The park extends from La Jolla Cove to the Torrey Pines State Reserve. Within the underwater park are two special areas created by the California Fish and Game Commission: the Ecological Reserve and the Marine Life Refuge.

The visitor center for the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve is LEED Platinum certified and showcases green building concepts in use. View the lagoon from the center's second-story observation deck, learn about the preserve with interactive museum exhibits or walk through the half-mile loop trail. The trail is ADA-accessible and the center offers plenty of activities for children. Admission and parking are free, the center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.