San Diego
Why yes! San Diego was an adventure!
The Safari Park, the museums, downtown, the zoo?
Not to mention the food, Sea World, and Addison!
The week after Thanksgiving was the perfect time to visit all that San Diego had to offer. With the exception of Knott’s Berry Farm, the parks never felt crowded nor did they feel like ghost towns. It made for an intimate and personal experience without the stress of large crowds.
We found a cozy Airbnb settled right in the middle of everything, and it had an amazing view of the bay.
It is important to note up front that we invested in the San Diego Go City All Inclusive pass for all 7 days of our trip. This pass gives the holder access to over 50 San Diego attractions in exchange for a single payment up front. It more than paid for itself, and we highly recommend the up front investment. We are not being paid to say that, and we do recommend looking into it if you are considering a visit to San Diego.
San Diego. A week of fun, food, and even learning. It was by no means relaxing, but we wouldn’t have it any other way! Scroll to the bottom for more pictures!
The Itinerary—at least as far as we can recollect:
Day 1 - Sunday:
Make it to our Airbnb
Knott’s Berry Farm
Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant
Del Taco midnight dinner enjoying the view
Day 2 - Monday:
San Diego Zoo
Albert’s Restaurant
Old Town San Diego
Lou and Mickey’s
Seaport Village
Ghirardelli
Day 3 - Tuesday:
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Day 4 - Wednesday:
Sea World
Sunny Jim’s Cave
Downtown La Jolla area
Sea Lions on the beach
Cupcake Machine
Raised by Wolves
Addison
Day 5 - Thursday:
Balboa Park
Anthropology, air and space, automotive museums, Japanese garden, botanical garden, California Tower
Back to the Zoo!
Hodads
Surprise street fair!
Day 6 - Friday:
Morning Glory
Maritime Museum
Midway
Lucha Libre
Haunted tours Old Town San Diego
June et Jolie
Day 7 - Saturday:
Medieval Times
The trip home
The Highlights:
Knott’s Berry Farm:
We started our trip by stopping at Knott’s Berry Farm on the way down from our home. It was crowded. Really crowded. The Saturday after Thanksgiving is apparently not the day to go to Knott’s, but it was covered by our Go City passes, so we decided to stop by to take a break from driving. That said, we were able to make it onto one ride, and after that, we walked the park exploring the various kiosks, gift shops, and potential ride candidates for a future visit. Our consensus? Come back when it’s less crowded for some of the better rides, and go back to Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant while we’re at it!
San Diego Zoo Safari Park:
Our San Diego Go City passes got us into the Safari Park, but we splurged for a private safari that brought us into the enclosures to get up close and personal with some of the animals. Each safari experience is a little different since the animals are free to roam where ever and however they wish.
Our tour guide was wonderful, knowledgeable, and dare we say, funny! After our private tour, we explored the rest of the park. We tried the tour included in the park ticket, went up in a helium balloon, and did a lot of walking. The Safari park is still well worth the trip even without the private tour.
San Diego Zoo:
This was another Go City pass option, and we again splurged for the private tour. This time it was the Polar Bear and Friends tour. Another splurge that was well worth it. It was the only time we saw polar bears the entire trip!
And after that, we explored the rest of the zoo. Our advice: bring your most comfortable shoes, and plan ahead. The San Diego Zoo is huge and the animals are aplenty. It’s best enjoyed over the course of multiple days so as not to rush.
We went back twice, and we’re still pretty sure there was more to see.
Sea World:
Sea World was also included in our Go City passes. It was clearly the off season, and the programming was limited as a result. Much of the park was under construction, but what was still open provided for a fun experience. The park pushes a message of “conservation and preservation” over its entertainment focus of the 90’s, however, that by no means makes for a less enjoyable outing. Given that the park was nearly empty, we had plenty of time to explore what it had to offer. The shows were fun, educational, and of course wet depending on seating location.
Old Town San Diego:
Ghost tours, restaurants, tourist trap gift shops, and more! We stopped by a few times once for a ghost themed history lesson after a nice meal, once for a restaurant, and once to see the cigar shop/museum with the most knowledgeable, self-proclaimed “Tobacco Nerd” we have ever met.
Seaport Village:
Another fun tourist location similar to the above in offerings. Restaurants, gift shops, and of course, more! We stopped by after a nice dinner in downtown San Diego, to enjoy a walk near the water and see the sights.
Sunny Jim’s Cave and a surprise visit from some Sea Lions:
A unique cave formation at the bottom of a slippery staircase hidden in the back of an unassuming gift shop. The picture doesn’t do it justice, but we recommend a visit for sure! Oh and we had a surprise visit from some sea lions!
Balboa Park:
A collection of museums large and small, each with its own theme depending on what you want to see. There’s an automobile museum, an air and space museum, a Comicon museum, a Japanese Friendship Garden, and much more. Bring your walking shoes!
Medieval Times:
We stopped at Medieval Times on our way back from San Diego. A guilty pleasure, and another excuse to take a break from driving. There’s nothing quite like screaming for The Red Knight buzzed on several tall adult beverages while eating the driest chicken we have ever had. But, we didn’t really go for the food did we.
The Food:
Morning Glory
A hip breakfast spot with amazing branding, delicious food, a champagne vending machine, and an all seeing eye.
Addison
A 2 star Michelin restaurant with nervous staff, but amazing food. Yes it was an expensive night, but it was a life changing experience. A must for the foodies.
June et Jolie
Another restaurant with good branding and atmosphere. This is a 1 star Michelin restaurant with French inspired cuisine and a reel to reel sound system. Another must for the foodies.
Hodads
Quite probably the best hamburger we’ve ever had. Stickers cover every square inch of the wall, and the staff is friendly and fun.
Lou and Mickey’s
A reasonably priced steakhouse. What you see is what you get, and what you get is quite good.
Ghirardelli
The classic square chocolate brand. We had a Ghirardelli hot chocolate with chocolate chip cookie and a hot fudge sundae after a long day of walking. It was a fun treat.
Raised by Wolves
A bar hidden behind a Scooby Doo style revolving fireplace. The selection is vast and unique as is the atmosphere. We saw it on the map and decided to stop by on our way to see a movie.
Lucha Libre
A Lucha themed Mexican restaurant with excellent tacos. Go in wearing a Lucha mask and get a discount. The walls are covered in Lucha memorabilia.
