I learned so much about the local history. This is a great place for local artists to show their…read morework!

Small, but charming and informative civic museum discussing the history of the town and the valley…read more Helpful and friendly staff. Easy parking.

I came in again today to donate some stuff my kids left at the house. Just dropped off car seat…read more This place is in desperate need of having their carpet shampooed. There is a donation table at the front of business on right side to leave your stuff.

It's free, but parking can be a major pain in the butt…read more We drove down from Escondido to see IB's famous Sandcastle competition. We were fortunate to have a parking driveway reserved for us, but the traffic was really bad and people were parking many many blocks away from the beach area. Paid parking lots were even farther away.. Overall this was a fun time, though I suppose if you came here for just for the sandcastles you might be disappointed. This year's theme was "Pirates" and I think they did a good job hiring the right people to entertain guests. Bonus points for not hiring that fake Jack Sparrow that seems to find himself at every event in San Diego. They also had a large kid area for various crafts. Sandcastles - After talking with some of the locals I found out that the professional sandcastle builders no longer come to this event and it's much smaller than previous years ( back when the US Open for Sandcastles was held here). So come with an open mind if you're looking for true master craft sandcastles. Food - Various street vendors and food trucks. I think the best options were the big slices of pizza, and the street tacos sold next door. Tip - If you're just wanting to see sandcastles you might want to come after 4pm.. The festival ends at 5 and people start leaving en masse. Plus you get to see a sunset too. - Imperial Beach doesn't have a lot of beach area between the ocean and where the castles were made. You're going to have to hike a bit to find some empty beach space. That is unless you want to sit yourself by the sandcastles ( Which surprisingly / not surprisingly some people seemed to be okay with castle watchers standing on their beach towels and invading their personal space...

This event was promoted on Thrillist. I happened to have a friend in town and we went to go check…read moreit out. Street parking was tricky as expected, and there were also options for paid lot parking. The festival offered live music, some vendors and food stands/trucks. I've seen more intricate sand castle designs, but it was still fun checking each of them out.

Although I'm very bummed , saddened, that all 3 altars were removed, as well as the hand carved…read morepews, I'm glad they kept the stained glass windows and the building's military history in tact. I'm still learning learning about this place, it's amazing that I come from a Navy family, dad and granddad, and didn't know about this place until recently. I took some photos, but adults can tour for $5 donation. Last entry at 330pm. Doors close st 4pm. Antonio in the gift shop is nice. I'd like to learn more about how the heroic San Diego veterans saved this old naval hospital chapel ( could this be THE famed "South Chapel", sister chapel to the Liberty Station "North Chapel"? ) in Balboa Park from the City tearing ot down many years ago.

We made a special trip to see this museum on a FREE Tuesday, August 11, 2026. But it was closed at…read more11:45am so we thought they may have gone to lunch. We returned at 1:30 pm but it was still closed. How disappointing. There were four other couples who came and were disappointed like us. They should put a sign outside the door that it is closed on a FREE Tuesday.

We came here to get help for our taxes and got so much more…read more Our tax consultant was amazing - patient, kind, and extremely knowledgeable. We're very grateful for his help. That said, our visit also gave us a free museum-type tour of clothing and fabrics, from seven of the cultures in the Diamond Neighborhoods: Mexican, Samoan, Somalian, Laotian, Sudanese, African-American, and Filipino, representing elements of each culture and highlight their rich traditions. I was amazed by the artisan craftsmanship and array of colors. It was stunning! I don't know if these exhibits rotate, but it was a welcome pleasure, and I'd be happy come back again just for the tour! NOTE: If the exhibits shown here are incorrectly identified (my apologies), please send me a message and I will update them. Thanks.

We attended the law-enforcement national night, owl event here on August 4, 2026. The great news is…read morethat there were so many community partners that showed up for this event. There were so many booths and vendors that came out to represent in solidarity with law-enforcement to keep the community safe. The only thing that I didn't care for is that on the side of the park that this took place in there were no real nice shaded areas. The only shade that was available on this very very hot day. Was that of the vendors who had Booth set up. The Jacob center for neighborhood innovation actually doesn't have any type of mature tree coverage nor any type of pergola set up in their main courtyard, where the hard cement area is. Overall, this was a good event. I hope that they can invest in some type of sun coverage for future events here.

Terrible. I've tried to drop off my donations, new kids and adult clothes, new backpacks and school…read moresupplies, home supplies, and they're never open. I understand that they're run by volunteers and that makes it more complicated but they're not very helpful when calling to find out when you can drop off the clothes. They don't even have their website updated that the drop off dates are subject to change or depend weekly. The only way you know when you can drop off donations is by calling everyday. They could tell you Friday they're open but make sure to call Friday because it's likely they're not actually going to be open.

Southbay, Southbay all the way. A place to work, a place to play. You'll never want to go away…read more Sun's always a shining, and never a bad day.

I've been here several times over the last few years, always for private events. I've gone to a…read morebirthday party in one of their smaller rooms, and larger church events held in their gymnasium. A good size parking lot, there's lots of spaces. While the venue appears a bit older, if does seem to be well maintained overall. They also have a good size weights/fitness area, something I haven't seen, or better, than in the few other Chula Vista rec centers I've been to.

The first time I heard about this place was a few years after it had opened up and I needed to…read morecomplete 30+ hours of community service in order to graduate from high school. I think at the time, 2003 or so, I was a sophomore and I was catching up on those community service hours (on top of it, I know). I remember I had to do a lot of trash pick up and cleaning up graffiti. Aside from that, in these last couple of years, I frequent the recreation center to play basketball (indoor). Their basket ball gym is so cool! First of all, its air conditioned. Second, they always music playing. And, finally, they have a total of 6 hoops. Two main ones and two on each side. However, sometimes they might have only a few down. It just depends. There's definitely regulars here who come in the afternoon to play five on five. Te best times to come are usually the first three hours after its opened. Its dead during the first couple of hours. Honestly, I love this place to shoot around, practice, relax and get away for a bit from everything. The following information below derives entirely and directly from the Chula Vista web site under recreation services. Built in 2000, the Otay Recreation Center includes a gymnasium, game room, patio, and a fitness center. The programs offered at the Otay Recreation Center accommodates a wide array of participants, ranging from toddlers to youth to senior citizens. The center contains a wide-spectrum of activities as well. The fitness center, which requires a membership, contains a variety of state-of-the-art equipment, including cardio machines, free weights, and weight lifting machines. The game room is open during our normal hours of operation for drop in play and consists of pool tables, foosball tables, a ping-pong table, and more. The gymnasium is available for open recreational play each night, for more information on the schedule, please calls the center or click on the link above. The Otay Recreation Center also offers a wide variety of recreational classes. These classes consist of many preschool classes, Ready, Set, Learn, Bumble Bee Sports, Apples to Zebras, Ballet, and more. Other classes offered at the center include, ballet, zumba and belly dancing. The gymnasium, game room, classroom, and patio are available for rentals. For more information, please call the center or click on the link above.

This is one of the best kept secrets in National City. My guy and I took a wrong turn and ended up…read morehere. We both enjoy old trolleys, so this gem was a huge treat. This abandoned train center is home to some old train tracks, discontinued train/trolley cars, and a history lesson. The main building offers all the 411 on trains. It is run by a group of individuals who can offer you an earfill. There is also a pretty cool toy train set inside. We wondered the grounds with our dog and explored. We were able to go inside some of the old cars. Very cool experience. Open on weekends only and completely free. It is donation only. If you are feeling generous, drop a bill in their donation can.

The National City Depot is a "must see" for all rail buffs and those interested in late 19th…read morecentury architecture.  Also known as the Santa Fe station, it was built in 1882 in the then-popular Italianate style of architecture for the California Southern Railroad, a subsidiary of the Santa Fe Railroad.  Still in its original location, it was the first terminus of transcontinental rail travel in the San Diego area.  This two-story restored building houses a railroad museum and model railroad exhibit on the first floor; the second floor is closed to the public.  The yard around the Depot is a bit of a mess, but you can see vintage street cars and other railroad equipment.  When inside, the woodwork and other interior details are especially impressive.  You have a definite feel for railroad station life in the late 19th century.