I absolutely love Old Poway Park! It's located in a really nice, safe neighborhood and has such a…read morecalm, peaceful atmosphere. It's the perfect spot for family picnics, bike rides, or just spending a relaxing afternoon outside. There are also some great, yummy restaurants nearby, which makes it easy to turn your visit into a full day out. I do photography as a hobby, and this is one of my favorite locations to shoot--the scenery is beautiful, so much variety, and has so much character. Overall, it's a charming, relaxing place that I always enjoy coming back to.

This is a fantastic park. It is large, there is plenty of parking on the street or nearby lots as…read morelong as it is not a Saturday morning with the farmers market and softball tournaments at the other park across the street. The park has some fantastic old architecture and there are plaques telling you about some of it. There is a giant grass area, with nice large trees, some shade, some picnic areas, and a section that you can reserve for large parties. There is a hamburger joint on the premises as well. There is a giant gazebo where a young musician was singing her heart out. There is a working old train, you can pay to take a ride around the park. Great spot for photography too, see attached photos.

When I knew I'd be spending a few days in Escondido, I started looking into all that this San Diego…read moresuburb comes to offer. After checking out TripAdvisor, Queen Califia's Magical Circle Garden stood out. I'm all about art, especially when the scale is impressive like it is here. We stopped by on a Tuesday morning around 9:30 a.m. Make sure to check out their website to see when they're open because their hours are quite limited (Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. when I was there and every fourth Saturday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.). It's located inside Kit Carson Park. I didn't have any trouble parking in their lot and then walking to the sculpture garden. Once you arrive, take in all the artist, Niki de Saint Phalle, created. It's weird, it's cool, and it's trippy all in one. There's some information you can read to learn more and while we were there, there were some members of the non-profit that is involved with the art installation there that told us more about it. Walk around and take it all in. You can easily do it in 10-15 minutes and it's a free attraction. Saint Phalle has other artwork in San Diego, but the Magical Circle Garden, is by far the most expansive one in terms of scope. And the most interesting in my book.

Tucked away inside the massive 285 acre Kit Carson Park, you'll find Queen Califia's Magical Circle…read moreGarden by renowned artist Niki de Saint Phalle. Completed and opened to the public on October 26, 2003, this whimsical, meaningful, and colorful sculpture garden is surrounded by an incredible 400 foot snake wall. Once you meander through the mosaic & mirrored mini-maze, there are nine freestanding sculptures: Cathead Totem Birdhead Totem Yelling Man Totem Bullhead Totem Untitled Totem (Bird on a Square) Kingfisher Totem Step Totem Snake Totem Each totem is something marvelous to behold, and de Saint Phalle's mosaic work is simply spectacular. There are also 3 freestanding benches faced in travertine marble by Pierre-Marie Lejeune that measure from 13-20 feet in length. In my opinion, the standout feature of the garden is the central structure called Queen Califia and the Eagle Throne. It is so beautifully unique, and the space underneath almost feels sacred with the golden egg (former) fountain and the spectacular celestial ceiling. Queen Califia was a legendary black Amazonian who was believed to rule a terrestial island of gold and riches "to the right of the Indies." It is only fitting that this special garden has been erected in her honor. In fact, this is the only American sculpture garden by Niki de Saint Phalle! The garden is surrounded by a locked fence and is only open on Tuesdays and Thursday from 9am-12pm, and on 2nd & 4th Saturdays from 9am-2pm. Docents were available to answer questions today, and they are usually onsite during the hours when the garden is open. This special space is certainly worth a visit, and it would be lovely to pair it with a hike and a picnic in the park for sure. Keep in mind that there is a short walking trail that you need to traverse to get to the garden after you've parked your car, Additionally, you can hike in from other areas of the park as well. Be sure to take a look at the story boards to the right of the entrance facing the snake wall before you enter to gain more history and context for this special installation that we are lucky to have in Escondido. Entry is free and parking is free. There are bathrooms in the park. I took about 20 minutes to peruse the area, and that was enough time for this visit (it was also 90 degrees), but do plan accordingly depending on your interests and needs. Peace.

What a fun evening doing a private Taste of Little Italy food walking tour with Adriana! We had…read moresuch a wonderful time learning the history of Little Italy and enjoying the food from 4 different places. Highly recommend doing it with your out of town guests or with your foodie friends. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/349327055627 We took our time and never felt rushed. Food was amazing! I've lived here for over 20 years and never knew much about the history of Little Italy. Adriana was such a fun guide and I already can't wait to go again!

Anthony gave a fantastic tour. There was plenty of amazing food, and we all thoroughly enjoyed the…read morehistory as well! All in all, this was a spectacular tour and the highlight of the trip for all of us!!

The Lakeside Museum is a well kept secret. The building began its long life as the rectory/home for…read morethe Church next door's pastors and their families for almost 100 years. Now it houses a wide variety of antiques and items from Lakeside's long colorful history! A personal favorite is the machine women would use to give their hair a "permanent". If you're interested in the paranormal history of Lakeside you need to stop by for a visit! As a paranormal investigator, I've conducted 2 full investigations of the museum and the Church, one in 2014 and another in 2017. My written analysis's of all recording devices along with a portable hard drive with these files are filed in the nearby Lakeside Historical Society's office and are available to the public.

Julia was terrific! Knowledgeable, personable, accommodating, and passionate about her job. She…read moremade our tour so memorable and we couldn't recommend this business more. Thank you so much for a great experience, Julia!

What a great experience. My wife and I try to complete an electric bike tour in every city we…read morevisit. We've visited San Diego several times, but our visits were limited to the particular attraction we were visiting. This bike tour is a wonderful way to see so much of San Diego via bike. The location is easy to find, and parking is easy to find ( there is a huge parking structure next door). We were met by Kevin who was our guide for the tour. Awesome personality with a friendly demeanor. His knowledge of the San Diego area is impressive. He was full of fun facts about the city. The course was delightful and the bikes were easy to ride. I highly recommend this city tour and hope you get Kevin as your guide, you won't be disappointed.

My son and I visited a week ago Saturday. Carol gave us the tour of the barn. There were many cool…read morehistorical items in the museum. Items from when it was a dairy farm, part of the Edgemoor Hospital and Photos of documents of Santee history. I would love to add photos to my review, but can't see how.

From the owner: Santee Historical Society operates out of the 1913 historic Edgemoor Dairy Barn Museum. Open every…read moreTuesday 10am-12pm and every 3rd Saturday of each month from 10am-2pm

Excelente servicio, muy feliz de haberlos contratado en lugar de llevar varios carros a Valle. El…read moreSr. Carlos fue puntual, amable y de mucha ayuda. Nos dio informacion de restaurantes y viñedos pero tambien historia y datos durante el camino. Volveria a contratar sus servicio. Gracias Baja Viajes.

Heard about wine country in Valle de Guadalupe and my wife and I are so glad we booked with Baja…read moreViajes. It was a pleasure to spend the day with Carlos, great to be around and was a wealth of knowledge about everything from TJ throughout the Valley. Just took the train to the border and walked across. Once we figured out there were a few crossing points it was pretty easy to find the car in the correct meeting spot. My only regret was not booking a couple days for the trip to the valley, will definitely book again next time we're in San Diego.

The boys were invited to host the Flag Ceremony at a city council meeting. Before the meeting…read morestarted, we were lucky enough to be given a private tour by Deputy Mayor John Mullin. He was very patient with the boys, and was certainly amiable and pleasant to talk to. The grounds of the area were a great space for the boys to play an impromptu game of soccer while waiting for the meeting to start. The inside offices were as expected, and the meeting hall itself looks imposing and official. Not sure there is any reason for me to visit again (since I am not a resident of Poway to begin with). But it was a great introduction to politics to the boys who, hopefully, will become our future policymakers someday.

A total hidden gem for anyone! Tiny engines, motors, and other devices mostly handcrafted from…read morescratch. All sorts of model vehicles, ships and planes plus a fun dollhouse section. Lots of interesting details and background information to read.

Admission was free. It was very interesting because I love crafting. Also because there was a…read morescavenger hunt that I completed and got a little lizard 3d print.

My friend and I went for a birthday celebration. It was just the two of us. On March 14, it was a…read morefine spring day. Perfect to be on a mountain top in the sunshine sifting through rocks and hunting for gems. The Oceanview mine works in finding a number of different quartz, Tourmoline, and other gems. Take a look at their website. For $75 for an adult, you get all the equipment that you need to sift through rock and gravel piles which they set out for you. There are a big tables, the two grades of sorters, a bucket, trowel, and toothbrush to clean off rocks. Also a big tray of water to rinse your rocks in and clean them off. There were igneous rocks with black tourmaline and tiny pieces of garnet. It was a lot of fun. You have to get there promptly at the opening time in order to get situated and the digging/sorting/sifting begins sharp at 10 AM. You have three hours and 45 minutes to go through all the rocks that you want. Bring your own gloves! They also have shaded umbrellas, and 5 gallon buckets to purchase that you can load up with rocks to sift through on your own at home. While it was a fun adventure, and I've never been to a quarry mine that you could actually look for your own gems, the staff did leave a little to training, although they were very good about going around and assisting you. However, I think if you really want to find something, you need to educate yourself ahead of time as to what you are looking for and what is available. Five minute presentation to 50 people wouldn't you can't even really look at the rocks and no handout or guide sheet for reference was a drawback. They don't take credit cards for the entrance. You have to pay cash. Children are a lower price. But they do take credit cards for memorabilia, gemstones that they have turned into jewelry and other items. And also for the rentals. I thought the purchasing of a 5 gallon bucket for $10 was too much. They don't make it clear that if you want to take home a 5 gallon bucket of extra stones to sort through then you can bring your own. I thought for the price of $75 a 5 gallon bucket would be included. They are not. There are picnic tables in the shade where you can have your own lunch, there is a grill you can use if you want to utilize that. Bring all of your own beverages, water, and snacks and meal. There is a short tour that you can take of the areas that they mine on this mountain. You load up on a four wheel vehicle that holds six people and spin around the mountainside, stopping at the entrance of three of the mine shafts. This is only about a 5 to 7 minute tour. They don't allow you to stop get out and take pictures in front of the mine openings. This was certainly a drawback. They could've extended the "tour" to let you get out and take pictures in front of the mine shafts. Perhaps it is a liability issue I don't know. I would not do this for a second time since I've already done it, without further educating myself about gem hunting and what exactly I was looking for. But for a one time adventure, it was fun and we had a beautiful spring day. Don't forget your sunblock and sunglasses and hat!

It's All Mine You…read moreever see the meme about how the children yearn for the mines? Yeah, well, turns out it's really true. My son is a rock hound, and the idea of being able to mine your own gems here at Oceanview Mines has been on his lips for a few years now. So, we finally decided that for his Xmas gift last year, we'd make his dreams come true with a trip to SD and a visit to the mines. Most kids want Disneyland, but mine wants to mine, which, oddly enough, sounds about right. :0) The Good: *Reservations are mandatory and made easily thru the website. They'll keep you informed and reminded of your apt both thru email and text message. *Staff is very friendly and helpful. *Store that sells swag as well as gems and other rocks to take home and pretend you mined yourself. They do take CC at the store fyi. *Very clean and hospitable restrooms. *Shaded/covered areas w/ picnic tables to rest and grab a nosh at. *Even if you're not really into it (aka moi), you kinda get the fever of what's next as you sift thru each load. Kinda like playing the slot machines at the casino kinda rush. You could definitely see how someone can get addicted to this. *Fun for the whole family. The Meh: *Must bring cash for your entrance fee to the mine, which is strange considering that they take CC at the store. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ *The drive up to the mine was a bit harry, but nothing too bad. If you're coming after a big rain, it might be better if you had some kinda AWD SuV, tho. The Ugly: *Kinda pricey for what it is imo @$75/ea (12-××) & $60/ea (5-11 yrs old) w/ no option to just come along for the ride and not actively mine. *Their rules about paying ahead of time seem a bit "Soup N@zi"-ish, but it's nowhere near as bad as it sounds. Just make sure you have your waiver printed and signed, and your cash in hand (bring exact change don't assume they're gonna make change). Conclusion: Pricey but fun and 100% worth it if you're into gems and such. My son would do this every day if he could. Tips: *If you arrive early, they you have the opportunity to walk around the property and search for stuff that's laying about. Can't access the pile until it's time, tho. *Definitely bring a hat (wide-brimmed preferable), because even in the winter the sun can be brutal. It is still SoCal, after all. *Bring gloves because you're hands will get tore up sifting thru all that rock. A pair of those nitrile dipped ones (±$3-5) from the hardware store should suffice. *A bucket to carry your haul and any other equipment you bring. Doesn't need to be a huge bucket but at least a 2-gallon. *An umbrella or one of those covered structures you take to the beach would be great, if you have it. They do have umbrellas to rent for $15. *Bring snacks and drinks. They do sell some stuff if you forget or would rather not be bothered, but then you can't complain about what they have. ;) *Bring spare clothes, because you will get wet and dirty. There's just no avoiding it. *Get ready for a workout, as it's pretty hard work doing this for four hours. Disclaimer: This really isn't my thing, as I could care less about rocks, gems, and mining. So the rating would most likely be higher if I did, so take that FWIW.