Sightseeing in San Diego, California…read more.. I don't remember why I had this place on my List of Things To See, but we stumbled across the Historic Alvarado House when we visited the San Diego County Fair on 6-25-23. The person who actually spotted this exhibit is Emmett T. I thought that the house was a functional structure in a residential area, but no... Not now. It used to be - in 1885 when it was sold for $600 to Don Diego de Jesus. Currently, the house is located near the Garden/landscaping contest displays, the Historic Alvarado House was on the edge of the "Blue Zone" of the Fair. The most recent owner of house donated it to the Del Mar Historical Society. Plans are in the works to move the house somewhere else and present it as a museum. We arrived at the San Diego County Fair around 6pm and the house was closed for tours. Maybe if we return and get there earlier, we would be able to walk through the house and observe the contents? Thanks to Emmett (again) for being a great tour guide!

This is THE MOST AMAZING HIDDEN JEWEL of San Diego County! The History is so very deep,…read moremulticultural, humbling and beautiful. A small remnant of our distant past here in Southern California. You and your Family are blessed to have the opportunity to visit. AND it is just beyond BEAUTIFUL. Peaceful. Deep. Spirit filled and spiritual. Full of stories, ghosts and history. This should be something that everyone in North County knows and Loves!!!! Just a Godsend and Blessing!

This is a a great place to take portraits, the staff is friendly. It's also a great place to just…read moresimply go for a walk and enjoy the nature that surround you.

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.

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.

This place is an absolute gem hidden off of Melrose! You turn down in here and you see so many…read morebeautiful things. There are peacocks during the early morning time roaming around. They have a beautiful little movie theater where you can watch a show about how it all began and a tiny little gift shop. Then you can walk around and see all of the horse stables, houses, and beautiful reflection pool.

We got the opportunity to walk with a docent/guide during a light rain we had in May. It was s nice…read moreto walk in the rain and hear stories of the past at Leo Carrillo Ranch. The cacti were in blossom which was a unique treat! We saw peacocks, a wide variety of local biota and enjoyed talking story with a knowledgeable elder.

I stumbled upon this bridge after visiting a brewery nearby. This bridge is located in Del Mar…read moreoverlooking the San Dieguito Lagoon. Every single time I drive up to San Diego, I'm curious if there was a way to access this lagoon. Finally, I saw my way into this peaceful nature. There were some wildlife birds just relaxing soaking in the sun, while small fishes swimming in the water. Very calm environment to stay at for about an hour or less. You can also walk on a trail along the epic lagoon view. Parking is available in a small parking area. Nice quick spot to just free your mind away from your everyday life.

Tourist attraction…read more.. This point of interest was on my list of places to visit for a long time. Why did I not go sooner? ...Probably because The Grand Avenue Bridge is located at the "beginning" of San Diego - in Del Mar. Usually, our first stop is a foodie place - instead of a Point of Interest - like this one. Grand Avenue Bridge (like Craig Y. said) is more like a pier because it stops in the middle of the wetlands. It doesn't connect from point to point. It was roped off on 5-7-23 for safety reasons, so, we just walked around to get better views of this landmark. Established in 2016, the Grand Avenue Bridge is popular for its walking paths in the area. The wild flowers, fresh air, free parking, and beautiful landscape is very relaxing and a perfect start to a wonderful vacation!

A fantastic slice of early California history with a beautiful church built in 1811, fascinating…read morecemetary, a 200+ year old pepper tree, coffee shop, excellent gift shop, museum, and tours of the buildings and grounds. There is even a priest who sits outside to bless you and any items you purchased in the gift shop -- a nice touch! Notwithstanding Father Junípero Serra's apparent and controversial role in the cultural and physical destruction of Indigenous peoples, the place is a great peek into the past from religious, cultural, and archtectural perpectives.

A must see mission. I would also recommend taking the behind the scenes tour with Ted on Sundays…read more This mission has so much history and is the King of all Missions

The Encinitas Historical Society dedicates itself to preserving history and educating people…read more Volunteers have successfully saved the oldest building in town and a schoolhouse (which happens to be located on prime property) from greedy developers. Passionate individuals donate their time at all of the local street fares and other community events. They also sponsor free 90 minute walking tours with docents who love to share broad knowledge, helping people interpret the region's history. Ecninitas Historcal Society is a local success story and we are truly blessed to have such generous people working to preserve what is left of Encinitas' rich history.

I feel so very blessed to be able to come to the City of Solana Beach each Monday for run club…read more Run North County hosts run clubs in North County all thru the week and Monday runs are here. I keep coming back because the running routes are breathtakingly gorgeous. So while you torture yourself running, you at least get distracted my mindblowing views. I would have to agree with others that the City of Solana Beach is super chill and not too crowded. The older I get, the more I appreciate peace, space and calm. I really love this place and so glad I'm not too far away and can enjoy this beach weekly!

This cute little town south of Encinitas and north of San Diego is a nice place to stroll around…read moreand go shopping for house decor items (lots of interior design businesses here), gifts for the ones you love, or just to grab a coffee or a bite to eat. The area on Cedros Avenue is like a walkable business district that has lots of free parking and many varied stores to shop. That business district has about 85 merchants, artisans, one-of-a-kind curators and collectors. Fashion boutiques, fine jewelry, art galleries, outdoor cafes and more, all clustered along a peaceful 2 1/2 blocks in North County's nearby Solana Beach. We loved spending time in this part of San Diego county. Relaxing and cute.

So nice to see some Japanese artifacts in Temecula, California. We stayed at they hotel across the…read morestreet and saw a duck park with a Japanese gate everyday when we left the hotel. We walked over to see what it was and learned about a Sister City program where cities exchange items. We walked around the park and saw some Dutch items and Japanese. Of course we took a couple selfies and admired the gate and other items in the park.

I like going here because it's peaceful but the meaning behind it also makes me like it that much…read moremore. It's an icon to symbolize the sister city with Daisen. I like that Temecula has gotten more diverse in terms of public places and not just the restaurants. I take my kids here to hang out with the ducks and geese. It's also pretty manicured and well maintained.

My family and I decided to come to Julian for a couple of days and stayed at an Airbnb about 5…read moreminutes out of town.. We had not been anywhere for quite a while together or separately so this was a easy get away as it is about an hour away from where we live. There are only two ways to get here so check your map before you leave as one way is a very curvy ;() road around Cuyamaca or you can spend an extra 10 or 15 minutes to come to Ramona which I prefer. Although, it is more Scenic going around the Cuyamaca area and seeing the the lake. We spent a couple of hours Friday walking around Julian and there are lots of tourist shops with some interesting items, several breweries and a handful of restaurants and lots of pie shops. If you like pie you'll get a real variety here. For instance, boysenberry Apple Dutch crumb. Yum! We did stop at a barbecue place that was just okay and were able to sit outside. Saturday we came back into town and made a our way up to Menghini Winery which I had not been to in the many years. I was very happy to see it still open and spoke with one of the owners briefly as she told me there were only three people working there and they were only bottling three types of wine. My son's wife and I bought a nice Chardonnay for $27. I tried a little of the Merlot which I liked but was really looking for a Malbec or Meritage which is my favorite. There are a few wineries up here one close to the one we visited called Vulcan and there's a lake there small and one in town. I am posting a little information on the history of the town of Julian so if you're interested you can follow through. It was settled in 1869 and the Julian Hotel was run and owned by the first Afro-American. There used to be a carriage with horses that would take you around town didn't see that this time. There's also a fun mine, a lovely gem shop, a pistol and knife shop. The fresh air was great and the sunrises and sunsets were spectacular. I look forward to coming back here with another adult leave the three teenagers behind. LOL

This was our first stop during our little trip to Julian, we came to Town Hall. They had several…read morepamphlets and maps for around town. Once we stepped inside they had alot of plenty nice looking quilts for sale and for auction. They also had other several little things for sale. We ended up leaving with a homemade lavender candle that actually came in handy at the hotel we ended up staying at lol.