It’s time to book your flights and pack up the bags because San Diego vacations take many people’s breath away. Sunny weather, white sand beaches and amazing attractions, are the perfect setting for a great San Diego family vacation. There are many affordable San Diego hotels to choose from that love to roll out the red carpet for anyone as well as numerous activities that provide endless fun for the whole family.
Parents enjoy San Diego’s great shopping, thriving downtown, sports, recreation, golf and some spectacular hotels while kids love the great San Diego attractions, white sand beaches and other exciting activities.
The most popular and renowned of San Diego's attractions is Sea World. It is home to aquatic creatures of all kinds, including cute penguins, and several land animals as well, such as Clydesdale horses. Travelers of all ages love to get next to some of these fascinating animals. Sea World also has all sorts of shows, including Shamu, the killer whale, the Cirque de la Mer, which offers a touch of the Cirque du Soleil feel, and Pets Rule!, which demonstrates a variety of things typical pets can do.
People that enjoy seeing some extra dangerous sea beasts find the Shark Encounter perfect, as it allows close-up views of live sharks. Sea World also offers an exciting selection of rides, some of which will most certainly leave you soaking wet. You can ride the Shipwreck Rapids and the Journey to Atlantis to cool down from the heat. The Bayside Skyride is also very entertaining but more easy going and offers a beautiful view overlooking the San Diego Bay. There are plenty of places to eat and restaurants offering different types of cuisine and beverage choices to complete the day of fun for the whole family.
Because it is the site of California's first mission, San Diego is a special place to visit for those who adore history. It has the 1st church in California and was responsible for sending the Catholic religion into the West. It was founded by Franciscan friars from Mexico in July (which at that time was called New Spain) in 1769 and housed the padres and Native Americans for decades. Mission San Diego de Alcalá remains an active parish and it is open for tours. There are several festivals and celebrations commemorated there. One of the most prominent ones is the Festival of the Bells celebrating the beginning of the mission.
The Gaslamp Quarter is another great historical site worth visiting while taking one of your San Diego Vacations. There are numerous tours that are available for those who would prefer to learn more about the history of San Diego downtown. If you prefer just to walk around, relax and have a good time during your San Diego vacations, Gaslamp also features plentiful shopping, fine and casual dining, a vibrant nightlife and many hotels including Hilton, Marriott, Hard Rock and Westin.
While on your San Diego Vacation you can take some amusing little excursions that don't require an entire day. You can visit Coronado Island, a small beach side community boasting the great historic Hotel Del Coronado by driving over the Coronado Bridge or by taking a Coronado ferry from downtown. Rumor has it that the hotel is haunted which makes the visit there that much more exciting. Even if you don’t visit the hotel take a walk around the Coronado Ferry Landing and gaze at the spectacular daytime and nighttime views of Downtown San Diego.
Sports fans will most certainly enjoy Petco Park, which is home to the Padres baseball team, as well as Qualcomm Stadium, the home of Chargers football. You can arrange to have some fun at these spectacular sports arenas depending on your San Diego vacation schedule.
San Diego is also a city wealthy in modern culture and there is a great deal to explore. It is very easy to get around San Diego. You can rent a car, but San Diego also has excellent public transportation. Trolleys stop at many of the city's hotspots adding to the charm of “Americas Finest City”. If you come, you will not regret to take San Diego vacations and the hardest thing for you will be to leave and who knows, one day you might become one of those permanent San Diego vacationers.
