Things to do in San Diego in September

Not so sizzling-hot that your shirt looks like it’s been water-bombed by the time you’ve walked a couple of blocks, nor so cool that you can’t still enjoy the golden sands of Ocean Beach and La Jolla, September is pretty much San Diego’s Goldilocks month. There are still plenty of festivals going on in and around the city as summer winds down and, by the month’s mid-way point, shoulder-season prices are starting to kick in. Put simply, for you that means cheaper hotel rooms, cheaper flights, and plenty of restaurant and attraction promotions designed to keep the punters coming in. In short, visiting San Diego in September is a no-brainer.

Discover more in our guide to where to stay in San Diego.

Planning to check out some of San Diego’s world-class attractions while you’re in town? Of course you are! You’re thinking: European Old Masters and modern American sculpture at the San Diego Museum of Art, a tour of the Padres Petco Park Stadium, a day at the zoo – am I right? The San Diego pass from Go City can save you up to 50% on access to all of these, plus many more tours, activities and attractions across the city. 

Get your San Diego pass here.

Things to do in San Diego in September

If you’re going to San Diego in September, go hungry. San Diego Restaurant Week sees dozens of the city’s top eateries offer fixed price menus at rock-bottom prices. Think of it as something of a supermarket sweep, but with food, as restaurants from Miramar to Mission Bay and Hillcrest to Harbor Island welcome guests for budget lunches and dinners across eight belt-loosening days. Bookings for this epic edible extravaganza is highly recommended. 

Find out more about participating restaurants here.

One of the best things about visiting San Diego in September is that you can still expect lovely summery weather but, with all the kids back in school, everything just feels a lot less… crowded. Case in point: the sprawling 1,200-acre urban green space that is Balboa Park. Take a stroll along architectural stunner that is El Prado boulevard to ogle the garlanded columns of the Casa del Prado and to grab snaps of the California Building’s colorful tiled dome for your Insta.

You can also take your pick of some of the city’s best museums – think the Air and Space Museum, Museum of Modern Art and quite marvelous Museum of Us, to name just a few. Find your zen in the park’s tranquil Japanese Friendship Garden or say hey to the hundreds of furry, feathered and scaly residents at San Diego Zoo.

Read our complete guide to Balboa Park here.

Get a little off the beaten path in San Diego at any time of year and you’re all but guaranteed authentic, crowd-free fun. It’s even better in September when you might find you have North Park’s indie art galleries, Point Loma’s tide pools, Hillcrest’s picturesque Arts and Crafts houses and Coronado’s Bayshore Bikeway pretty much entirely to yourself. Surfers should strike out for La Jolla’s lesser-spotted Windansea Beach and art-lovers could do worse than a walking tour of some of San Diego’s best urban street art – try Chicano Park, Adams Avenue and the epic Sea Walls Project for the win.

Ok sure: San Diego’s main Oktoberfest event usually takes place in October – like, duh. But it’s often early October which is, like, almost September, right? Anyway… this traditional Bavarian beer-fest has been adopted wholesale by thirsty San Diegans – no surprise, perhaps, given the huge number of microbreweries in this, the craft beer capital of the USA. And, in fact, celebrations do kick off in earnest during September, when Liberty Public Market hosts its excellent annual Craftoktoberfest and local microbrewing hotspots including North Park, Hillcrest and Ocean Beach get involved with Oktoberfest-related events and promotions in their many many brewpubs and taprooms.

Over in East County, La Mesa’s Oktoberfest is the largest in the county, and usually takes place in late September or early October. This beery behemoth has been running for more than half a century and features activities like bratwurst-eating competitions, yodeling contests, and dachshund races. Don’t forget your lederhosen!

Even San Diego’s most popular attractions are a lot less crowded in September than in, say, July and August. Mission Beach’s fabulously old-school Belmont Park is a case in point, promising shorter queues and vintage seaside fairground vibes in spades. Ride the century-old wooden Giant Dipper roller coaster (if you dare), test your driving skills on the bumper cars, win a cuddly toy and go home on a cotton-candy sugar high.

There’s a raft of activities available along the luscious shores of La Jolla, San Diego’s sun-kissed northern beach destination par excellence. Sure, you could just lounge on the golden sands of crescent-shaped La Jolla Shores, and we’d heartily recommend you spend some time doing precisely that! But if you fancy a little extra excitement, why not rent a kayak and snorkel to explore the San Diego–La Jolla Underwater Park, an absolutely pristine marine reserve where you can eyeball stingrays, leopard sharks, sea turtles and more cruising through the gin-clear waters. 

Explore the seven secret sea caves once used by Prohibition-era smugglers or get your thrill on with a leap of faith over the cliffs of nearby Torrey Pines. You can find out more about tandem paragliding experiences here, and secure La Jolla kayaking, snorkeling and indeed surfing equipment with the San Diego pass.

No head for heights? Fear not: San Diego’s pleasant September climate means it’s also a great time for experiencing the stunning Torrey Pines landscape on foot. There are 2,000 acres of rugged bluffs, windswept plateaus and colorful wildflowers to explore in Torrey Pines Nature Reserve, named for the endangered tree (pictured above) that’s unique to this stretch of coast. Meanwhile over in Mission Valley, the Mission Trails National Park is, at a whopping 7,000 acres, one of the largest urban parks in the US. Hike up Cowles Mountain for 360-degree panoramas of the city and beyond. 

As the name suggests, Sunset Cliffs Natural Park just south of Ocean Beach promises some of the finest clifftop sunset views in town, while our old pal Balboa Park is where it’s at for flatter, shorter and altogether less strenuous (yet no less beautiful) hiking opportunities.