North Park street sign in San Diego

Things to do in North Park San Diego

By Stuart Bak

North Park’s eclectic mix of art galleries, microbreweries, boutique shops and 1920s Craftsman houses prompted Forbes to include the area in its list of America’s best hipster neighborhoods in 2012, calling it ‘culturally diverse’ and praising the North Park Observatory and Ray Street Arts District as twin ‘bastions of creativity’. There’s certainly plenty to do here in this compact urban neighborhood that hugs the northeast corner of sprawling Balboa Park, from brewery bar crawls to street art tours. Here, then, are our pick of the best things to do in North Park San Diego.

Beer, Glorious Beer!

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North Park is a beer drinkers’ dream-come-true, with around a dozen local craft breweries clustered within easy stumbling distance of each other, mostly in and around the main drag of 30th Avenue. Sample a hoppy West Coast IPA here and you’ll soon understand why San Diego is considered the craft beer capital of the USA. The Belching Beaver Brewery’s North Park tasting room is easily identified by the huge painted logo on the side of the building featuring – yup, you guessed it – a great big belching beaver. Don’t miss the Greetings from San Diego mural right next door, an absolute must for your Instagram feed.

Modern Times’ nearby tasting room is known as – wait for it – ‘the North Park Flavordome’. And, with a bold claim like that, it would be remiss not to take up the challenge. Grab a table beneath the forest of inverted lampshades inside and browse a menu of over 20 brews that includes the hazy Technomancer and rich Black House coffee stout. Can’t decide what to order? Flights of four different beers of your choice are also available for the terminally indecisive.

Then there’s the Fall Brewing Company with their slightly creepy Humpty Dumpty mascot that gets dressed up for special occasions like Thanksgiving and Halloween, and the sociable North Park Beer Company where weekend brunches are almost – almost – as legendary as the beers. Still thirsty? The North Park Festival of Beers rolls into town every spring, bringing street food, live music, party vibes and an ocean of beer to the streets of San Diego. Tickets include unlimited tastings.

Cider, Cocktails and Art

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But North Park isn’t just about the beer. No! Those who like their drinks a little more... appley should make a beeline for Bivouac Ciderworks, where flights of three glasses let you sample dry, sweet and flavored brews. Meanwhile over at Polite Provisions, smartly dressed bartenders mix lively cocktails for adventurous hipsters. Try the Zombie if you dare: this rum-and-absinthe concoction packs such a dizzying punch that customers are limited to just two per visit.

For visions of swirling colors and forms that are not absinthe-induced, mosey on down to Ray Street. Here in the hub of the North Park arts scene, you’ll find a plethora of shops and galleries displaying works by local and international artists. There’s plenty more to see for free on a wander through the nearby streets, with what might just be the highest concentration of great street art anywhere in San Diego. Look out for colorful works by local favorites Madsteez and Kreashun, as well as a samurai cat and skateboarding donut. Fans of American rock royalty should head north to Adams Avenue to check out artist Travis Crosby’s wall-sized tributes to Prince and Jimi Hendrix.

Formerly a 1920s cinema, University Avenue’s North Park Observatory was restored to its former glory and has played host to a veritable who’s who of indie legends since reopening as a 21st-century music venue. The roll call of past performers reads like a hipster's dream festival line-up and includes St. Vincent, Dinosaur Jr., Death Cab for Cutie, Mogwai, Cat Power and James Blake, to name just a few.

Out and About

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Thanks to its unique topography, you’re never far from a canyon in San Diego, and North Park is no exception. Making the boundary between the North and South Park districts, Switzer Canyon is a green oasis of lush vegetation that's home to rabbits, coyotes and other cute critters. There’s a short walking trail that’s worth a wander before heading into the vast expanse of Balboa Park, where an absolute embarrassment of riches awaits the intrepid explorer.

Inside you’ll find some of the best museums and galleries on the West Coast, from the stunning collection of 19th and 20th-century American and European art at the San Diego Museum of Art to prehistoric monsters at the Natural History Museum. This is also the place to come face to face with all manner of weird and wonderful creatures at the San Diego Zoo and to chill out and find your inner zen among the cherry blossoms, bonsai trees and koi ponds in the Japanese Friendship Garden.

North Park is also well-positioned for trips to downtown San Diego and the historic Gaslamp Quarter, as well as easy day trips to Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach and even Coronado and La Jolla, both of which are within a 20-25-minute drive. The route to La Jolla is particularly scenic and the rewards when you hit the bluffs are quite something. All swaying palms, golden sands, sweeping pacific views and harbor seals basking in the sun, it’s SoCal beach life in microcosm, and well worth a few hours of your time.

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Lifeguard station on a San Diego beach
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Is San Diego Safe?

San Diego’s golden beaches, fine museums, world-class attractions and buzzing nightlife mean you’ll never struggle for something to do in the town they call America's Finest City. From picnicking at the botanical gardens in Balboa Park to meeting curious critters at SeaWorld, riding the 100-year-old rollercoaster at Mission Beach and sipping fresh beer in the city’s famed taprooms, there really is something for everyone here. But is San Diego safe for tourists? Read on to find out more... How Safe is San Diego? Regularly ranked among the 20 safest cities in the country, and named the safest big city in the US by the FBI in 2017, thanks to its lower than national average crime rate, it’s fair to say San Diego is a pretty decent bet for a worry-free vacation. This is a city where violent crime is rare, if not entirely unheard of, and where you’re more likely to get a nasty sunburn than become a victim of crime. So far so safe, but as with most major cities there will always be an element of petty crime such as pickpocketing and bag-snatching, with tourists inevitably providing the easiest pickings for opportunistic thieves. And while Downtown areas are mostly ok, the likes of the East Village does have a slightly higher crime rate than the Gaslamp Quarter or waterfront Embarcadero due to its large number of nightlife venues and other businesses, including the Petco Park stadium, home of the Padres baseball team. To prevent a tiny minority of crooks and criminals from spoiling your trip, you should follow a few basic precautions such as staying alert to shifty looking characters and generally trying not to walk around with a flashing neon sign above your head that alerts would-be thieves to your status as a walking, talking ATM. Tips for Staying Safe in San Diego Opportunists after a quick buck will tend to ply their trade in and around the biggest attractions, especially where crowds of tourists make it easier to become invisible and disappear fast. Avoid being a victim by keeping your wits about you around the likes of San Diego Zoo and Balboa’s Park’s other big hitters, such as the San Diego Museum of Art and Air and Space Museum. San Diego is a party town with bustling street markets in the likes of Hillcrest and Ocean Beach, a thriving nightlife scene and major annual festivals that draw hordes of revelers from around the world, including the annual Oktoberfest, Pride parade, Comic-Con and County Fair. All of these are prone to creating the kinds of crowd that are so beloved of petty crooks. Scams like ‘friendly helpers’ hanging around ATMs or people offering to take a nice souvenir photo of you with your or smartphone may seem obvious, but the element of surprise often pays off as, flustered and embarrassed, you willingly hand over your expensive camera equipment only to look on helplessly as it vanishes into the crowd. In the unlikely event you do lose your valuables to a bag snatcher, scammer or pickpocket, don’t try to give chase – it’s not worth it. Instead, report the incident to police, put it down to experience and try not to let it spoil the rest of your trip. Oh, and make sure you get travel insurance before you go on vacation! It’s also worth remembering that, as long as you take reasonable precautions such as keeping cash and valuables out of sight, being alert to lurkers at ATMs and not falling for obvious scams, it’s likely the worst thing that will happen to you in San Diego is waking up with a sore head after one too many of the city’s famous craft beers. Or coming out in lobster-red blotches after inexpertly applying your sunscreen. Staying Safe in the San Diego Sun San Diego is an outdoorsy kind of city, with a warm Mediterranean climate, some great canyons and nature reserves for hiking, and some of the best beaches in California. So it’s inevitable you’ll spend a fair bit of time in the sunshine, whether baking on La Jolla’s golden sands or exploring the many museums and gardens in sprawling Balboa Park. Simple precautions like slapping on the sunscreen and drinking plenty of water cover most of the bases, but it’s also worth packing a good moisturizer, especially in autumn when the hot, arid Santa Ana winds are at their most punishing. If you’re hitting the beach and feel like cooling off in the water, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with the warning flags and their meanings. Red means no swimming; checkered marks the boundary separating surfing and swimming areas and yellow with a black ball in the center means no surfing. Riptides are not uncommon along this stretch of the California coast so make sure to swim only where there are lifeguards present. In the event you’re caught in a riptide, remember to swim sideways through the water, parallel to the shore, then diagonally towards the beach once free. Above all, stay calm. La Jolla Shores, South Mission Beach and Coronado Central Beach are some of the safest beaches for swimming, especially if you’re traveling with young kids. Nighttime Safety in San Diego San Diego is generally safe at night, even for solo and female travelers. Thanks to good street lighting and visible policing, even the Downtown neighborhood is largely trouble-free. But, like everywhere else, it pays to take sensible precautions such as dropping friends and family a note of your plans if you’re going out alone at night and avoiding trouble hotspots like quiet streets and late-night public transport. San Diego’s nightlife is the stuff of legend. Late-night taprooms and dive bars jockey for position with classy rooftop cocktail joints, comedy clubs and music venues galore. There is, truly, never a dull moment here. Do drink in moderation, especially if you’re on your own, and don’t accept offers of drinks from charming strangers. By all means you should make new friends in this most sociable of cities, but it’s always safer to politely decline the free drink and pay for your own until you’re certain your new pal or pals can be trusted. If they’re genuine, they’re unlikely to be offended. Ideally take a cab home rather than using public transport at night. Apps like Uber and Lyft operate in San Diego, or hail a yellow cab. Check for the San Diego County identification badge and be sure to ask your driver to start the meter when you hop in. Save on things to do in San Diego Save on admission to San Diego attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Parasailing off the cliffs of La Jolla, San Diego
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Adventurous Things to do in San Diego

San Diego is an adrenaline fiend’s playground, a sprawling city of beaches, cliffs, canyons and theme parks that promise all manner of thrills, from century-old wooden rollercoaster rides to paragliding from the bluffs high above La Jolla’s pristine sands. Brace yourself for our pick of the 10 most adventurous things to do in San Diego... Kayak Through the Sea Caves Set sail from La Jolla Shores and paddle your way gently across the San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park, an astonishing marine reserve with gin-clear waters where you might spot friendly leopard sharks, stingrays, sea turtles, harbor seals and bright orange Garibaldi fish darting under your boat. You’ll soon reach the seven secret sea caves at La Jolla Cove. Steer your kayak inside to follow in the footsteps (boatsteps?) of smugglers who snuck alcohol and opium into San Diego via these same secret passageways during the Prohibition era. Kayaks are available for rent at La Jolla Shores. Ride a 100-Year-Old Rollercoaster Expect thrills galore with a healthy dollop of nostalgia at Belmont Park, an oceanfront fairground that’s been operating at San Diego's Mission Beach since 1925. Amid ultra-modern scream machines that perform high-speed vertical drops and stomach-flipping somersaults you’ll find more sedate old-fashioned amusements such as mini golf, bumper cars and an aerial assault course. The Giant Dipper rollercoaster is the undisputed jewel in the park’s crown. Here since the park opened, this traditional wooden construction provides rickety thrills aplenty along its 2,800 feet of track. Hop aboard, if you’re brave enough. Hit the Surf San Diego’s gentle rolling waves make for ideal surfing conditions, attracting thousands of surfers to its shores every year. Hire a board to give it a go yourself. Sheltered areas at La Jolla Shores and Pacific Beach are particularly forgiving for newbies, and your inevitable first wipeout should be considered a rite of passage. But, if a mouthful of sand and seawater is enough to confirm that surfing isn’t for you, look on the bright side: you can always plonk your board upright in the sand and use it as a sunshade while you admire the views. Brave California’s Longest Zipline Thrillseekers rejoice! For here’s an extreme sport that will really get the adrenaline pumping. Set in an Indian reservation north of the city in the verdant Pauma Valley, the La Jolla Zip Zoom boasts the longest zipline in California. Here, brave souls can soar high over canyons, forest canopies and the San Luis Rey River at speeds reaching up to 50mph. There’s over 6,000 feet of ziplines to whiz down across the whole reservation, with the longest a whopping 2,500 feet. Not for the faint of heart. Lace up your Boots San Diego’s unique landscape makes for some excellent walking opportunities. Hit the hiking trail through Torrey Pines Nature Reserve, 2,000 acres of rugged cliffs and wild plateaus named for the endangered Torrey pine, which is unique to this reserve. You’ll also find colorful wildflowers, towering cacti and monolithic rock formations; maybe even the occasional cheeky raccoon or lizard. Head to Yucca Point Overlook for fine views across the La Jolla bluffs to the golden beaches and shimmering ocean below. There are also guided tours available at Mission Trails Regional Park and Tecolote Canyon. Rent a Jet Ski Do you feel the need... the need for speed? Tear up the waters of San Diego Bay on a Yamaha Waverunner jet ski ride against the picturesque backdrop of the Downtown skyline. These streamlined dream machines can reach speeds of up to 65mph so you can visit bay attractions including the USS Midway aircraft carrier, Shelter Island and the curvaceous Coronado Bridge in no time at all. Keep your eyes peeled for playful seals and dolphins frolicking in the surf and maybe even racing alongside you! Leap off La Jolla’s Cliffs San Diego activities don’t come much more adventurous than leaping into the unknown on a paragliding experience from the cliffs at Torrey Pines. Take a tandem ride from the Gliderport here and let your expert guide do all the hard work while you admire sweeping views of the coastal bluffs and spot leopard sharks cruising the clear waters below. Top tip: paragliding is also a mesmerizing spectator sport, so those without a head for heights can simply bring along a picnic and enjoy the colorful spectacle from terra firma. Have a Whale of a Time San Diego is prime whale-watching territory, with majestic blue whales often spotted off the coast in summer and fall, and gray whales migrating to and from the warm lagoons of Baja en masse for calving season in winter and spring. Get up close to these magnificent creatures on a boat tour. If you’re lucky you might even spot a mother swimming with her calf, or get close enough to feel the sea spray from a blowhole or disappearing tail fin. Dozens of trips depart daily from Downtown and Mission Bay, with many guaranteeing a refund if you fail to see anything. Sample Unusual Beers San Diego is the craft beer capital of the USA, with dozens of microbreweries concocting weird and wonderful beverages for your delectation, and taprooms on nearly every street corner. It would be simply remiss not to sample a few while you’re here. Head to Hillcrest Brewing for unusual brews including Crotch Rocket Irish Style Red Ale and Banana Hammock Scotch Ale. And stagger on down to North Park for a punchy, hazy Technomancer at Modern Times’ taproom, known locally as ‘the Flavordome’. Major beer festivals hit town in June, October and November, when sampling the gamut of beers, from stouts to sours and frothy IPAs to flavored brews, is positively encouraged. Go Ghost-Hunting Here’s a way to increase your heart rate without going to the extreme lengths of e.g. jumping off a cliff strapped to a man with a big parachute. Once described by LIFE magazine as ‘the most haunted house in America’, The Whaley House in San Diego’s Old Town has seen its fair share of grisly deaths over the years and was reputedly built on the site of a former gallows. Eek. Scare yourself silly on one of the museum’s spooky evening tours – if you dare. Save on adventurous things to do in San Diego Save on admission to San Diego attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Coronado Central Beach in San Diego
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Best Time To Visit San Diego

Let’s be honest: there’s no such thing as a bad time to vacation in San Diego. But when’s best to visit will mostly depend on what kind of break you’re looking for. Cultural sightseeing trip? Visit in February for half-price entry to dozens of museums during San Diego Museum Month. Traveling on a budget? You’ll find some of the best hotel rates between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Just looking to top up your tan? July through September is when beaches swarm with sun-worshippers as temperatures soar. Check out our short guide to the best time to visit San Diego, by season. Spring March through May is a fine time to visit San Diego, with low hotel rates compared to the summer season and Balboa Park’s thousands of flowers coming into spectacular bloom. Pack a picnic and make a pilgrimage to the city’s great green lung, where March is your last opportunity to admire flowering succulents and cacti in the Desert Garden, all brilliant reds, oranges and pinks contrasting with the dark green flesh of these otherworldly plants. Conversely, the neighboring Rose Garden is just getting started, with its near-200 varieties creating an absolute riot of scent and color through its peak in April and May. Meanwhile, March's enchanting Cherry Blossom Festival in the zen-like Japanese Friendship Garden will make all your Instagram dreams come true. This time of year sees beach life in San Diego already in full swing, with skaters whizzing along the boardwalk at Pacific Beach, firepit cookouts in front of the legendary Hotel del Coronado and kids foraging for mussels, anemones and hermit crabs at low-tide in the kelp-rich tidepools under Ocean Beach Pier and around La Jolla Cove. You can swim, snorkel and surf in the San Diego sea year-round, but you'll want to bring a wetsuit (or rent one from one of the city’s many, many surf shops) if you’re planning on getting wet in March, when the water temperature is still a teeth-chattering 60°F. May tends to bring overcast skies to San Diego. This coastal phenomenon is known locally as the ‘May Gray’ and just happens to make for ideal conditions for hiking the canyons, exploring Balboa Park’s trails or renting a bike to explore the long, rugged coastline with its plethora of sandy beaches. Indeed, for active outdoor types, this may be the best time to visit San Diego, when you get to have all the fun without the sweat. It’s also when the huge zydeco, blues and crawfish festival that is Gator by the Bay rolls into town, with great live music and dancing, plus 10,000 pounds of live crawfish imported straight from Louisiana and cooked to sizzling perfection, Cajun and Creole style! Summer As summer kicks off in earnest, you’ll find wetsuit-free locals and vacationers splashing around in the sea, even as the May Gray continues, becoming – wait for it – the ‘June Gloom’. Don’t worry, it’ll soon burn off! This is the season when sun-worshippers in search of that perfect California tan can be found lounging on beaches along the coast, with an occasional languid foray into the water to cool off. Average daily highs hit 77°F in August, so don’t forget your essentials: sunglasses, an oversized floppy hat and lashings of sunscreen! As well as being San Diego’s hottest season, it’s also its most expensive, with prices soaring in tandem with the summer temperatures, particularly in July when the massive comic book convention that is Comic-Con takes over Downtown, pushing hotel prices higher than Superman can fly – that’s if you can even find a Downtown hotel with any rooms left available. Hillcrest – heart of San Diego’s thriving LGBTQ+ community – also hosts the annual Pride Festival around this time, putting a further squeeze on the city center, but otherwise making it a lively time to visit. Prices increase everywhere at this time but, if you like your summer break a little less hectic, you may find the laid back beachy vibe of family-friendly La Jolla and boho Ocean Beach a little more palatable. Cool off at the San Diego International Beer Festival in June, when ale aficionados can sip, slurp and sample their way through hundreds of beers and ciders from nearly 200 breweries. Of course, great beer is a year-round preoccupation here in the craft-brewing capital of the US, where you can barely leave your hotel without accidentally stumbling into a microbrewery taproom, especially in hip young neighborhoods like North Park, Hillcrest and Ocean Beach. This convention at the Del Mar Fairgrounds merely serves to cement that reputation. Bottoms up! Fall September through November delivers some of the best times to visit San Diego, with clear blue skies, balmy Santa Ana breezes and relatively low rates between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. With kids back at school, major attractions like Pacific Beach, SeaWorld and San Diego Zoo are way less crowded, while late summer and early fall also sees some of the best surfing conditions, when surfers ride the gnarly swells beneath Sunset Cliffs and off the La Jolla coastline, especially at Black’s and Windansea beaches. A glut of events and celebrations lend a real carnival spirit to fall in San Diego, when the world’s fastest super-boats tear around Mission Bay for the San Diego Bayfair and America’s biggest military air show lifts off in Miramar. In October, kids go free at many of San Diego’s biggest attractions, including the zoo, LEGOLAND and the USS Midway Museum. Meanwhile, November’s rock-bottom rates, week-long beer festival (yes, another!) and the San Diego Bay Food and Wine Festival make for a fine cocktail of affordable gluttony and boozy revelry. Winter Winter is a great time to visit San Diego, thanks to the mild climate and stacks of seasonal events. Prices are inevitably up again during the festive period, but it’s worth it for the opportunity to ice-skate in your shorts at Hotel del Coronado’s annual Skating by the Sea event, right? Come for the Christmassy goings-on at Balboa Park’s December Nights festival, including magical light displays, carol singing and fab street food; stay for the Parade of Lights, when boats draped in colorful festive lights and holiday decorations cruise through San Diego Bay by the dozen. December to March is whale-watching season, when gray whales migrate en masse from Alaska to the warm calving grounds of Baja’s lagoons and spotters crowd the cliffs from La Jolla to the Point Loma peninsula in the hope of catching a glimpse. Get up close on a whale-spotting boat trip: there are plenty departing from in and around Mission Bay every day during migration season. You’ve nothing to lose: most will guarantee a sighting or refund your money, and you really can’t say fairer than that. Culture vultures make a beeline for San Diego’s world-class museums every February when Museum Month knocks 50% off the entry price at close to 50 venues. This includes big-hitters such as the San Diego Museum of Art and Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park as well as Downtown’s historic Gaslamp Museum and New Children’s Museum. Associated events in public libraries, where you can pick up your pass, are free. Save on things to do in San Diego Save on admission to San Diego attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak

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