Things to Do

There are many things to do in San Diego.

The Standard Connections

• San Diego Union Tribune, the major newspaper in our area, can give you a chance to check out housing prices and job opportunities.
• San Diego Convention and Visitor's Bureau (lists all sorts of basic information).
• City of San Diego official website
• County of San Diego Web Site, with links to most other local communities, and information about county resources (campgrounds, for example, or animal control).
• State of California Home Page

Getting around Town

If you have a car, maybe you should check the Southern California Traffic Report, one of the useful services of CalTrans, to check for road construction and accidents or heavy traffic.

One of the first things anyone learns about San Diego is that you can't get there from here. San Diego's street names change, and streets take sudden turns to the left or right to avoid many of our picturesque canyons. We strongly urge any newcomer or visitor to be sure to have a map. And not just any map: a good map! If you belong to the Auto Club, you can get their excellent free maps and trip-tiks. Next best would be the Thomas Brothers Map. San Diego Mensa does not endorse Thomas Brothers, but we do often find that their map coordinates work their way into our calendar listings. You can also up your destination on line and get point to point directions with MapQuest , Yahoo Maps, or a similar service.

If you're not interested in driving all over town, you may want to also check out San Diego Transit—the bus and trolley system are quite good, and you can get to most of the tourist spots easily using public transit.

Things to Do in San Diego

There are always things to do in San Diego, as our weather makes street fairs a possibility even in winter, and our tourist attractions make this city popular for conventions of all sorts. The San Diego Convention and Visitor's Bureau lists all sorts of basic information, including one events calendar, geared toward tourists. The City of San Diego has similar resources, including a calendar of events for everything that required a city permit.

San Diego Magazine has yet more events information. Visitors can also check out the San Diego Union Tribune's website, for events and other news. MovieLink can be used to see what is playing in which movie house, and to get the reviews. The San Diego Reader Online is our largest "alternative" paper, listing many local activities.

No-one coming to San Diego should miss Balboa Park, which has great open spaces, as well as hosting special events and housing many local museums.  There is a mandatory visit to the San Diego Zoo for all visitors. But that's not the only attraction in the park. There are dozens of other things to do, whether listening to a free concert in the Organ Pavilion or enriching your mind in a museum. You could visit the newly remodeled and expanded Rueben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center, a good "button-pusher's" museum, with a great planetarium and Imax theater set-up and many hands-on exhibits. The Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Man, and the San Diego Model Railroad Museum are also in easy walking distance of each other, as are half a dozen other museums, seasonal displays, and more.

Not all the entertainment facilities are in Balboa Park. Don't overlook the Del Mar Fairgrounds—even when the county fair is not happening, many other activities are hosted at the fairgrounds. Another great place to spend some time is the Stephen Birch Aquarium-Museum, located at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, at UCSD, which features some really rare species, like the dragonfish, as well as the floaters & jellyfish.

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