Please feel free to ask any of the conference organizers for more information about activities in San Diego. We’d love to share our favorite parts of the city with you.
(For a more comprehensive map of conference and other locations, click here — and in case that pop-up link doesn’t work, click here.)
Things to Do
Beaches
The ocean water temperature will still be warm in October! Parking lots near beaches in La Jolla Shores and Mission Beach feature free parking. Watch out for metered street parking in downtown La Jolla and Del Mar.Beaches listed in order of distance from UC San Diego.
North:
- Torrey Pines State Beach: just north of Black’s Beach, Torrey Pines is a gorgeous narrow beach with good waves, and tide pools. Parking is free along the road, but the State Reserve will charge for parking.
- Del Mar: upscale quiet town north of La Jolla, grassy Powerhouse Park overlooks the beach, good for walking, swimming, boogie-boarding and surfing. Be careful of parking tickets!!
South:
- Black’s Beach: a quiet beach at the base of Torrey Pines bluffs accessible by a smooth, paved route to the South (walkable from UC San Diego) and a steep, rocky climb to the North; clothing optional to the North, and clothing required to the South.
- La Jolla Shores: a flat beach with soft, white sand; busy on weekends; good for getting in the water; north of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography pier, the beach features rocks and birdlife. Take MTS Bus 30 from UC San Diego or hotels on La Jolla Village Drive down to La Jolla Shores.
- La Jolla Shores also features kayak tours from various outfitters – highly recommended!
- Seal Rock and La Jolla Cove: the rocky stretch of coastline along downtown La Jolla; best for tide pool exploration and seal- and people-watching.
- Pacific Beach/Mission Beach: a long flat beach with soft, white sand; relatively busy on weekends; numerous vendors along a paved path; good for walking, biking, getting in the water, grabbing a bite to eat, and / or people-watching.
- Ocean Beach: small beach with pier, beach town/hipster vibe, great place to watch a sunset
- Coronado – large expansive beach with white sand, featuring the famous Hotel del Coronado
Birch Aquarium at Scripps (map)
- located at the southwest edge of the UC San Diego campus, public exploration center for Scripps Institute of Oceanography ($19.50 adult | $15 child)
Torrey Pines Glider Port (map)
- located just west of UC San Diego, you can sign up to fly tandem with an instructor, or just walk to watch the hang gliders over the cliffs
Balboa Park (map)
- Botanical Gardens (free) (map)
- San Diego Zoo ($54 adult | $44 child) (map)
- Museum of Man ($13 | free) (map)
- Fleet Science Center ($22 | $19) (map)
- International Cottages (free) (map)
- Air & Space Museum ($20 | $11) (map)
- San Diego Museum of Art ($15 | $10) (map)
Historic Old Town (map)
USS Midway (map)
Hiking
San Diego features beautiful hiking in canyons and on top of bluffs.
- Torrey Pines State Reserve (map)
- Mission Trails Regional Park (map)
- Tecolote Canyon Natural Park (map)
- San Clemente Canyon (map)
- Los Penasquitos (map)
- Potato Chip Rock, Mt. Woodson, Poway (map)
More Resources
Traveling to Mexico
- Tijuana is the city south of the border and the main point of entry to Mexico from the San Diego area. Further south are Rosarito and Ensenada. If you decide to visit Mexico, make sure you have the requisite travel documents. Here are some helpful tips for crossing the border.