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San Diego is the ideal summer travel destination, offering a near-perfect climate, 70 miles of sparkling beaches, popular events and new shows at its world-famous family attractions. Summertime also brings entertaining street festivals, community celebrations and a dazzling array of visual and performing arts.
Whether planning a weekend getaway or a long leisurely stay, visitors to San Diego have plenty of fun-filled activities to choose.
MAJOR EVENTS
- The prestigious 2008 U.S. Open will be held at the internationally renowned Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla on June 9 – 15. This will be the first U.S. Open in Southern California since 1948, and Torrey Pines is the only municipal golf course ever selected to host this premier event. International golf celebrities will play the redesigned South Course, which boasts dramatic views of the coastline atop majestic cliffs towering above the Pacific Ocean. www.torreypinesgolfcourse.com
- San Diego Restaurant Week will take place June 22-27 providing guests the opportunity to sample the signature dishes, service and style that makes San Diego’s dining scene one of the region’s top attractions. More than 130 of the region’s top restaurants will participate in the event and offer diners an amazing deal — three-course prix fixe menus for just $30 or $40 per person. www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com
- Guests can wiggle their toes in the sand and view hundreds of sand sculptors at work during the Annual U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition, July 12 – 13, at Imperial Beach Pier. www.usopensandcastle.com
- The “turf meets the surf” at the Del Mar Racetrack where fans flock each summer to wager on their favorite horses during the popular, annual Del Mar Thoroughbred Club racing season, July 16 – September 3. The races run six days weekly, except Tuesday. Every Friday, guests can catch 4 O’Clock Fridays, a free headliner concert following the day’s last race.
On August 24, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club’s Grade 1 Pacific Classic treats guests to a prestigious event with a race between the nation’s top thoroughbreds and a million dollar purse. www.dmtc.com
- Visitors can be Super Man or Wonder Woman for a day at Comic-Con International, July 24 – 27, at the San Diego Convention Center. Comic-Con has become a signature summertime event for San Diego; it is the largest comics and pop culture event in the United States, attracting thousands of artists, celebrities and fans of comic books, movie memorabilia and all things related to pop culture. www.comic-con.org
- More than 20 tall ships and fascinating vessels from around the world participate in the 2008 Festival of Sail, hosted by the Maritime Museum of San Diego, August 20 – 24. The festival begins with a majestic parade of tall ships on San Diego Bay and showcases marvelous food and drink, one-of-a-kind shopping and live entertainment including live cannon battles between several of the vessels. www.sdmaritime.org
FESTIVALS AND FAIRS
- “Summer of Sports” is this year’s theme at the 2008 San Diego County Fair, June 15 – July 6, celebrating athletes of all ages and caliber from children’s sports, to triathletes, to professional sports players. The San Diego County Fair is the largest annual event in the county and features top performing artists and popular attractions like the Craft Brewers Competition & Festival, livestock exhibits, home and hobby, woodworking and an award-winning flower show. www.sdfair.com
- Residents and visitors alike show their pride at the 34th annual San Diego LGBT Pride Parade and Festival, July 19 – 20, one of the most popular events of its kind in the country. Highlights include a mile-long parade through Hillcrest, two-day festival in Balboa Park, various dance parties including the popular Zoo Party and a headliner concert. www.sdpride.org
- The 22nd Annual La Jolla Festival of Arts and Food Fair, June 28 – 29, hosts over 190 award-winning local and national artists displaying paintings, sculptures, fine jewelry, photography and more. Guests can enjoy a variety of cuisines in the festival food area, listen to live entertainment and visit the children's area featuring interactive booths, hands-on games and activities. www.lajollaartfestival.org
- The annual Latin American Festival & Mata Ortiz Pottery Market at the Bazaar del Mundo Shops in Old Town, August 1 – 3, features extensive collections of authentic Mexican folk art, traditional clothing and textiles, colorful collectibles, dazzling jewelry, live entertainment and Mexican cuisine. Artisans from Chihuahua, Mexico demonstrate a centuries-old art form to create eye-popping Mata Ortiz pottery. www.bazaardelmundoshops.com
ATTRACTIONS
- In July, LEGOLAND® California will debut SEA LIFE LEGOLAND® California, a two-story, 36,000 sq. ft. aquarium that will feature play zones, fun facts, quiz trails and marine exhibits designed to educate children about life under the sea. SEA LIFE features will also include a seahorse kingdom, a 360 degree ring of sting rays and fish and an interactive tide pool. The aquarium will open as a separate park admission. www.legoland.com
- During June 21 – September 1, the San Diego Zoo allows guest to roam the park until 9:00 p.m. for Nighttime Zoo. As the sun sets, the Caras Silvestres celebrations begin honoring the cultures of California and Central and South America with authentic craft making, live music and colorful dance performances. Nighttime Zoo shows include “TALAMASCA – Jungle Myths” featuring stilt walkers, drums and exotic animals and “Dr. Zoolittle’s Amazing Amazon Adventure,” a children’s educational and interactive production. www.sandiegozoo.org
- Guests can experience Park at Dark when the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park extends its summer hours to 9:00 p.m. during June 21 – September 1. As daylight turns to darkness, guests can watch the park’s nocturnal creatures emerge, take sunset tours on Journey Into Africa and catch two new summer shows. At the Benough Amphitheater, bubblologists entertain visitors with millions of bubble molds and sculptures; at the Discovery Station Amphitheater, animal ambassadors teach guests the fascinating side of poop, including how many volunteers is takes to weigh an elephant’s output per day. www.sandiegozoo.org/wap
- During May 24 – September 1, guests can visit SeaWorld San Diego for Summer Nights at SeaWorld featuring extended park hours, fireworks, live music and special nighttime animal shows. Specialty acts, percussionists, hip-hop dancers and gymnasts entertain at the front entrance plaza in the award-winning show “Riptide,” Clyde and Seamore entertain with hilarious performance in “Sea Lions Tonite,” and Shamu takes guests on a 20-minute musical aquatic voyage around the globe in “Shamu Rocks.” www.seaworld.com
SPORTING GOOD TIME
- San Diego’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on June 1 is the most entertaining marathon in the United States. Featuring 26 bands at entertainment centers along each mile and a post-race concert, the 26.2-mile block party and course starts at Balboa Park, runs through Hillcrest, skirts the San Diego Zoo, snakes through downtown’s historic Gaslamp Quarter (circling PETCO Park), travels up Highway 163, races by SeaWorld San Diego and around neighboring beach and bay communities and finishes on the Parade Deck of the historic Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Point Loma. [Back to Press Releases Main]
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