Animals, Desert, and Offbeat Art

Land at San Diego Airport and you have easy-breezy access to San Diego’s blue-ribbon attractions. Only 10 minutes from the terminal, snap selfies in Balboa Park, the city’s cultural heart. Explore the world-class San Diego Zoo, home to hippos, elephants, big cats, and giraffes, and wander through some of Balboa’s 17 museums: See warplanes, satellites, and lunar modules at San Diego Air & Space Museum. Ponder Dutch masterworks at the Timken Museum of Art. Marvel at ancient Egyptian artifacts in the Museum of Us. Next, zip over to SeaWorld San Diego to mingle with the penguins and ride splashy roller coasters. Extend your San Diego stay so you can stroll the waterfront Embarcadero and visit historical sailing ships and the USS Midway aircraft carrier. Refuel your sightseeing batteries with birria tacos in Old Town, then squeeze in a few of the city’s newer attractions like the WNDR Museum, a multisensory marriage of art and technology.   

In this tony seaside village, life is scheduled around leisure, but even so, each day is jam-packed. Sunbathe with the sea lions at La Jolla Cove, catch a few waves at Black’s Beach, or go kayaking in sea caves. Strap on your snorkel or scuba gear and explore La Jolla Underwater Park—it’s like swimming in a giant aquarium filled with sea urchins, bat rays, barracuda, garibaldi, and gentle leopard sharks. Or stay completely dry while you say hello to seahorses, sea turtles, and moray eels at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, or marvel at the Salk Institute’s ultra-modern buildings and spectacular Pacific view. La Jolla has fascinating flora, too. Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is home to the world’s rarest pine tree, rugged coastal badlands, and breathtaking ocean vistas.

Encinitas is more than a city—it’s a vibe. You’ll instantly see the surfer-cool factor in this North County community, where buffed surf pros ply the waves. Give the sport a try with a lesson from the instructors at Concept Surf Shop, just two blocks from Moonlight State Beach. When you emerge from the water, you’ll be hungry, so nosh on tacos at Juanitas or fried chicken sandwiches at The Crack Shack. Spend a few hours admiring the San Diego Botanic Garden’s lush collection of palms, bamboo, and succulents, or browsing downtown boutiques like Grounded (upscale home goods) and Salt Culture (beach-cool apparel). For dinner in Encinitas, seafood headlines the menu at Lobster West and Fish 101, or you can go vegetarian at GoodOnYa Organic Eatery.

If you’re traveling to Carlsbad with young kids, they’ll beg for LEGOLAND California. The hands-on theme park has more than 60 rides, shows, and attractions, including the immersive LEGO MOVIE WORLD, where LEGO films come to life. Adults find plenty of fun in this North County town, too: Tour the Museum of Making Music’s galleries filled with 20th-century instruments—many you’ve never heard of, plus drums, keyboards, and guitars you can play. In spring, ride a tractor wagon through 50 acres of blooming ranunculus at The Flower Fields. The rest of the year, you can tour a massive greenhouse filled with poinsettias or admire broad fields of smiling sunflowers. Don’t forget about Carlsbad’s comely shoreline: Wander along the sand at South Carlsbad State Beach, and stop into Carlsbad Aquafarm to taste locally grown oysters. For a laid-back meal with amazing Pacific views, order thin-crust pizza and beer at The Camp Store in the state park campground.

This sunny inland city is home to the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo Safari Park, where more than 3,000 savannah animals roam in open-air habitats. Hop on the Africa Tram to see Uganda giraffes and African rhinos, or sign up for a specialty safari: Visit the Rhino Rescue Center, feed giraffes, meet marsupials, soar on a zipline above grazing gazelles, or even sleep overnight in the park. Enjoy more fauna-focused fun in Escondido at the EcoVivarium Living Museum, a rescue facility for reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods. Pet a giant Galapagos tortoise or snap a selfie with a really big snake. Then switch things up with wine-tasting at Espinosa Vineyards and Orfila Vineyards and Winery. Make dinner plans for Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens, Escondido‘s monument to craft beer. You’ll come for the award-winning brews but stay for the fish and chips, mushroom tacos, and superfood salad.

In the Ramona Valley AVA, the days are warm and the nights are cool, creating ideal growing conditions for grapes. This is the California wine country you probably don’t know yet, so take a tour of its laid-back, unpretentious vineyards: Vineyard Grant James boasts award-winning Rosés, Ramona Ranch Winery focuses on sustainable winemaking, Hatfield Creek makes robust Zinfandels, and Milagro Winery offers Sauvignon Blanc and bocce ball. Since you can only taste so much wine, discover more of Ramona with an unusual animal encounter at Oasis Camel Dairy. Feed the camels, let your kids ride the camels, or take home some camel-milk soap from the nation’s first camel dairy. Got more time? Explore the local landscape at Ramona Grasslands County Preserve and enjoy farm-to-table cuisine at Marinade on Main.

The tiny town of Santa Ysabel slips under most visitors’ radars, but it’s worth braking for, especially if you’re hungry. Start at Dudley’s Bakery, the local go-to for everything delicious, including jalapeño cheddar or date-nut-raisin bread, French dip sandwiches, bear claw pastries, and berry vanilla cakes. Fill up your car trunk with bags of baked goods, then visit the Santa Ysabel annex of Julian Pie Company to covet the pies: apple, strawberry rhubarb, pecan, and almost anything else that bakes in a crust. If your taste buds favor savory over sweet, head over to Josie’s Hideout Saloon. Walk past the line of Harleys parked outside, then devour a burger or pulled-pork sandwich while you listen to live music. Then go explore the rest of this tiny hamlet: Peruse eye-catching artwork at Santa Ysabel Art Gallery, shop for antiques and gifts at the 1884 Santa Ysabel General Store, or go for a hike in the oak-dotted grasslands at San Ysabel County Preserves.

The Gold Rush began and ended in the 1870s in this Cuyamaca Mountains town, but crisp fruit is Julian’s modern-day gold. That’s why a trip to Julian demands an empty stomach—you’ll need room for ap­ple pie, apple fritters, apple donuts, and apple cider. Dig into buttery crusts at Mom’s Pie House, Julian Pie Company, or Apple Alley, and debate the merits of each. Go for a tour inside the Eagle and High Peak Mines to see 1,000 feet of underground tunnels, then try panning for gold. Stop in to see the exhibits at the Julian Pioneer Museum, where display cases are packed with frontier ephemera. Sip craft beer at local watering holes Nickel Beer Company and Julian Beer Company. Need to walk off that pie? Cuyamaca Rancho State Park has 130 miles of calorie-burning trails.

It’s hard to beat the nightly star show in Borrego Springs, but the local art scene comes close. Take a driving tour of Galleta Meadows’ fantastic roadside art—130 metal sculptures by Ricardo Breceda featuring historical and whimsical figures like a massive serpent, giant tortoise, saber-tooth tiger, gold miners, farm workers, and Tyrannosaurus rex. The town’s centerpiece is a gleaming midcentury modern building housing the Borrego Art Institute, a nonprofit art gallery with rotating exhibits, pottery workshops, a community garden. You’ll find tasty meals at neighboring Borrego Springs’ eateries—eggs Benedict and huevos rancheros at the Red Ocotillo and burgers and pizza at Carlee’s. Spend the night in a casita at the luxurious La Casa del Zorro or patio room at the pink-adobe Borrego Valley Inn, then get up early to spy on bighorn sheep in Borrego Palm Canyon.

Near the southeast shore of the vast Salton Sea lies an astounding folk-art monument and Instagram pilgrimage site: Salvation Mountain. Leonard Knight spent 26 years building this colorful, three-story-high “mountain” out of hay bales, adobe clay, latex paint, and an assortment of found objects, including old tires, car windows, and tree branches. The 50-foot-high structure crowned by the words “God Is Love” was an artistic testimony to his beliefs—its decorated with a colorful jumble of hearts, birds, flowers, trees, and Biblical messages. Knight died in 2014 at age 82, but his massive art project remains open to the public. Take a walk up its hand-painted yellow brick road to reach Salvation Mountain’s summit. When it’s time to leave this desert bohemia behind, San Diego Airport is only a 2.5-hour drive west.