Attractions & Events "Kids Free San Diego" returns in October with special savings and fun for the entire family. During the entire month of October, nearly 90 San Diego hotels, restaurants, attractions, museums, tours and transportation companies offer families the opportunity to unwind in San Diego without having to worry about breaking the bank. "Kids Free San Diego" provides parents an opportunity to save with a variety of unique free incentives for kids, ranging from complimentary attraction and museum admission to meals, welcome amenities at area hotels and more.
The popular
USS Midway Museum, set along San Diego Bay, will extend
free kids' admission through Dec. 15, 2020. As part of the Midway’s 75th anniversary celebration, up to two children (ages 6-12) will receive free admission to the USS Midway Museum with one full-paid adult admission ticket. The offer is available on the museum’s website as well as at its ticket booth on Navy Pier.
The
San Diego Zoo Safari Park recently launched the
Sun Up Cheetah Safari, an exclusive private tour that includes brunch with a view and an exciting Cheetah Run experience. Guests can start the day with this one-of-a-kind activity featuring a guided introduction to the park’s wildlife and rare opportunity to see a cheetah run at top speed, followed by brunch with one of the best views of the park. Groups of up to four household members can enjoy the Safari Park to themselves before it opens for the day, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Reservations are required.
One of the PGA Tour’s four major championships, the prestigious
2021 U.S. Open returns to the internationally recognized
Torrey Pines golf course in La Jolla. The 2021 U.S. Open marks the second time Torrey Pines’ South Course will host the national championship. Torrey Pines’ South Course hosted the 2008 U.S. Open, which was the first major golf event in San Diego. The 2021 U.S. Open will be the 13th U.S. Open played in California, and it will mark the fifth site in the upcoming eight U.S. Opens that is currently open to the public. Dates of the 2021 U.S. Open are June 17-20.
New Hotels & Renovations The
Town and Country San Diego in Mission Valley recently completed a $90 million renovation incorporating its rich 50-year history with a fresh mid-century feel. Opened August 2020, the practically new property includes 675 renovated guest rooms and suites, three stylish new restaurants and a new 10,000-square-foot pool complex with a four-story, looping 150-foot waterslide, the longest hotel waterslide in San Diego County. The signature
ARLO restaurant celebrates San Diego’s Cali-Baja culinary culture with fresh local ingredients and regional flavors from both sides of the border. Town and Country’s 258,000-square-feet of newly renovated meeting space includes the Golden State Hall, 40,700 square-feet; Town and Country Ballroom, 24,000 square-feet, and plenty of other meeting rooms for groups to spread out.
In June 2020, the
Bahia Resort Hotel on Mission Bay completed a multi-million-dollar renovation. The hotel’s 313 guest rooms received major upgrades with new design improvements complementing the Bahia’s beach-meets-Morocco theme. In addition to reimagined guest accommodations, the renovation includes upgrades to the Bahia’s dining areas, grounds and event spaces. Guests can relax in style on the Bahia’s private beach, which was refreshed with upgraded beach cabanas and an additional seating area with lounge beach chairs and umbrellas. Future event attendees can enjoy the refreshed Mission Bay Ballroom’s 20,000 square-foot space, featuring panoramic views of Mission Bay as well as new carpeting, wall coverings and large chandeliers.
Formerly known as the Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa, the waterfront
San Diego Mission Bay Resort completed a $21 million renovation in early 2020. Located on scenic Mission Bay, the Mediterranean-style resort transformed its 357 guestrooms with enhanced technology, expanded amenities, all-new custom furniture, original artwork, and new bathrooms with tubs and custom tiled showers. The resort offers a 4,000-square-foot outdoor pool area and poolside grill, five tennis courts, spa and fitness center, onsite watersports rentals, gift shop and restaurant. Additionally, the property has more than 16,000 square feet of interior meeting and function space and 9,600 square feet of outdoor meeting space.
Opened in early 2020,
The Legacy Resort Hotel & Spa is a new luxury hotel and conference center with unique attractions set in Mission Valley. The Legacy Resort features 126 guestrooms, The Spa with a variety of internationally inspired spa treatments, and two restaurants including Theresa’s Restaurant serving authentic Italian steakhouse cuisine. On the 18-acre setting, guests can visit the Legacy Center, which offers unique attractions and exhibits. Highlights include a 100-foot long, 16-foot tall Western Wall that replicates and pays tribute to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem and a 28-foot diameter, interactive globe that transports guests by simple touch panel to the nations of the world where they can learn about the region, its people and culture. The resort also offers a pool with poolside dining, a 500-seat theater and flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space.
Arts and Culture Happenings The
San Diego Symphony’s permanent bayside concert venue,
The Shell, will debut in 2021 along Embarcadero Marina Park South. The new venue features a highly innovative, architecturally striking and acoustically superior outdoor stage that allows the symphony to showcase a wider variety of musical presentations and enrich the patron experience with improved sightlines, expanded concession area and permanent bathrooms. The Shell is the new home of the symphony’s popular annual Summer Pops series. This year’s intended lineup, which planned to feature The Beach Boys, Jennifer Hudson, Sergio Mendes and other beloved musicians, will hopefully return for the 2021 season.
The
Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park is slated to reopen in Summer 2021 after completing a major reconstruction project. The $52 million project will transform the museum along Plaza de Panama and create a newly designed community gathering space with a new plaza level and garden courtyard open to the public. The project will also feature a new education center and quiet, spacious upper level galleries devoted to exhibitions with a library open to visitors. Restored historic spaces include the museum’s upper terraces, which will be opened to the public for the first time in decades, offering views of the Plaza de Panama, El Prado and California Tower. The museum’s historic Bell Tower will also be opened and accessed by a new grand staircase. Also planned are a multipurpose theater space for performances, lectures, concerts and special events; a newly designed Shop Mingei store, and full-service cafe with coffee bar.
The much-anticipated
Comic-Con Museum is slated to open in late summer 2021 in Balboa Park. The new museum will be a place where audiences can connect with the magic of Comic-Con year-round. Museum-goers can expect 25,000 square-feet dedicated to rotating exhibits; a 6,000-square-foot education center; a 4K video theater and presentation space; a gift shop filled with comics, graphic novels, branded souvenirs and more; learning-focused labs, and classes and seminars. The new Comic-Con Museum will be set in the former Hall of Champions near the Pan American Plaza.
The
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) La Jolla campus is slated to reopen in Fall 2021 after completing a
major expansion project. Since its founding in 1941, MCASD has evolved into an iconic San Diego cultural institution and leading visual arts organization of national and international renown. The expansion will nearly double the building’s size from its existing 57,000 square-feet to 101,200 square-feet total, allowing for the dedicated display of MCASD’s celebrated permanent collection of more than 4,700 objects in all media alongside the presentation of temporary exhibitions. The expansion’s design calls for two levels of light-filled galleries, offering a wide range of volume and character, from soaring ceiling heights to intimate niches. Vertical windows will welcome the site’s distinct natural light and spectacular coastal views into the museum. A large, flexible multipurpose gallery on the lower level will also provide capacity for public programs, artist talks, performance art, music, and other immersive educational activities.
New Restaurants and Breweries Opened in June 2020 in downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter,
Lumi by Akira Back is an energetic rooftop concept featuring modern Japanese fare by Michelin-starred chef Akira Back. The restaurant’s unique atmosphere combines traditional Japanese architecture with modern design elements and pops of color enhanced by live DJ beats. Lumi offers modern Japanese cuisine with Nikkei and Korean influences. Menu highlights include shared plates like rock shrimp tempura with spicy aioli and cabbage slaw as well as the “Akira Back Pizza” topped with tuna, yellowtail, serrano, red onion, beets, tomato, micro cilantro, and ponzu mayo. Lumi also offers a wide selection of nigiri/sashimi, specialty rolls and entrees like a 6 oz. seared salmon with baby bock choy, puff quinoa and gochujang miso sauce.
Opened in July 2020,
Huntress is the latest high-profile restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter. Under the helm of Executive Chef James Montejano, who worked at the Michelin-starred restaurant Michael Mina, Huntress is a contemporary steakhouse serving the finest meats, seafood dishes and other signature classics. The dining room is modern and chic, designed with strong architectural elements such as a bold wall composed of framed butcher knives and a spectacular marble bar. The second floor mezzanine features a Japanese whiskey bar with one of the largest selections of whiskey in the nation along with an intimate wine tasting area. Diners can expect dishes like a prime 35-day, dry-aged porterhouse and miso Chilean sea bass with dashi consommé, floating vegetables and truffle prawn wontons.
Opened in July 2020 along downtown’s scenic Embarcadero, the architecturally striking
Portside Pier offers stunning San Diego Bay views and four dining options for guests. The
Brigantine Seafood and Oyster Bar features an extensive menu of surf and turf entrees, and the popular
Miquel's Cocina serves authentic Mexican cuisine. Guests can enjoy tasty pub fare and local craft beers at the casual
Ketch Grill & Taps and savor an expresso and creamy gelato at
Portside Coffee and Gelato. The Portside Pier features an adjacent 90 x 15-foot dock providing guests and opportunity to dock and dine.
Opened in July 2020,
The Presley is a spacious outdoor restaurant and bar in historic Liberty Station. The Presley features more than 2,000 square feet of outdoor dining space, three bars, swing seating, and fire pits. The restaurant serves elevated American classics like lobster roll sliders, grilled pork prime rib and wood-fired veggie skewers. The drink menu includes a wide variety of specialty cocktails, “frosteez” (frozen and blended drinks), local craft beers and wines. No meal is complete without the restaurant’s “Roast Your Own S’mores” or house-made ice cream sandwiches for dessert.
In July 2020, San Diego-based
Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen & Bar opened its newest restaurant,
Puesto Cervecería, in Mission Valley. Puesto Cervecería is Puesto's third San Diego venue, joining locations in Seaport Village and La Jolla. In addition to Puesto's famous Mexico City-style tacos, mariscos and shared plates, Puesto Cervecería features new menu items like wood-fired enchiladas and a full brewery focused on Mexican lagers.
In July 2020,
Pure Project Carlsbad Brewery & Tap Room opened in the North County coastal community of Carlsbad. Founded in 2015, Pure Project is a popular local craft brewery whose mission is to “build community and a reverence for beer as an agricultural product by staying true to our ethos of quality ingredients, sustainability and attention to detail.” Pure Project is a member of the 1% for the Planet Network, donating 1 percent of topline sales to environmental organizations working to protect the planet. The Pure Project Carlsbad Brewery & Tap Room offers an upscale yet relaxed setting, onsite production in barrels and casks, and a rotating tap list featuring a wide range of offerings including favorite IPAs and barrel-aged creations.
Opened in August 2020 in trendy North Park,
Fortunate Son pays homage to American Chinese takeout classics. San Diego native chef Tony Guan draws on his Chinese-American heritage and chases the elusive energy of wok hei with playfully updated ingredients complemented by traditional spices and techniques. Menu highlights include beef with shishito peppers, sweet and sour pork belly, General Tso’s cauliflower and chow fun. Dishes are accompanied by chef Guan’s large pantry of house-made condiments including fermented chili paste.
Airport NewsSan Diego International Airport (SAN) added non-stop service to Newark, New Jersey via Liberty International Airport (EWR) on JetBlue on August 6, 2020. Flights are currently offered on select days with increased occurrence during upcoming months.
San Diego International Airport (SAN) is adding once daily, non-stop service to Santa Barbara, California via Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) on Alaska Airlines beginning Nov. 20, 2020.
San Diego International Airport (SAN) is adding non-stop seasonal service from Jackson Hole, Wyoming via Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) on Alaska Airlines beginning Dec. 17, 2020 through Apr. 11, 2021. Flights are daily, excluding Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
San Diego International Airport (SAN) is adding non-stop service to Norfolk, Virginia via Norfolk International Airport (ORF) on Southwest Airlines beginning Jan. 5, 2021. The route will operate one flight daily, excluding Saturdays.
As part of the
San Diego International Airport Arts Program, passengers and guests can enjoy California artist
Margaret Noble and her featured work
[Sky][Muse] while visiting the airport through Dec. 2020. Born in Texas and raised in California, Noble’s experimental artworks have been exhibited nationally and internationally. Her [Sky][Muse] series of audio-visual works is designed to ignite, delight and reframe the airport experience. [Sky][Muse] is a collection of animated “scrolls” accessible through personal devices such as phones, tablets and laptops. For passengers preparing to move through portals, time zones and geographies, these short digital works can enhance their travel by elevating their sensory experiences of color, light and sound.
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