Best of San Diego Bike Tour Preview

Welcome! This tour is intended for riders to go at their own pace. For the best experience, please enable location alerts. We have provided information for each stop along the route. Some of the stops are off of the bike path and we do recommend locking up your bikes before viewing them. This map is color coded, so you can choose your own adventure!

• The stops with black icons comprise the primary tour route. Each stop is a notable location in San Diego with a brief history and fun facts!
• The stops with red icons indicate locations from television and movies. See where iconic scenes with some of the biggest stars were filmed.
• The stops with green icons are notable for their beauty and photo appeal. Take a snapshot in this location and share with us on social media!
• The stops with orange icons indicate our top recommendations for food in and near the park.
• The stops with teal icons show where public restrooms are located in the park.

We are so happy you chose to ride with Unlimited Biking and hope you have a wonderful tour! If you have any questions, please call us at 619-650-5656 or email sales@unlimitedbiking.com.

Welcome! This tour is intended for riders to go at their own pace. For the best experience, please enable location alerts. We have provided information for each stop along the route. Some of the stops are off of the bike path and we do recommend locking up your bikes before viewing them. This map is color coded, so you can choose your own adventure!

• The stops with black icons comprise the primary tour route. Each stop is a notable location in San Diego with a brief history and fun facts!
• The stops with red icons indicate locations from television and movies. See where iconic scenes with some of the biggest stars were filmed.
• The stops with green icons are notable for their beauty and photo appeal. Take a snapshot in this location and share with us on social media!
• The stops with orange icons indicate our top recommendations for food in and near the park.
• The stops with teal icons show where public restrooms are located in the park.

We are so happy you chose to ride with Unlimited Biking and hope you have a wonderful tour! If you have any questions, please call us at 619-650-5656.

USS Midway (CVB/CVA/CV-41) is an aircraft carrier, formerly of the United States Navy, the lead ship of her class. Commissioned 8 days after the end of World War II, Midway was the largest ship in the world until 1955, as well as the first U.S. aircraft carrier too big to transit the Panama Canal. She operated for 47 years, during which time she saw action in the Vietnam War and served as the Persian Gulf flagship in 1991's Operation Desert Storm. Decommissioned in 1992, she is now a museum ship at the USS Midway Museum, in San Diego, California, and is the only remaining inactive U.S. aircraft carrier that is not an Essex-class aircraft carrier.

Midway was part of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet for training in the homeport in Norfolk, VA. Midway was first deployed in 1947 as part of the 6th Fleet. In 1954, Midway left for a world cruise, sailing for Taiwan via the Cape of Good Hope. There was a controversy during this trip as South Africa was an apartheid state. There was allegedly a plan to segregate the 400 people of color on the Midway’s crew. An outcry from certain senators and letters to the Secretary of State followed. An anonymous Navy source said there was no plan to segregate the crew aboard the aircraft carrier. Regardless, Captain Reynold Delos Hogle officially stated that the crew would not abide by apartheid as the Midway is United States territory and would need to comply with US federal law.

The ship underwent modernization efforts in the mid to late 1950s. In 1972, Midway was deployed to Vietnam. A helicopter, HC-7 Det 110, flew from Midway and over the course of several months rescued 48 pilots. The carrier was later docked in Japan. For its service in Vietnam, Richard Nixon presented Midway with the Presidential Unit Citation. On 17 June 1965, aviators of Midway's Attack Carrier Wing 2, VF-21, had downed the first two MiGs credited to U.S. forces in Southeast Asia. On 12 January 1973 a combat aircraft from Midway made the last air-to-air victory of the Vietnam War.

In 1975, Midway participated in Operation Frequent Wind, where Saigon was evacuated as North Vietnam took over the area. Hundreds of U.S. and Vietnamese individuals were evacuated via Naval and Air Force helicopters to the Midway. In 1990, after Iraq invaded Kuwait, the U.S moved into Saudi Arabia to stop an Iraq invasion. Midway was deployed to the area and after Iraq did not respond to the United Nations ultimatum to withdraw from Kuwait, Operation Desert Storm began on January 17th 1991. Midway launched the aircraft that carried out the first strikes of the Gulf War. After Desert Storm ended at the end of February, Midway departed the Persian Gulf without losing any of the 17 aircrafts used during the strikes.

In 1991, Midway departed foreign waters for the last time, returning to Pearl Harbor before sailing to Seattle and then making its final voyage to San Diego. Midway was decommissioned in 1992 in a ceremony with then-Secretary of Defence Dick Cheney as the primary speaker. On 10 January 2004, the ship was moored at her final location, where she was opened to the public on 7 June 2004 as a museum and memorial.

Built in 1863 in Ramsey, Isle of Man, this iron-hulled sailing ship was first named Euterpe after the Greek muse of music. The ship first sailed between England and India. In 1871, after being sold, the Euterpe she began 25 years of carrying passengers and freight in the New Zealand emigrant trade, each voyage going eastward around the world before returning to England. The fastest of her 21 passages to New Zealand took 100 days, the longest 143 days. Two babies were born upon the ship.

The ship was sold to Hawaiian owners then owners in San Francisco, where she carried lumber, coal and sugar. In 1901, Euterpe was sold to the Alaska Packers’ Association of San Francisco who re-rigged the ship into a barque. The ship began carrying fisherman, cannery workers, coal, and supplies from Oakland to Nushagak. To make the name consistent with the rest of their fleet, the barque was renamed the Star of India in 1906.

In 1926, as steam powered ships were more common, the Star of India was sold to the Zoological Society of San Diego. The Great Depression and World War II prevented the planned restoration of the Star of India until 1957. The restoration was slow, but the Star of India went to sea again in 1976, housing exhibits for the Maritime Museum of San Diego.

The 1863 Star of India is the fourth oldest ship afloat in the United States, after the 1797 USS Constitution, the 1841 Charles W. Morgan, and 1854 USS Constellation, and is the oldest ship in the world that still sails regularly. Unlike many preserved or restored vessels, her hull, cabins and equipment are nearly 100% original. She is the oldest ship still sailing regularly and also the oldest iron-hulled merchant ship still afloat. The ship is both a California Historical Landmark and United States National Historic Landmark. The ship’s last voyage was in November of 2023 to celebrate her 160th birthday.

Once a predominantly Italian and Portuguese fishing neighborhood, Little Italy is now a gentrified neighborhood of Italian restaurants and groceries, art galleries, shops, and residential units. The neighborhood has a weekly farmers market (the Mercato) on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Mercato features freshly caught fish, vegetables and fruit from local farmers, pastries from local bakeries, flowers and plants from local farms, and art from local artists.

From the 19th century through the 1970s, Italian-Americans, chiefly from the Italian Riviera and Sicily, led the enterprise in the building of the boats that founded the American tuna fishing fleet and canning industry based in San Diego, the "tuna capital" of the American West Coast. The first large tuna cannery, the Pacific Tuna Canning Company, was founded in 1911. By the mid-1930s the canneries employed more than a thousand people. When foreign competition threatened in the 1950s, the fishermen ended the tradition of hook-and-line fishing and converted their boats to seiners that used large nylon nets to corral schools of tuna.

The efficiency of the seiners restored prosperity, but it courted controversy. Netting schools of tuna killed dolphins and sharks caught in the nets. The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1973 protected dolphins and other marine mammals, causing tuna fishing to be more difficult and costly. Renewed foreign competition and rising costs ultimately forced cannery operations to go abroad. In June 1982, Bumble Bee Seafoods closed its plant at the foot of Crosby Street, where San Diego women had canned tuna for 70 years. The Van Kamp Seafood cannery – San Diego’s last tuna cannery – followed two years later.

Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, many Italian fishermen moved to San Diego. There is a sculpture dedicated to the cannery workers in Barrio Logan and a "Tunaman's Memorial" statue on Shelter Island. The neighborhood features the Italian Cultural Center of San Diego, a 600-member non-profit organization founded in 1981. Its primary goal is to promote the diffusion of Italian culture in all its varied forms by offering language and cultural courses. The Convivio Center & Little Italy Heritage Museum serves as a community resource and provides programs and events for the community.

In April, there is ArtWalk, the largest art event in the west coast with over 120,000 people coming to purchase various mediums of art - paintings, photography, jewelry, furniture and more. Also in April, there is Gran Fondo (Big Ride) Colnago San Diego, where over 3,000 bicycle riders from all over the world come to ride throughout "America's Finest City" in a 32, 53 or 100 mile ride that starts under the Little Italy landmark sign.

Kate Sessions (1857 - 1940) has been called the "Mother of Balboa Park." Raised in San Francisco, Sessions moved to San Diego after receiving a bachelor's degree in natural science from UC Berkeley. After a brief stint as a teacher and vice principal at present-day San Diego High School, she owned a flower shop and tree nurseries. Kate Sessions leased 30 acres in City Park (now called Balboa Park). As part of the ten-year agreement, she planted 100 trees a year in the park and 300 additional trees in other areas of the city.

An avid traveler, Sessions introduced over 140 plant species to San Diego from around the world. Due to her horticultural endeavors, the once-barren park is now filled with a range of plants and trees, including the jacaranda - a beautiful tree with purple blooms that can be found throughout San Diego now. She personally managed several public schools’ landscapes and worked as a speaker and educator about landscapes, gardens, and plants.

Her contributions to Balboa Park were immortalized in 1998 with this bronze statue. The statue stands at six and a half feet tall and features her carrying a trowel in one hand and examining a seedling in the other.

The Old Globe Theatre was built in 1935 as part of the California Pacific International Exposition. Although this was intended to be a temporary structure to showcase abridged Shakespeare plays, the theatre was so popular that a non-profit organization petitioned to stop its demolition.

The structure of the theatre was copied from the Chicago World’s Fair, which was a reproduction of the Globe Theatre in London. The complex features three theatres, which are collectively known as the Simon Edison Centre for the Performing Arts.

The Old Globe experienced an 8 year setback as the United States Navy took control of all building in Balboa Park during World War II. Portions of the theatre burnt in two separate arson fires in 1978 and 1984, being rebuilt with more capacity each time. As a regional theatre, the Old Globe stages touring performances and many shows have had their first runs at the Old Globe before moving to Broadway. In total, thirteen Tony Awards have been awarded to shows that premiered at this theatre, including: Into the Woods, Damn Yankees, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The theatre itself won the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1984.

Today, the Old Globe features about thirteen to fifteen productions annually. In conjunction with the University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program, the Old Globe offers a two-year MFA acting program. With a two percent acceptance rate, this is one of the most competitive MFA programs in the world and is consistently ranked in the top ten globally. One notable alumnus is The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons.

A staple performance is the annual holiday production of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904 - 1991) moved to the La Jolla community of San Diego in 1948 following his work as an Army captain and propagandist for World War II. Once in San Diego, he returned to writing children’s books, writing many of his most famous works, including The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hears a Who, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Seuss’s influence can be felt throughout the city. The Geisel Library at UC San Diego was named for him and his second wife. The Legends Gallery in La Jolla features over forty illustrations from Seuss and a mural of his characters can be seen in the Denny Sanford Children’s Library (located in San Diego’s Central Library).

Balboa Park began as an indigenous, Kumeyaay village through the 1890s. The land was made into a public park in 1870, but in 1871 some legislatures attempted to quietly repeal the park reservation act in order to sell the land to private developers. Higher level officials stopped this repeal and San Diego became the second city after Manhattan’s Central Park to dedicate a large portion of land for a park in city limits. Balboa Park stands on 1,200 acres.

The “City Park” as it was first named was mostly open space except for a few buildings: an orphanage, women’s shelter, high school, and several gardens. In the early 1900s, city officials tore down the Indigenous neighborhood in the park in preparation for the Panama-California Exposition. In 1910, a contest was held to rename the park. The park was named for Vasco Núñez de Balboa, a Spanish explorer who was the first European to cross Central America and see the Pacific Ocean.

The Expo, which coincided with the opening of the Panama Canal and celebrated the newly formed trade route, was designed by architect Bertram Goodhue. He chose to use Spanish Baroque and Spanish Colonial architecture styles. The building styles were nationally praised and became the reigning style in California for decades, continuing to be a hallmark of California architecture. One of the important constructions during this time was the Cabrillo Bridge across a canyon in San Diego.

The Panama-California Exposition opened on December 31, 1914 with a yellow and red color theme and workers dressed in period Spanish and Mexican military uniforms. The popular exposition was so successful, its timeline was extended and it brought in approximately 3.7 million visitors over the two years it was open. Notable visitors include: Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft. Roosevelt recommended that some of the buildings remain permanent fixtures in Balboa Park, leading the city to renovate some of the temporary structures for permanent display. Some of the buildings still in the park include: Cabrillo Bridge, the current-day Museum of Us, Botanical Building, California Bell Tower, current-day Balboa Park Club, and Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

Balboa Park hosted a second expo, the California Pacific International Exposition in 1935. For this expo, architect Richard S. Requa designed new temporary and permanent buildings. Some of these permanent buildings that still stand are: the Old Globe Theatre, International Cottages, and the Spanish Village. The expo included a look at a newly developed technology, the television. Notable guests for the 35-37 expo include: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Mae West, and Herbert Hoover. This exposition boasted approximately 6.7 million visitors.

During World War II, the park was utilized by the Department of the Navy as barracks and training grounds. Marine Barracks were also established in the park. Balboa Park was renamed Camp Kidd after Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd during World War II. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, many wounded were transported to the hospital wards at Camp Kidd. The park was returned to civilian authority in 1946 and the Navy reimbursed most of the required repair costs.

FUN FACTS

• Balboa Park is bigger than Central Park in Manhattan
• Both The Rolling Stones and The Beatles played in Balboa Park early in their careers

The San Diego Zoo sits on 100 acres and is home to 650 species and subspecies of animals and 4000 animals total. The zoo is run by a nonprofit conservation organization with more than half a million members, making it one of the largest zoological membership associations in the world. The San Diego Zoo is world famous and (for some years) is the most visited zoo in the United States.

The zoo grew out of the Panama-California Exposition in 1915, which featured and aviary and animal pen. The animals were abandoned after the exposition and Dr. Harry M. Wegeforth founded the Zoological Society of San Diego in 1916. In 1921, a permanent location was allocated in Balboa Park for the zoo. The zoo expanded by acquiring a menagerie from Wonderland Amusement Park after it went out of business. From 1925 to 1953, Belle Benchley served as the zoo director and was the only female zoo director in the world for most of her tenure.

The zoo founded the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species in 1975. Now named the Institute for Conservation Research, this division of the zoo has reintroduced more than 30 endangered species back into the wild. It is the largest zoo-based multidisciplinary research effort in the world with more than 200 conservation scientists working in 35 countries. The institute has raised: tigers, black rhinos, polar bears, gorillas, Tasmanian devils, bisons, African penguins, gray wolves, koalas, and more.

The San Diego Zoo features open-air and cageless exhibits to recreate natural habitats. The zoo has had many escapes over the years. Notably, a Bornean orangutan named Ken Allen came to be known as the “hairy Houdini” for all of his escapes. In 2013, the zoo went on lockdown after two hyenas got past their barriers.

The Zoo has both a guided bus tour and an overhead gondola.

FUN FACTS

• The first ever video uploaded to Youtube was called “Me at the Zoo.” It’s a 19-second video by Youtube co-founder Jawed Karim featuring two elephants behind him at the San Diego Zoo.
• The zoo has the largest population of giant pandas in North America. They have had 6 successful cub births at the zoo
• The zoo has live animal cams on their website where individuals can watch apes, pandas, penguins, condors, elephants, koalas, tigers, or polar bears

Built in 1935 for the second California Exposition, Spanish Village depicted a quaint town complete with restaurants, shops, cantinas, and an open courtyard. Many structures built for this Exposition were to be temporary. Consequently in 1936, after the event drew to a close, some exhibits were slated for demolition. At that time, a group of visionary local artists approached the city with a proposal to convert the buildings in Spanish Village into working art studios. In exchange, the artists agreed to provide community outreach both to other local artists and the general public. As a result, local artists have an affordable place to work, show and sell in a creative environment. In addition, the artists of Spanish Village Art Center open their studio doors to the public, offering them the rare opportunity to watch the artists at work.

The Village has remained open to the public for nearly 80 years, closing only for a short time during World War II when the military occupied much of Balboa Park. Over the years thousands of dedicated artists have been members of this artist collective. The art showcased and created at the art center encompasses nearly every artform, including: oil paintings, glass, clay, photography, sculptures and more.

The Casa de Balboa has gone through many changes of names during the course of its history: Commerce and Industries Building, Canadian Building, Museum of Natural History, Palace of Better Housing, Electric Building. Constructed for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, The Commerce and Industries Building was not the building that architect Carleton M. Winslow had envisioned in drawings in 1912. Plans for the building were jettisoned and a new and different building was constructed at a cost of $74,403 in an elegant Venetian Renaissance style that did not correspond to architect Carleton M. Winslow’s 1912 drawings of a Spanish-style structure.

H. R. Schmohl was the plasterer in charge of creating ornaments for the Panama-California Exposition. While he made ornaments behind his back for the benefit of reporters, 26 workers from Central Europe, France and Italy did most of the work. It is likely that figurative consoles on Baroque and Rococo buildings in Central Europe and Italy inspired the creation of the naked, muscular busts of women or hermes (the technical name for a statue representing the upper part of the body which ends in a pedestal or plinth out of which the body appears to spring) on the Commerce and Industries Building. They were not created for artistic effect or with an awareness of their mythological, historical and architectural significance. The San Diego Union described the nude women as “typifying the woman of toil, a patient powerful mother of men, a hewer of wood and a drawer of water.”

During the first season of the Panama-California Exposition, the building was used to house American industrial exhibits, among which many considered the Burroughs Adding Machine Company exhibit to be outstanding. The National Cash Register Company, Mills Novelty Company, Shaw Walker Company, and Moreland Truck Company also mounted exhibits that occupied considerable floor space. Among U.S. Government exhibits, the most popular was a machine set up by the U.S. Mint that turned out 90 coins per minute. As the government did not allow the making of coins outside its regular mints, the coins given to visitors bore an image of Uncle Sam with a pick and shovel on one side and a drawing of the Panama Canal locks with a ship coming through on the other. A second machine printed the American eagle on paper and handkerchiefs.

In the second year of the Exposition, the government of Canada mounted a large exhibit of live beavers, Canadian minerals and vegetables; thus the Exposition Corporation renamed the building the Canada Building. During World War I, the Commerce and Industries Building was used as a barracks for sailor trainees at San Diego’s first U.S. Naval Training Center. Between World War I and the opening of the 1935-36 California-Pacific International Exposition, the Commerce and Industries Building was generally vacant.

During the 1935-36 California-Pacific International Exposition, the 1915 Commerce and Industries Building was renamed the Palace of Better Housing. It housed the administration offices of the Exposition and a small number of exhibits dealing with “better housing,” to complement a Federal Housing Administration show behind the building. After the 1935-36 Exposition, the Palace of Better Housing was used to house industrial and electric shows, which were similar to those during the Exposition but on a smaller scale.

The United States Naval Hospital took over the Palace of Better Housing during World War II. Costing $60,000 from Navy Restoration funds and $10,000 from the City of San Diego, patch-up work after the war left the building in a perilous state, but still businesses in San Diego put on more industrial, trade, cat and poultry shows. Fire walls added in 1950 divided the building into four large rooms. Electric shows became such a prominent feature that newspapers unofficially changed the name of the building to Electric Building.

The San Diego Aerospace Museum moved into the Electric Building in June 1965. The building was inadequate for the display of exhibits, but there was no other place for it to go. The Electric Building is the largest of the temporary-type buildings remaining from the 1915 Exposition. In 1970-71, the Committee of 100 transferred its attention to the Electric Building. Its first effort was to get the City Council to permit it to make molds of the decaying ornament on the building. The Ninteman Construction Company got the contract to remove and make molds of the ornament.

On February 22, 1978, the Electric Building burned down, a result of arson caused by two San Diego teenagers. After the fire, the Committee of 100 and the building’s tenants set about getting funds to rebuild the Electric Building. To reduce costs and to take advantage of new technologies, the ornament was reproduced in an amalgam of fiberglass, gypsum and concrete rather than in the cast concrete used on the Food and Beverage Building. Cast concrete was not the ideal material that its proponents had claimed. Sculpture on the California Building — made of this material — was pitted and corroded. Aside from the great savings, it was hoped that fiberglass reinforced plastic on the Electric Building would be a dependable material. As she had done in the reconstruction of the loggia on the Casa del Prado, Mrs. Jeanette Pratt donated $50,000 to the cause. Michael Matson of San Diego, a commercial artist, fabricated and finished the ornament after a process he had invented.

After the name Casa del Pacifico was discarded when the Museums of Man and Natural History lost interest in occupying the building, a citizen advisory group selected Casa de Balboa as the new name for the Electric Building on October 5, 1981. After jockeying for position, the following institutions were selected to occupy the Casa de Balboa, which formally reopened on May 17, 1982: The San Diego History Center, Model Railroad Museum, Museum of Photographic Arts, Hall of Champions, Food concessions, Committee of 100, and the Balboa Park Art Conservation Center. In 1991, the Hall of Champions decided to move into a reconstructed Federal Building in the Palisades and the Museum of Photographic Arts expanded.

With great Happy Hour and Lunch Special options, BESHOCK Ramen is a wonderful spot for a quick meal for Ramen and Sushi fans. We recommend trying the Chicken Katsu Curry Ramen.

Are you looking for a quaint breakfast spot? Try out Kuma Cafe for a quick bite and coffee! Our recommendation for a healthy option is the Golden Acai Bowl.

This Nevada and California chain offers exciting Mexican food for a great price! We recommend trying the Azteca with beef and cactus.

In the heart of San Diego's Little Italy is this delicious pizza spot! It's perfect for big families with young children or couples looking for an authentic experience. We recommend the Margherita Pizza and Canolis for dessert.

For a classier dining experience, check out Ironside Fish and Oysters. Though a bit pricier than other local options, Ironside is a wonderful spot for a luxurious lunch. We recommend trying the Oyster à la carte or an oyster platter.

There are many great spots for a burger in San Diego, but this one is our personal favorite. Located near Unlimited Biking in the Gaslamp Quarter, this restaraunt is great for families, solo travelers, and couples alike. We recommend indulging with the Mac & Cheese Burger.

For vegan diners or anyone interested in high-quality vegan food, Donna Jean is the perfect spot! We recommend the lasagna for a hearty lunch with a vegan twist on the classic dish.

This Thai restaurant offers fresh dishes at reasonable prices. If you like heat, try out the delicious green curry. If heat isn't for you, the Pad Thai is a great option!

San Diego has an excellent selection of Persian food and Darband Fifth Avenue Grill is a stand out. We recommend trying Chicken and Shish Kabob combination platter.

This gorgeous Queen Anne Victorian home was built in 1887 for judge Eugene Britt. The property has operated as an inn since 2005. The stunning exterior makes for a perfect photo for architecture enthusiasts.

Calling all baseball fans! Petco Park, built in 2004, is the home stadium of the San Diego Padres.

This museum's exterior is beautiful, but the real photo opportunities are inside! Check out cars and motorcycles dating back nearly 100 years and snap a picture with your favorite model.

This is the perfect spot for a photo with its looming exterior dating back to 1915. Learn more about Native American culture as well as ancient cultures when you head into the museum.

Though still a gorgeous exterior, Horton Plaza no longer serves as the shopping mall it used to be. It was sold in 2018 and is being converted into an office-retail space with major renovations.

The Kissing Sailor Statue is also known as "Unconditional Surrender" or "Embracing Peace." The statue is based on the iconic photo of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square that appeared on the cover of Life magazine after the end of World War II.

Built in 1924, the Balboa Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Once a vaudeville and movie theater, it now functions as a venue for touring Broadway productions and special events.

The main branch of the San Diego Public Library system features a grand exterior. For more photo opportunities, step inside the impressive lobby.

This arts and crafts area has been around since 1907. The rustic area is perfect for a quick and striking photo!

The Veterans Museum is housed in the former chapel of the Naval Hospital in Balboa Park. The museum is dedicated to Veterans of all conflicts and presents "patriotic, military and war-related memorabilia, artifacts, photographs, and other artwork."

The WorldBeat Center is a multi-cultural arts organization featuring and celebrating the cultures of the African Diaspora and global Indigenous cultures.

Outside the botanical building is a beautiful lily pond, perfect for photos!

In the San Diego Zoo

Near the Spanish Village Art Center

635 Pan American W Rd, San Diego, CA 92101

1011 8th Dr, San Diego, CA 92101

1856 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101

28th St, San Diego, CA 92102

Russ Blvd, San Diego, CA 92102

1600 Pacific Hwy, San Diego, CA 92101

This is a 24-hour public restroom in the San Diego Civic Center

1140 3rd Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

1006 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101

803 W Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101 in the Seaport Village

Orson Welles' 1941 film Citizen Kane continues to top lists of the best movies of all time. The story follows Charles Kane, loosely based on publishing magnate William Hearst. Welles utilized the Casa del Prado in Balboa Park for some exterior shots of Kane's elaborate estate called "Xanadu."

The blockbuster film Top Gun (1986) starring Tom Cruise is widely credited with putting San Diego on the map as a major filming location. Many of the on-location shots were filmed on military properties that are not easily accessible to the public. However, Kansas City Barbecue is happy to embrace fans of the megahit film! The iconic scene where the guys play "Great Balls of Fire" on the piano was filmed in this barbeque spot.

The H.M.S Surprise, a 1970 replica of the original ship (sometimes called the HMS Rose). Originally named Unité by the French Navy and launched in 1794, the ship was captured by the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and renamed before being relaunched in 1796. Three years later, the ship was used for the recapturing of the HMS Hermione.

This replica was used as the setting for the 2003 Russel Crowe vehicle Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. The ship was used again in the 2010 film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous (2000) made Kate Hudson a star. The film follows a young journalist's introduction to rock and roll. The scene where he meets Stillwater for the first time was filmed at the then-named San Diego Sports Arena.

Though all of 2004's Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy takes place in San Diego, most of the filming was done in Los Angeles besides a few establishing shots. However, after Will Ferrell's character is fired from the newsroom, we see him walking sadly through Balboa Park.

Though most of the Miami-set Scarface (1983) was filmed in Los Angeles, some of the outdoor scenes were shot at Coronado Beach. Ron Howard also used this beach while filming his mermaid film Splash (1984).

The cult hit TV show Veronica Mars, starring Kristen Bell, takes place in the fictional town of Neptune, California. Eagle eyed fans will notice Neptune looks an awful lot like San Diego. This hotel is featured in the show under the name Neptune Grand.

Simon & Simon ran for 8 seasons on CBS from 1981 to 1989. It follows brothers Rick and A.J. Simon as they run their private investigation business in San Diego. The show filmed all over the city, but this location is notably the police headquarters where the two brothers often end up in each episode.