Midway

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo became the first European to set foot in California. In 1542 he sailed into San Diego Bay and his arrival here is commemorated at Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma. From this vantage point, you will find an unparalleled view of the bay, downtown San Diego and Coronado Island in one direction, and the open sea in the other. An added benefit of visiting this section of Point Loma is that you can also visit Old Point Loma Lighthouse and the Point Loma Tide Pools at Cabrillo National Monument in the rocky area located below the monument. The best time to explore the tidepools is about two hours before low tide in the fall and winter months.

Point Loma is steeped in history, but some of that history has been revised with the development of Liberty Station in the area that used to be the Naval Training Center (NTC), San Diego. The first Navy recruits began training here in 1923. Expansion through World War II and beyond included the building of new facilities featuring handsome Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. After the Cold War ended, activity at the Naval Training Center began to wind down and the NTC closed in 1997.

Today, Liberty Station is a hub of activity where visitors can find shops, restaurants and the Liberty Public Market, a public market and event venue open seven days a week.

When visiting Point Loma, you may want to take detours to Harbor Island and Shelter Island.

Harbor Island is a strip of real estate only two miles long, but it is home to hotels, marinas and restaurants that are visitor favorites. Park the car and go for a brisk walk or jog while you enjoy the view of San Diego Bay and the city skyline.

You will find hotels and restaurants on lovely Shelter Island as well, but this is also a major boating center where people can moor their yachts or purchase the latest designs. If you drive to the end of the island, you will see a large bronze bell within a pagoda-like structure. This was a gift from Yokohama, Japan, in 1958, when Yokohama and San Diego became sister cities.

Nature-loving residents and visitors alike make time to enjoy Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, a recreational area of 68 acres. Sunset Cliffs is located between Ocean Beach and Point Loma, and the park along the shoreline with its picturesque cliff formations offers some of the most spectacular views of the blue Pacific—and awe-inspiring sunsets—that you will find anywhere.

If you are into amusement parks, you won’t want to miss a visit to Mission Beach on the ocean side of Mission Bay. Here you’ll find Belmont Park with its Giant Dipper roller coaster. In Mission Beach, you can also wander along the oceanfront boardwalk and check out the surf shops, cafes, beach bars and nightclubs.

From the Mission Bay area, a drive of just a few minutes will also take you to California’s first settlement, Old Town San Diego, a colorful, historic destination that offers boutique shopping, dining and a taste of old San Diego history all in the Mexican style. Enjoy a margarita along with your enchiladas for lunch and fortify yourself for strolling through the dozens of shops or visiting Ramona’s Marriage Place, a famous adobe home built in 1827, or the reportedly haunted Whaley House.