The Best-Kept Secrets of San Diego

The Best-Kept Secrets of San DiegoCinema Under the StarsCinema Under the Stars is a unique outdoor movie theatre in Mission Hills, San Diego. Their weatherproof retractable dome and infrared heating provide the feel of the outdoors with the warmth and comfort of the indoors. Enjoy watching a movie on the 20-foot screen with HD projection and surround sound. Get cosy on the single and double zero gravity recliners, love seat cabanas, or deck chair/ottoman with table. Coffee, tea, soda, bottled water, popcorn and a variety of candies are available from their concessions stand to enjoy with this unique experience.

Cinema Under the Stars, 4040 Goldfinch St, San Diego, CA, USA, +1 619-295-4221Old Town San Diego State Historic ParkOld Town San Diego State Historic Park presents the opportunity to experience the history of early San Diego by providing a connection to the past. Learn about life in the Mexican and early American periods of 1821 to 1872. Even today, life moves more slowly in this part of San Diego, where the hustle and bustle is balanced with history and fiestas. Visitors are offered a glimpse into yesteryear, as converging cultures transformed San Diego from a Mexican pueblo to an American settlement. The park eventually gained statehood in the United States after the Mexican-American War.

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, 4002 Wallace St, San Diego, CA, USA, +1 619-220-5422Harper’s Topiary GardenKnown as Harper’s Topiary Garden, this labour of love is the work of Mission Hills residents Edna and Alex Harper. The garden was started over 15 years ago when the formerly basic garden began to transform after the Harpers were inspired by gardens they saw on their travels. The collection includes a surfer, elephants ridden by monkeys, a rooster, a Buddha, pyramids, a whale, and more. The Harpers do all of the shaping, with the assistance of their gardener, and Edna supposedly spends hours each day tending to the sculptures. And it is free to enjoy.

Harper’s Topiary Garden, 3549 Union St, San Diego, CA, USAScripps Coastal ReserveScripps Coastal Reserve occupies nearly one thousand acres in La Jolla, California, ranging across a complex landscape including mesa top, coastal canyon and bluff, sandy beach, rocky intertidal, submerged coastal plain and deep submarine canyon. Hundreds of thousands of people visit annually, so environmental awareness is essential for protecting the rare and sensitive habitats and species. There are two distinct parts to the reserve: the shoreline and marine protected area, and the upland area, commonly referred to as the “Knoll” or “Cliffs.” The Reserve is a great landscape to explore and visit whilst on your journey.

Scripps Coastal Reserve, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA, USA, +1 858-534-2077Bay View ParkBay View Park is a small, secluded shoreline park with shade trees, benches and nice landscaping on the island of Coronado. The park is named after the great views it offers of the downtown skyline and bay at this almost secret location. When you are on the bench at this place, the rest of the world drops away behind and around you and makes the views of San Diego “pop out” even more.Bay View Park, 413 1st St, Coronado, CA, USA, +1 619-522-7342By Talitha Duncan-Todd