This past summer, my husband and I took a kid-free vacation to San Diego. Neither of us had been before, and we were pumped to visit the beaches, the different communities, and of course, the breweries.
For anyone familiar with San Diego geography, we stayed on Point Loma, checked out the Gas Lamp Quarter, and spent a lot of our time at Ocean Beach and La Jolla. While the trip was meant for a little R&R, our M.O. on any trip is always to get out and explore the city. We made a point to have one ‘big’ experience each day we were there, along with finding time to play when we stumbled upon something interesting.
Our big experiences included:
- The San Diego Zoo (Did you know that the San Diego Zoo has indigenous plants, native to each animal’s natural habitat, all over the zoo?)
- A kayak tour of La Jolla Bay (Our tour guide informed us that Theodor Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, lived in La Jolla for many years; the illustrations of unique plants appearing in his books are inspired by the flora in La Jolla!)
- A Padres v. Rockies baseball game (The Padres won, and a man next to us caught a foul ball!)
- Exploring the La Jolla sea caves (Much of the San Diego coastline is made up of rocky cliffs, where sea caves have been carved over time by the ocean!)
- A trip to the local tattoo shop (As a die-hard Harry Potter fan, I had ideas for the exact tattoo I wanted. I brought my tattoo artist 3 images with different elements I wanted incorporated into my tattoo, and he created the design for my tattoo himself – freehand.)
Finally, San Diego has been said to rival the Front Range of Colorado in terms of its brewery scene – and as craft beer lovers, we just had to test this theory for ourselves. We were very impressed. If any other beer enthusiasts are considering a visit to San Diego, here are a few recommendations for you: If you’re looking for a big brewery, on the scale of New Belgium or Sam Adams, our recommendation would be Ballast Point. If you’re looking for something smaller, more indicative of the local flavor, definitely check out Bagby Beer Company in Oceanside.
Thanks for a good time, San Diego! We’ll definitely be back.