La Jolla has been called the Monte Carlo of Southern California. It teems with life and surprises from fine dining restaurants perched atop jagged cliffs to indulgent soft sand beaches, year-round vacation sunshine and watercolor sunsets over the Pacific Ocean. This article lists five things that you should not miss when visiting this gem in the crown of America's Finest City.
Children's Pool (850 Coast Boulevard) was originally designed as a safe place for children to wade into the ocean; it's now home to dozens of wild Harbor Seals and their pups. Many consider the seals to be one of the most fun sights in La Jolla because the seals are so up-close and persona.. A cement walkway allows visitors to walk out over the ocean while waves and surf crash around them. The walkway provides a wonderful vantage from which to enjoy the antics of the Harbor Seals basking and playing just a few feet away.
La Jolla is home to one of the most spectacular waterfronts in Southern California, complete with remarkable caves, rugged sandstone cliffs, soft sandy beaches and picturesque sunsets. La Jolla Cove is a protected marine sanctuary with an idyllic crescent of sandy beach sheltered from the ocean waves. The Cove is a wonderful place for swimming, snorkeling or just people watching. Continuing south you'll pass through the grassy Scripps Park- a staging area for family picnics, Fourth of July fireworks and free summer concerts.
Visit The Cave Store. What would you expect to find in a "cave store" - maybe some fossils or seashells? There's more. Here you will find a hole in the floor of the store leading to a 100 year old hand-dug tunnel that descends down to the only sea cave in California that you can enter by land - the wonderful and spooky Sunny Jim Cave. The smells, the sounds, the feel! You can hear water trickling down the walls of the tunnel as you go down... down... down 143 steps, until you walk out onto a small wooden dock into the cave, the ocean crashing on rocks around you, gulls nesting in tucked-away places above.
Mount Soledad is La Jolla's most prominent landmark, visible from virtually everywhere. The mountaintop is the site of the Mount Soledad cross, the subject of a continuing controversy over the involvement of religion in government. Take Nautilus Street up to the park at the top to enjoy amazing panoramic views. Visitors and locals alike describe the park as peaceful, calm, romantic and breathtaking. At night you can see the fireworks that SeaWorld launches each evening. Dr. Seuss lived on the mountain, his widow Audrey still does.
Torrey Pines Glider Port Park lies within Torrey Pines City Park on 350-foot oceanfront cliffs between La Jolla and Torrey Pines State Reserve. The rugged sandstone bluffs overlook Scripps Pier and San Diego's scalloped coastline. If you have ever dreamed of soaring like an eagle without powered assistance, you can register for a 30-minute flight lesson, then head out tandem with an experienced instructor for the adventure of a lifetime flying off the cliffs, over the ocean. Those less dare-devilish can simply watch as pilots and their strange crafts leap off the cliffs into the wind and soar away.
Children's Pool (850 Coast Boulevard) was originally designed as a safe place for children to wade into the ocean; it's now home to dozens of wild Harbor Seals and their pups. Many consider the seals to be one of the most fun sights in La Jolla because the seals are so up-close and persona.. A cement walkway allows visitors to walk out over the ocean while waves and surf crash around them. The walkway provides a wonderful vantage from which to enjoy the antics of the Harbor Seals basking and playing just a few feet away.
La Jolla is home to one of the most spectacular waterfronts in Southern California, complete with remarkable caves, rugged sandstone cliffs, soft sandy beaches and picturesque sunsets. La Jolla Cove is a protected marine sanctuary with an idyllic crescent of sandy beach sheltered from the ocean waves. The Cove is a wonderful place for swimming, snorkeling or just people watching. Continuing south you'll pass through the grassy Scripps Park- a staging area for family picnics, Fourth of July fireworks and free summer concerts.
Visit The Cave Store. What would you expect to find in a "cave store" - maybe some fossils or seashells? There's more. Here you will find a hole in the floor of the store leading to a 100 year old hand-dug tunnel that descends down to the only sea cave in California that you can enter by land - the wonderful and spooky Sunny Jim Cave. The smells, the sounds, the feel! You can hear water trickling down the walls of the tunnel as you go down... down... down 143 steps, until you walk out onto a small wooden dock into the cave, the ocean crashing on rocks around you, gulls nesting in tucked-away places above.
Mount Soledad is La Jolla's most prominent landmark, visible from virtually everywhere. The mountaintop is the site of the Mount Soledad cross, the subject of a continuing controversy over the involvement of religion in government. Take Nautilus Street up to the park at the top to enjoy amazing panoramic views. Visitors and locals alike describe the park as peaceful, calm, romantic and breathtaking. At night you can see the fireworks that SeaWorld launches each evening. Dr. Seuss lived on the mountain, his widow Audrey still does.
Torrey Pines Glider Port Park lies within Torrey Pines City Park on 350-foot oceanfront cliffs between La Jolla and Torrey Pines State Reserve. The rugged sandstone bluffs overlook Scripps Pier and San Diego's scalloped coastline. If you have ever dreamed of soaring like an eagle without powered assistance, you can register for a 30-minute flight lesson, then head out tandem with an experienced instructor for the adventure of a lifetime flying off the cliffs, over the ocean. Those less dare-devilish can simply watch as pilots and their strange crafts leap off the cliffs into the wind and soar away.
About the Author:
In 2007 Terry Hunefeld retired as CEO of a training company to follow his love of sailing the world's oceans to observe seabirds and mammals. Hunefeld and his wife Ann own and operate the lovely Inn At Moonlight Beach in a small surf town just north of San Diego. For more information visit: La Jolla B&Bs or La Jolla California Hotels.
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