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The sailing ship Star of India dates back to 1863; Berkeley used to carry passengers in the Bay Area; and the USS Midway features in the Aircraft Carrier Museum (see Embarcadero).

The National Steel and Shipbuilding Company designs and builds US Navy auxiliary ships, commercial tankers, and container ships. It is one of the largest shipyards in the US.

Three aircraft carriers tie up here. You can often see high-tech aircraft, submarines, and destroyers take off and land (see Naval Air Station North Island & the US Naval Amphibious Base).

Home to the Navy SEALS and the Navy Parachute Team, the facility has served as an amphibious training base since 1943. The base is responsible for training, maintenance, and crews of 85 ships of the Pacific Fleet (see Naval Air Station North Island & the US Naval Amphibious Base).

Soar off the spectacular cliffs of Torrey Pines (see Torrey Pines State Reserve). In your first lesson, you’ll receive basic instructions followed by 20–30 minutes of gliding with your instructor. If you’d like to watch for a while before making that exhilarating plunge, a viewing area and café sit on the cliff’s edge.

All of us are born to be wild, so put on your jeans and black leather jacket and rent a bike for a day. You won’t be alone: droves of bikers take to the highway, especially on weekends. The backcountry of San Diego County is a prime area for powering a Fat Boy, Road King, or Dyna Wide Glide down the road.

On weekends from April through October, sleep alongside wild animals just as you would in an African game park. Tents that hold up to four persons are provided. Programs include guided discovery hikes and animal encounters, an open-flame grilled dinner, campfire snacks, special late night programs, and a pancake breakfast before a gorgeous sunrise. Reservations are essential (see San Diego Wild Animal Park).

The Navy marine mammal facility trains bottlenose dolphins, with their biological sonar, to locate sea mines.

Several San Diego groups take UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) sightings seriously. The best places to spot UFOs are in Borrego Springs and Ocotillo Wells. Given San Diego’s strong military presence, that saucer in the sky might well be a secret government mission.

Operated by the Railway Museum of San Diego, the Golden State Limited departs twice daily on the weekends from the historic Campo train depot, for a pleasant 16-mile (26-km) round trip to Miller Creek. Reserve a spot in the cab of the Diesel-electric locomotive and chat with the engineer and brakeman; you’ll even have a chance to toot the horn.