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Since 1964, SeaWorld has introduced over 100 million guests to marine life, with more than 30 attractions, exhibits, and shows. The park has recently introduced a few thrill rides to compete with the numerous Southern California adventure parks. You can don a wetsuit and enter the dolphin pool in the Dolphin Interaction Program, or participate in Trainer For A Day, where you learn what it takes to be a killer whale and dolphin trainer. SeaWorld also hosts sleepovers, resident, and day camps (see SeaWorld).

Spectacular and rich, with a gorgeous location and elegant restaurants and shops, this is an ideal destination. However, La Jollans do not sit around idly basking in their good fortune. Just north of the village along Torrey Pines Drive, some of the most prestigious research institutions in the world, many underwritten by La Jolla’s residents, contribute to the good of humanity. Across the freeway, an area known as the Golden Triangle has become the new telecommunications Silicon Valley (see Tijuana).

Many people prefer the Wild Animal Park to its sister zoo in Balboa Park (see San Diego Zoo). By mono-rail or a circuitous hiking trail, experience African and Asian animals roaming freely in enormous enclosures that replicate their natural environment. For the ultimate close-up encounter, reserve a spot on the photo caravan where an open-air truck takes you into the animal habitats. A successful breeding program has brought 125 cheetahs, 142 rhinos, and nearly extinct California condors and Arabian oryxes into the world.

Named after canonized French king Louis IX, this mission was the last to be established in Southern California. Franciscan padres oversaw enormous tracts of land devoted to cattle, sheep, and horses, and a Native American population of 2,800. Relations between the missionaries and the indigenous population were so successful that when Father Peyri was ordered by the Mexican government to return to Spain in 1832, the Native Americans followed him to San Diego Harbor. Today’s restored mission offers displays on life and artifacts of the mission era. Still administered by Franciscan Friars, the mission offers popular retreats.

During the mission days, Franciscan friars recognized that San Diego’s soil and climate were ideal for planting grape vines. However, it wasn’t until the 1960s that wine was first produced commercially. Now over a dozen wineries stretch across rolling hills studded with oak trees, most of them along Rancho California Road. Wineries offer tastings for a small fee, and many of them operate restaurants and delis. Two of the most popular wineries in the area are Thornton Winery and Callaway Vineyard & Winery.

When Fred Coleman discovered gold here in 1869, scores of prospectors poured into the region. The boom was over in less than five years, but some stayed on in this charming little community surrounded by oak and pine forests high in the Cuyamaca Mountains. Now this designated Historical District is filled with B&Bs, and is a popular weekend getaway. Julian is also well-known for its apple orchards (see Julian).

Fantastic geological formations, archeological sites, and sweeping desert vistas are only a backdrop for the wildlife found in the largest state park in the continental US. Golden eagles soar above, roadrunners dart across the paths, and bighorn sheep dot the mountainsides. In springtime a dazzling array of wildflowers create a magic show of colors across the desert. Stop by the visitor center to pick up a map that marks hiking trails, sites of Native American pictographs, and the park’s best viewpoints.

High atop one of North County’s highest mountains, the dome of the observatory has an otherworldly look. Part of the California Institute of Technology, Palomar is home to the 200-inch (508-cm) Hale Telescope, the largest optical instrument of its kind when installed in 1947. Its moving parts weigh 530 tons, the mirror 14.5 tons. Thanks to computer technology, no one “looks” through the telescope anymore; however, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center (see Reuben H. Fleet Science Center) runs summer programs which utilize the 60-inch (152-cm) telescope.

Residents here enjoy an endless summer climate and an easy-going lifestyle. Life revolves around Garnet Avenue, lined with nightclubs, cafés, late-night restaurants, and shops. The street ends at the 1927 Crystal Pier, a great location to watch the surfers below, catch a fish, or spend the night in a tiny cottage. Come early to claim a fire ring on the beach and cook up some marshmallows, or bicycle along the boardwalk to Mission Beach (see Mission Beach).

The California beach scene struts in full glory along a narrow strip of land filled with vacation rentals and beachwear shops. Skaters, cyclists, and joggers whiz along the Strand, while surfers, volleyball devotees, and sun worshippers pack the sand. Sometimes the streets become so crowded on the Fourth of July weekend that the police have to shut the area down. A block away, Belmont Park (see Belmont Park) is an old-fashioned fun zone with bumper car rides and a vintage roller coaster (see Mission Beach).