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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.

In July and August, the Maritime Museum presents nautical-themed movies aboard the 1863, full-rigged merchant vessel, Star of India. Folding chairs are set out on deck, and movies such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea are projected onto a special sail. There’s usually a fireworks display over the harbor at night (see San Diego Maritime Museum).

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).

Feeling lucky? Nine tribal casinos promise non-stop Las Vegas-style action and jackpots galore. Starting as a small bingo hall 20 years ago, Indian gaming is now a billion-dollar industry of resort hotels, concert venues, and golf courses. Today, San Diego County has the highest concentration of casinos in the state of California. Thousands of slot machines, video poker, and gaming tables in immense, striking buildings will satisfy the gambler in you.

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.

You can watch or take part in inflating a brilliantly colored balloon. Hop in the basket and begin to float over the valleys and hills with a glass of champagne in hand. Flights leave early in the morning or at sunset. Most hot-air balloon companies have moved recently to Temecula where there are fewer housing developments to impede their landings.

Two of you sit in the front of a beautifully restored 1920s biplane and soar over beaches, golf courses, and houses, while the pilot flies behind. The Beech Belle, a restored World War II VIP biplane, is great for that special occasion. If you’re looking for an extra thrill, a pilot will put you through aerobatic loops and rolls, or you can take the controls in top dog air combat.

Just off Mission Beach is the final resting place for the Yukon, a decommissioned Canadian warship, the coastguard cutter Ruby E, and a barge, all deliberately sunk to create an artificial reef. A research tower here collapsed on its own, with its dangling wires and protrusions only adding to the otherworldly, ethereal atmosphere. Thousands of invertebrate marine life have taken up residence here. Charter boats will take you out.

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.