#221 San Diego Botanic Garden

The San Diego Botanic Garden showcases beautifully landscaped gardens and trails by the sea. California natives, desert gardens, lush tropical rainforests and the largest bamboo collection in the country are among the 3,000 varieties from Africa and South America to Asia and beyond. Stop and smell the flowers along four miles of trails.

 

#216 Palomar Mountain State Park

Palomar Mountain State Park is a beautiful conifer forest park high in the mountains of San Diego County. Pine trees soar among grassy meadows and provide sweeping overlooks of the valleys below. With peaks above 6,000 feet, it is a great place to escape the valley heat in summer and enjoy a chilly and sometimes snowy winter. Luiseño Native Americans lived and hunted here seasonally while gathering acorns. Many of the facilities were built during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

 

#211 The Flower Fields

Each Spring, the coastal hills of The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch burst with color. Fifty acres of Giant Tecolote Ranunculus bloom from March to May and provide gorgeous views of the ocean. Frank Frazee cultivated 13 colors over the years from just red and yellow. He first planted his fields in 1933 and modeled them after his horticulturist neighbor Luther Gage. This local treasure continues every year and helps put Carlsbad on the map.

 

#209 Galleta Meadows

Galleta Meadows is a public art installation around the city of Borrego Springs. The metal sculptures are created by Mexican artist Ricardo Breceda and were envisioned by land owner Dennis Avery. He wanted free art for the world to enjoy in this gorgeous desert environment. More than 130 sculptures bring to life creatures that once roamed the Colorado desert from camels, sloths, raptors and elephants. The treasure hunt to find them makes it all the more fun.

 

#202 Julian

Julian is an historic mining town high in the Cuyamaca Mountains of San Diego. A.E. 'Fred' Coleman was a former slave prior to the Civil War and discovered gold here while passing through in 1869. News of the discovery traveled fast and 100's of prospectors arrived creating a tent city known as the Coleman Mining District. James Madison had other plans for the area when he brought apple trees which thrived in the alpine climate. Julian famously became the apple capital of the world and a slice of Julian Apple Pie can still be enjoyed today.  

 

#193 Broken Hill

Broken Hill is a beautiful overlook at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in La Jolla. Eroded sandstone cliffs create a dramatic scene offering breathtaking views of the ocean below. A hiking loop trail leads down to the beach and makes for a great afternoon.

 

#187 Maritime Museum of San Diego

Since 1948, The Maritime Museum of San Diego has preserved and replicated some of the best sea vessels in the United States. Its 'star', the Star of India, is the oldest active ship in the World. The Berkeley was a ferryboat that operated between 1898 and 1958. It served between the San Francisco Bay and Oakland Pier. Yachts, pilots boats and submarines are also part of the collection.

 

#180 San Diego Model Railroad Museum

At 27,000 square feet, the San Diego Model Railroad Museum is one of the largest of its kind in the world. The museum recreates many California Railroad scenes from cities to mountains and deserts. Model Railroads first became popular at the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition in Balboa Park as a way to promote railroad travel during the Great Depression. Model enthusiasts have flocked here every since to create a world class museum.

 

#172 Mission San Luis Rey de Francia

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia was the 18th of the California Missions founded on June 13, 1798. Known as the 'King of the Missions', it was once one of the largest at 950,000 acres in its prime and had a population of almost 3,000. The mission was named after King Louis IX of France for his Holy Land crusades of the 13th century. Life was difficult for the Luiseño Native Americans who lived here because of the new lifestyle and diseases brought over. By the time the Mission system had ended, their population dwindled by almost forty percent.

 

#166 Shelter Valley

Directly along the historic Great Southern Overland Stage Route lies a magnificent valley known as Shelter Valley or geologically, Earthquake Valley. This desert valley, once home to the Kumeyaay Native Americans, is one of the most beautiful spots in all of Southern California. It is protected by Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the Pacific Crest Trail passes through. Spring wildflowers dot the ground while mountains rise majestically in the background. With its clean air, light streams down and paints the ground and makes it the perfect spot for stargazing at night.