Things to do in  La Jolla

With 17 miles (27 kilometers of coastline, San Diego has no shortage of beaches, but they each have their own character and attributes, making it hard for visitors to choose. Windansea Beach, located north of the city center, is one of the city’s top beaches for surfing.

In a city known for its beaches, Mount Soledad stands out as the mountain worth visiting. The highest coastal point in sunny San Diego overlooks the palm tree–lined Pacific Beach and the bluffs of Torrey Pines. The mountain is home to the the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial, which honors living and deceased veterans from the Revolutionary War to the present day. On a clear day, 360-degree views of the La Jolla shores, the bridge to Coronado Island, Mission Bay, and even the mountains of Mexico can be seen.

As the name suggests, this stretch of sand in San Diego’s upscale La Jolla neighborhood was once a swimming spot for families, thanks to a seawall that shelters the cove. Nowadays, Children’s Pool Beach is a favorite resting and breeding ground for harbor seals and a popular wildlife-watching area.

Numerous sea caves are carved into the sandstone cliffs along San Diego's La Jolla coast, but Sunny Jim Sea Cave is the only one accessible by land. To reach the natural attraction, walk through a man-made tunnel allegedly used for bootlegging during Prohibition. The souvenir shop that houses the tunnel entrance displays historic photos and information.

Nestled between La Jolla and the coast, Ellen Browning Scripps Park is often called San Diego’s most photographed spot and it’s easy to see why; it’s the park is home to three sandy beaches, a wide- open lawn for picnicking, and a scenic walkway along the bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean with viewpoints for whale watching and beautiful California sunsets.

A wild piece of the California coast just north of San Diego, Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve encompasses more than 1,500 acres (607 hectares) of unspoiled beaches, hiking trails, oceanfront bluffs, Torrey pine trees, and other native vegetation. Visitors find a pristine environment treasured by local nature enthusiasts.

Explore the depths of the sea without getting wet at San Diego’s Birch Aquarium at Scripps, and see more than 5,000 species of fish and marine life. Learn about the ocean through interactive displays, hands-on exhibits, and daily feeding demos, and observe cutting-edge research, underwater photography exhibits, and art installations.

Overlooking the Pacific Ocean from La Jolla's coastal bluffs, Torrey Pines is a scenic, publicly owned golf course—and considered among the finest in the US. The course is best known as the site of the Farmers Insurance Open, which it has hosted since the 1960s, and is open to professional and amateur golfers daily throughout the year.

Dedicated to artwork created since 1950, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego – Downtown is one of two locations of the museum (the other is in La Jolla. The MCASD’s collection of 4,700 pieces includes a variety of mediums, from sculpture and painting to video, photography, and installations.

Located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, the Torrey Pines Gliderport is Southern California’s top location for paragliding, hang gliding, and more. Here, you can sign up for flight lessons, certifications, and tandem flights. From its Cliffhanger Café, perched atop the cliffs of Torrey Pines, you can watch the paragliders and hang gliders launch in front of the outdoor dining area.

A small cove surrounded by sandstone cliffs, La Jolla Cove is a popular place for snorkeling, swimming, and scuba diving. Part of a protected reserve, the beach offers excellent visibility for marine life. Of all the San Diego beaches, La Jolla Cove is known for its beauty. It also has convenient amenities such as bathrooms and showers.

Located along the rugged coast of Southern California, this mile-long (1.6-kilometer) sandy beach is known to have the gentlest waves of any of the local beaches in summer. Because of this, La Jolla Shores is a prime spot for novice scuba divers and a busy swimming area frequented by families and surfers.

A leading medical research facility in La Jolla, California, the Salk Institute might be known as much for its unique architecture as for its scientific breakthroughs. Named for Dr. Jonas Salk, the inventor of the polio vaccine, this collection of buildings was designed to have a monumental feel and was inspired by monasteries. Made primarily of concrete, teak, and marble, the campus features a powerful symmetrical layout.