La Jolla has been called the Monte Carlo of Southern California. It teems with life and surprises from fine dining restaurants perched atop jagged cliffs to indulgent soft sand beaches, year-round vacation sunshine and watercolor sunsets over the Pacific Ocean.
This article lists five things that you should not miss when visiting this gem in the crown of America's Finest City.
Children's Pool (850 Coast Boulevard) was originally designed as a safe place for children to wade into the ocean; it's now home to dozens of wild Harbor Seals and their pups. Many consider the seals to be one of the most fun sights in La Jolla because the seals are so up-close and persona.. A cement walkway allows visitors to walk out over the ocean while waves and surf crash around them. The walkway provides a wonderful vantage from which to enjoy the antics of the Harbor Seals basking and playing just a few feet away.
La Jolla Cove is situated along a bay sheltered from the ocean's surge. Its soft sandy beach offers great sun bathing, swimming and surfing; the clear waters along the offshore reefs provide excellent snorkeling and scuba diving opportunities. In the summer and autumn months the surf is gentle, the water warms into the 70s, and the beaches are busy with swimmers, scuba divers and surfers making it a great place for participating or just people watching.
Descend down 144 steps into Sunny Jim Sea Cave, the largest of La Jolla Cove's famous sea caves. You'll find the stairway through a hole in the floor of "The Cave Store" where you can also see lots of historic photographs of La Jolla and browse through unique souvenirs and turn-of-the-century postcards. A trip to The Cave Store provides a fascinating glimpse into what lies under, as well as over, the rugged and scenic California coastline. You can also enter Sunny Jim and six other ocean-carved caves from the sea by kayak, but Sunny Jim is the only sea cave in California that you can access from a stairway
Mount Soledad is La Jolla's most prominent landmark, visible from virtually everywhere. The mountaintop is the site of the Mount Soledad cross, the subject of a continuing controversy over the involvement of religion in government. Take Nautilus Street up to the park at the top to enjoy amazing panoramic views. Visitors and locals alike describe the park as peaceful, calm, romantic and breathtaking. At night you can see the fireworks that SeaWorld launches each evening. Dr. Seuss lived on the mountain, his widow Audrey still does.
Situated over the ocean on sandstone bluffs north of La Jolla, between Torrey Pines Park and La Jolla Farms, The Torrey Pines Gliderport is designated specifically for today's gliders. On days when the winds are just right, gliders line the cliffs, waiting for the perfect gust to carry them into the sky. The graceful navigators riding the sea breezes in their brightly colored gliders attract admiring spectators up and down the Torrey Pines shoreline year-round. You can fly like a bird by going tandem with an instructor after a 30-minute ground school, then up and away off the edge of a 300 foot cliff out over the ocean, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
This article lists five things that you should not miss when visiting this gem in the crown of America's Finest City.
Children's Pool (850 Coast Boulevard) was originally designed as a safe place for children to wade into the ocean; it's now home to dozens of wild Harbor Seals and their pups. Many consider the seals to be one of the most fun sights in La Jolla because the seals are so up-close and persona.. A cement walkway allows visitors to walk out over the ocean while waves and surf crash around them. The walkway provides a wonderful vantage from which to enjoy the antics of the Harbor Seals basking and playing just a few feet away.
La Jolla Cove is situated along a bay sheltered from the ocean's surge. Its soft sandy beach offers great sun bathing, swimming and surfing; the clear waters along the offshore reefs provide excellent snorkeling and scuba diving opportunities. In the summer and autumn months the surf is gentle, the water warms into the 70s, and the beaches are busy with swimmers, scuba divers and surfers making it a great place for participating or just people watching.
Descend down 144 steps into Sunny Jim Sea Cave, the largest of La Jolla Cove's famous sea caves. You'll find the stairway through a hole in the floor of "The Cave Store" where you can also see lots of historic photographs of La Jolla and browse through unique souvenirs and turn-of-the-century postcards. A trip to The Cave Store provides a fascinating glimpse into what lies under, as well as over, the rugged and scenic California coastline. You can also enter Sunny Jim and six other ocean-carved caves from the sea by kayak, but Sunny Jim is the only sea cave in California that you can access from a stairway
Mount Soledad is La Jolla's most prominent landmark, visible from virtually everywhere. The mountaintop is the site of the Mount Soledad cross, the subject of a continuing controversy over the involvement of religion in government. Take Nautilus Street up to the park at the top to enjoy amazing panoramic views. Visitors and locals alike describe the park as peaceful, calm, romantic and breathtaking. At night you can see the fireworks that SeaWorld launches each evening. Dr. Seuss lived on the mountain, his widow Audrey still does.
Situated over the ocean on sandstone bluffs north of La Jolla, between Torrey Pines Park and La Jolla Farms, The Torrey Pines Gliderport is designated specifically for today's gliders. On days when the winds are just right, gliders line the cliffs, waiting for the perfect gust to carry them into the sky. The graceful navigators riding the sea breezes in their brightly colored gliders attract admiring spectators up and down the Torrey Pines shoreline year-round. You can fly like a bird by going tandem with an instructor after a 30-minute ground school, then up and away off the edge of a 300 foot cliff out over the ocean, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
About the Author:
Author Terry Hunefeld took early retirement from a stressful position as CEO of a training company to pursue his passion of sailing the Pacific Ocean to observe seabirds and mammals. Terry owns and operates the romantic Inn At Moonlight Beach in a small surf town just north of San Diego. For more information visit: La Jolla B&Bs or La Jolla Hotels.
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