A San Diego bucket of places to spend time outdoors in 2024

SAN DIEGO — It’s easy to spend time outdoors in San Diego County, but even easier to go to the same old spots over and over again.

This list offers more than two dozen places to spend time outside this year, whether you want to be out in nature or enjoy a glass of wine or mocktail on a breezy restaurant patio.

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AQUARIUS BAR &GRILLE PATIO

This Mission Bay dive bar has live music most days. But come Sunday afternoons for the High Noon Grateful Dead Party. Cold beer? Grilled mahi-mahi tacos? Grateful Dead covers? Yes, please! You can even bring the kids and dogs. Cover charge is $7.1548 Quivira Way, San Diego. aquariusbargrille.com

— Kristina Davis

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BIRD PARK NEAR MORLEY FIELD

This little neighborhood park borders the eastern edge of the Morley Field area of Balboa Park overlooking Pershing Drive. Wide open space allows for tossing a football or frisbee while younger children can take to the swing set. Bring a packed meal, spread out a blanket and watch the colorful sky show as the sun sets over the treeline. Balboa Park. Along 28th Street between Upas Street and Redwood Street.

— Anita L. Arambula

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BUENA VISTA AUDUBON SOCIETY NATURE CENTER TRAIL

Easy to miss if you don’t know it’s there, the trail at the Buena Vista Audubon Society’s Nature Center offers an easy, flat 0.4 mile nature trail at the western edge of the 220-acre Buena Vista Lagoon and Ecological Reserve. Along the way, you can identify plants, habitats and key features by using your smartphone and the Nature Center’s online interactive mapping program. Make an afternoon of it by enjoying a brisket sandwhich at Heritage Barbecue &Beer located just two blocks north of the Nature Center before burning off some of the calories on the trail. 2202 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. bvaudubon.org/nature-center

— Anita L. Arambula

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CESARINA’S PATIO

There are no bad tables at Cesarina, an artfully decorated Italian restaurant in Ocean Beach that specializes in handmade pasta and tiramisu prepared at your table. But the patio has special charm. It’s intimate, lush, cozy and heaping with plants. While there are a lot of outdoor dining options in San Diego, not every place cares this much about ambiance while also delivering consistently excellent dishes. One note: the patio isn’t big, so you can try your luck at a slow time or, a better bet, reserve. 4161 Voltaire St., San Diego.

— Roxana Popescu

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CIVITA PARK

This newish, sprawling park is the jewel of Mission Valley, with a playground for big and little kids, clean restrooms and a great uphill slope to get in your steps. Check out the Saturday morning farmers market (the sushi, arepas and tamales are excellent!). The park also hosts free summer concerts. 7960 Civita Blvd., San Diego.

— Kristina Davis

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DAVE’S ROCK GARDEN

Eight years ago, Encinitas resident Dave Dean began cleaning and clearing a neglected city-owned lot by Moonlight Stage Beach to beautify it for the community. Today it is home to a hillside garden with meandering paths, benches, garden art and thousands of cacti and other drought-tolerant plants. But the main attraction is the more than 7,000 rocks hand-painted by visitors from more than 113 countries. Dean, who has the city’s blessing to maintain the property, is there most days, greeting visitors, offering tours and manning the painting station where visitors can paint their own rocks to add to the year-round public attraction. Admission is free but Dean accepts donations of cash to buy paint and brushes as well as native plants and outdoor art. Open sunup to sundown seven days a week at Second and B streets in Encinitas.

— Pam Kragen

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FATHOM BISTRO

Located on the Shelter Island Pier, Fathom Bistro is the craft beer bar you didn’t know you were missing in life. And it’s on a pier, so you get spectular views of the bay. It’s not fancy or frilly, but Fathom is the kind of place that creates warm and fuzzy memories simply because of its location. The beer helps too. Plan to sit outside and bring a jacket. 1776 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego.

— Jennifer Van Grove

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FLETCHER COVE BEACH PARK

Solana Beach is lucky to have this park, which features a basketball court, picnic tables and a kids play area, all conveniently situated next to a small beach. But what’s really special about Fletcher Cove is the viewpoint that sits on the bluffs above, next to the Fletcher Cove Community Center. There are benches and tables — perfect for a lunch date — surrounded by plants, tall palm trees and sweeping views of the ocean. The intersection of Pacific Avenue and South Sierra Avenue, where the two streets meet Plaza Street (or just map to Fletcher Cove Beach Park).

— Maura Fox

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GOLDEN HILL FOUNTAIN GROTTO

This recommendation is less about the grotto itself (the oldest designed feature of Balboa Park, now mostly a pile of ruins) and more about the surrounding trail. Descend into the canyon around the rainy season to encounter a mystical meadow filled with blooming nasturtiums, then ascend to the main section of Golden Hill Park for serene views of Downtown. As usual, be mindful of unhoused neighbors! 2440 Russ Blvd., San Diego.

— Bella Ross

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GRANT HILL PARK

Dare I say, the most underrated park in San Diego? This modest patch of grass in the Grant Hill/Sherman Heights neighborhood packs a punch with sweeping binational views, from downtown to Tijuana and the mountains of East County (not to mention, the Coronado Islands and bridge). Load up your picnic basket at Adalberto’s down the street for the peak neighborhood experience. 2660 J St., San Diego.

— Bella Ross

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GREEN VALLEY FALLS

Tucked into this campground is a mountain swimming hole with small cascades and pools that are impressive after a wet winter. You can watch the gutsier visitors jump off a small cliff into a deeper pool. (Warning: the water is cold and the rocks are super slippery!) Bring a picnic lunch and water shoes and plan to spend the day, or reserve one of the 81 campsites for a weekend getaway. The pools are accessed by a short downhill trail, with day-pass parking available. Green Valley campground, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. parks.ca.gov/667

— Kristina Davis

JAMES HUBBELL HOUSE

Sculptor/designer James T. Hubbell spent more than 40 years creating his other-worldly home, art studios and gardens in the hills of Santa Ysabel. His sweeping, organically inspired designs and stained glass works have been compared to those of Spanish artist-architect Antoni Gaudi, and his whimsical rounded hut-like structures have been described as hobbit-like. Hubbell, now 92, and his wife, Anne, no longer live on the property, but their nonprofit Ilan-Lael Foundation now runs the compound as a working art studio, museum, artists’ retreat and meeting center for art-related events. Public tours are offered each spring and fall, with all proceed going to the maintenance of the property. 930 Orchard Lane, Santa Ysabel. ilanlaelfoundation.org

— Pam Kragen

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JAPANESE FRIENDSHIP GARDEN AND MUSEUM

Find Japanese culture through exhibits, educational programs, inspiring people and nature at the Japanese Friendship Garden and Museum in Balboa Park. One of the best times to experience this garden is in March when the cherry blossoms are blooming. This year the Cherry Blossom Festival is slated for March 7-10. Also, the garden is free to San Diego county residents and to active military personnel and their dependents every third Tuesday from April through February and the fourth Tuesday in March. 2215 Pan American Road East, San Diego. niwa.org

— Carlos Rico

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KATE SESSIONS PARK

I think of this park as three-in-one. On the north side, there’s a play structure and a lawn for birthday parties, soccer and picnicking. On the south side — across the road and parking lot — you get one of San Diego’s most jaw-dropping views from a massive, sloping field dotted with shade trees. The third area has a few miles of easy to moderate trails — with their own gorgeous panoramic views. 5115 Soledad Road, Pacific Beach.

— Roxana Popescu

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LAGUNA MEADOW LOOP AT LAGUNA MOUNTAIN

This one’s for the stargazers. Love getting away from the city when meteor showers roll in but struggle to find a place that isn’t light-polluted? Add Laguna Mountain to your list. There are camping options for those who want to make it a celestial overnighter and plenty of parking for a quicker visit. There’s even an observatory in the area! If you’re more of a dayside adventurer, the mountain’s Meadow Loop offers a pretty rare mash-up — a lake nestled in a rolling meadow surrounded by old pine trees. The full trail can be a long one — 6 to 10 miles depending on the off-shoots you take — but it’s easy to craft a shorter adventure if you’re looking for a jaunt. And it’s dog friendly! Cleveland National Forest. blm.gov/visit/laguna-mountain

— Lyndsay Winkley

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LA JOLLA COAST WALK TRAIL

Created by locals over a decade ago, the La Jolla Coast Walk Trail is a short, 0.6-mile trail along the bluffs of La Jolla’s coastline. Along the way, take in views of snorkelers and scuba divers in the cove, a marine life preserve, as well as some of the local marine life, including sea birds, seals and sea lions. Located north of Prospect Street, off of Torrey Pines Road. friendsofcoastwalk.org

— Emily Alvarenga

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LAKE MURRAY

On a chilly morning you can often count on the weather being warmer in La Mesa. Go for a long walk with a friend and get some exercise in at the same time. It’s family friendly. Nice to see so many kids outdoors on bikes. 5540 Kiowa Drive, La Mesa. mtrp.org/lake-murray

— Laura Castañeda

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LA PLAYA PIERS AND LA PLAYA TRAIL

A handful of residential piers and private docks — technical not allowed on Port of San Diego tidelands — follow the La Playa Trail and dot the dirt coastal pathway that extends from Talbot Street to Kellogg Beach on Shelter Island. The piers were built between 1935 and 1940 and are partially open to the public because of a land-use truce between the port and pier users. They offer picturesque views of Shelter Island’s Yacht Basin and a glimpse of the upscale homes that overlook the bay. The path is an easy, kid-friendly walk and offers a quiet alternative to busier coastal walkways. The piers start near the Talbot Street entrance to the La Playa Trail.

— Jennifer Van Grove

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LAKE POWAY RECREATION AREA

Visiting this recreation area feels like a short-term trip to summer camp, with a playground, archery range, paddle boats, trees for shade and picnic tables. At the Lake Poway Concession, visitors can find bait and tackle for fishing or snacks and drinks for after a hike. I recommend the simple Lake Poway Trail for views of the water throughout. Non-residents must pay $10. 14644 Lake Poway Road, Poway. poway.org/401/Lake-Poway

— Abby Hamblin