San Diego, California, is the place to be if you want to enjoy an excellent vacation without completely leaving the comforts of city life. It is a large coastal city located in Southern California. It lies just north of the Mexican Border and nestled gracefully at the southern part of Orange County. SD, California, is known for being home to an unending line of beautiful beaches, a friendly Mediterranean climate, and a number of military facilities that serve as headquarters to the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, as well as the United State Marine Corps. The city of San Diego economy is largely focused on computer sciences, electronics manufacturing, agriculture, biotechnology, business and financial services, and tourism, just to name a few. Tourism is a big market. The City is blessed with some of the most diverse tourist spots that you can find. You have beaches, museums, restaurants, cruises, clubs, etc.

Places to Visit in Downtown San Diego, California

If you visit downtown, you will hardly run out of places to check out. It is full of great parks, museums, restaurants, and shopping malls, not to mention a short distance from the beaches, to keep you preoccupied. Here are some of the attractions you will find in Downtown:

Little Italy

This is located toward the northwest end of downtown and was formerly an Italian fishing neighborhood. Today, it is a picturesque neighborhood that is lined with some of the best Italian restaurants, art galleries, retail shops, and home decoration stores. You will surely find something of interest in this little corner of San Diego.

Maritime Museum

This museum is one of the more well-known museums that boast a huge collection of historic ships including the Star of India, which is the oldest steel-hulled ship that’s still active today. You can also check out the imitation of the eighteenth-century navy frigate, the HMS Surprise.

Chinese Historical Museum

If you are into Oriental history and artifacts, this museum should be a pit stop for you. You can find artifacts that were discovered in the old Chinatown, and at the same time, you can collect souvenirs for your friends and family from the various gift shops in the area.

Firehouse Museum

As its name suggests, this museum houses fire engines and other paraphernalia that are used to fight off fires. This museum is one of a kind; it has an antique steam pumper that dates back to the 1930s. They also have fire hats and antique fire alarms available for your viewing pleasure. You can also drop by for souvenirs at their gift shops.

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

The Museum of Contemporary Art has recently added two new buildings to its campus. Having this extra area allows the museum to accommodate a lot more guests than they previously had. If you want to get in touch with your artistic side, you can visit the museum during the first Thursday of the month and check the events ranging from poetry reading, slide jams, DJ lessons, dance, and live band. It’s anything and everything about art during these nights.