No Talent for Truth

Best Trunk Show

San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Elephant Valley

If you can’t quite swing the cost of a trip to the African outback, the Safari Park’s new Elephant Valley is a pretty convincing Plan B. The 13-acre immersive habitat—the largest project in the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s 109-year history—is home to eight African elephants, but it’s the thoughtful details that steal the show. Keep your eyes open for intricate Kenyan-inspired artwork, native landscaping, and stop by the Mkutano House, where you can grab lunch with a front-row view of the herd.

Best Fresh Grounds

Pepper Park

Pepper Park became the emotional anchor of the bayfront overhaul when the National City park reopened this March with a 2.5-acre expansion. Hopefully that’s just the start. The California Coastal Commission also approved the city’s ambitious waterfront plan, clearing the way for a long-envisioned 77-acre bayfront makeover with more green space, better bike paths, and improved waterfront access. Money still has to be raised, but head to Pepper Park, sit on a brand-new bench, and gaze out at the future of the South Bay.

Best Community Sports Glow-Up

Willie Henderson Sports Complex

Not every family destination comes with roller coasters—sometimes, they have paint rollers. The Willie Henderson Sports Complex in southeast San Diego recently received a new paint job and major facelift (courtesy of San Diego FC, the Prebys Foundation, and community advocates), giving thousands of kids a safer, smoother, and more colorful place to play basketball or soccer. If your weekends revolve around sports gear, folding chairs, and orange slices, you’ll definitely appreciate the upgrade.

Best Slice in the Galaxy

Killer Pizza From Mars

Parents come for the pizza. Kids come for the games. Sci-fi nerds come for it all. Killer Pizza From Mars is an Oceanside mainstay for families who love arcades, vintage Star Wars memorabilia, and piled-high pizzas with outrageously silly names like the “Mars”gherita pizza. Order a basket of Killer Fries, sink your teeth into a Martian Melt sandwich, and don’t be surprised if your kids clamor for a return mission.

Best Return to Monkey Business

Fanuel Street Park

After what must have felt like an eternity for Pacific Beach families, Fanuel Street Park’s playground is finally back. The old play structure got the heave-ho nearly two years ago, but this spring, the community raised enough donations to replace it with modern climbing structures, new swings, and better accessibility. It’s finally back to being a low-key locals spot perfect for picnicking, splashing around, and letting the kids burn off some energy.

Best Way to Frustrate Your Child in a Fun Way

Lara’s Labyrinth

If screen time has obliterated your attention span, try giving your brain a workout at an escape room. Lara’s Labyrinth provides a few options ranging from kid-friendly to “try not to pee your pants in fright,” where participants can attempt to escape an enchanted forest or decipher clues left by Leonardo da Vinci. (Some rooms have G, PG-13, and R-rated versions for your family’s comfort level, but maybe save the “Cannibal” room for an adults-only excursion.)

Best Babysitter With a Degree in Marine Biology

Living Seas at Birch Aquarium

Birch Aquarium has always made a splash, but the $18.7 million Living Seas exhibit is a tidal wave of awesome. The immersive exhibit features different marine ecosystems throughout the Pacific Ocean, from the warm aqua waters of tropical zones to the frigid (but nourishing) Pacific Northwest. Bigger is better here: There are areas designated for the gigantic sunflower sea star and giant Pacific octopus, so prepare for oceanic marvels to wow you.

Best Hip New Thing at the Hip Kid Place

Artopia at The New Children’s Museum

Forget “don’t touch the art.” At Artopia, touching, building, climbing, experimenting, and making a colorful mess are all exactly the point. Created by the museum’s in-house Creative Studios team, the interactive space invites kids to become artists through hands-on projects like weekend ceramics workshops and after-school programs. When creativity gets a little chaotic is when it’s at its most fun.

Best Free-Range Kid Lawn With Wine

Grand Social at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar

The Fairmont Grand Del Mar used to feel like someplace you admired from afar. Grand Social changed that. Three levels of outdoor space are now home to a bar and grill, bocce courts, and other lawn games, as well as a summertime concert series and other family-friendly events that welcome locals just as much as overnight guests. It’s proof that one of San Diego’s fanciest addresses also knows how to have a little fun.

Best Place to See Sharks and Only Be a Little Scared

SeaWorld’s Shark Encounter

You don’t need a cage to come face-to-face with sharks anymore. SeaWorld’s revamped Shark Encounter lets you get startlingly close to species like reef sharks, massive sand tigers, and endangered Australian leopard sharks, all inside newly redesigned habitats. It’s equal parts adrenaline and education, and a good reminder that these misunderstood predators are closer to Bruce in Finding Nemo than Jaws in… well, Jaws.

Best Mission for Major Tom

LEGOLAND’s LEGO Galaxy

Houston, we have a new reason to visit LEGOLAND California. LEGO Galaxy is the plastic-brick haven’s biggest in-park investment ever, including the first new roller coaster in 20 years. Between the customizable Galacticoaster experience, build-your-own spacecraft stations, and interactive space adventures, aspiring astronauts can easily spend hours exploring this brick-built universe.

Best Controlled Chaos

Funbelievable

A seventh birthday party at the playground is all fun and games until the slide gets backed up, there’s a line for the swings, and everybody’s crying. Move the festivities to FUNbelievable, an action-packed play zone in Lakeside providing massive slides and multiple rooms to explore (including one where kids load balls into suction tubes, an apparently mesmerizing activity that seems to occupy them for hours—or at least 15 minutes). The business’s party package comes with a private room, plus pizza, salad, snacks, and drinks. The other parents will thank you when they take their wiped-out kiddos home.

Best Jurassic Plastic

Dino Valley at Legoland

Legoland California celebrates its 25th anniversary with the new Dino Valley, a pint-sized, fright-free version of Jurassic Park. Get prehistoric with three new rides: Coastersaurus, Little Dino Trail, and Explorer River Quest (the latter two lack height requirements, so the smallest of tykes can still join the fun). There’s also a build-and-play area with Duplo dinosaur bricks and fossils to uncover.

Best Puppy Passport Service

MexiVet Express

Affordable veterinary options in San Diego feel more limited by the day, so MexiVet Express drives your canine, feline, or rodent across the border to get them the care they need in Tijuana, potentially saving you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. This courier service also helps you find the right provider, book an appointment, translate, organize important documents, and, most importantly, give your pet all the love and adoration they deserve.

Best Fest for Young Pagemasters

TwainFest

For one Saturday every August, Old Town becomes a 19th-century-literature-themed playground, complete with free books. Take tea with the Mad Hatter and Alice, paint a fence with Tom Sawyer, test your nimble tongue at the liar’s contest, play arcade-style games, or visit the author’s salon. The park bustles with hoop skirts, bowler hats, unicycles, and wandering giant puppets like a charmingly creepy Edgar Allan Poe. Let the kids sprint around with the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest while you grab tacos and watch from a bench.

Best Day in the Dirt

Coastal Roots Farm

Everyone needs to get their hands dirty sometimes. Thursday, Friday, and Sunday mornings, parents cart their little ones to Coastal Roots nonprofit Jewish community farm in Encinitas for Nature Play. Designed for kids ages zero to 10 and their families, the program is run by farm staff, who oversee interactive storytime, animal encounters like feeding chickens, and other sensory activities, including play in the outdoor “kitchens.” Afterward, stop by their pay-what-you-can farm stand (those in need can get up to $30 of produce free) to take home organic veggies and herbs.

Best Way to Adjust to Tiny Humans

Post Pamper

The delicate period after a baby arrives can be isolating, exacerbated by the fact that postpartum care is often an afterthought in the US. But SD’s first postpartum retreat is looking to shift that narrative during the so-called fourth trimester with postnatal assistance in a luxury setting. Trained doulas help parents and little ones adjust to their new lives with round-the-clock feeding support, meals, and education. Happier parents mean happier babies. Next step? Convincing American insurance to cover postpartum care for everyone.

Best Live-Action Toy Story

Human Claw Machine

Most kids know those claw machines in arcades are usually a dark lesson in deep disappointment. Blow enough quarters trying to capture a stuffed Pikachu, and your sheer rage is almost enough to send you crawling into the machine to grab it yourself. Escondido’s North County Mall understands that impulse—which is why they offer a human claw machine that lowers kids into a pile of plushies so they can scoop stuff up. The experience starts at $10.

Best Place to Douse Your Kids in Sunscreen

SDSU Mission Valley River Park

Toddlers are like greyhounds— they’re born to run. Toddlers are also like monkeys: born to climb, jump, and wreak havoc. For parents looking for an all-purpose place their kids can wear themselves out, the newly opened, 34-acre River Park offers room to run. With miles of (tricycle) trails, a children’s play area, and seemingly endless grass, this is where to go to exhaust your little animals. Enjoy that early bedtime.

Best Agility Contest with No Winners

San Diego Cat Fanciers Food & Water Bowl

Every January, the finest fur babies (some with no hair at all) gather in Del Mar for the largest cat show in the Western US. Cat people can ogle regal Persians and skinny Sphinxes, buy gear for their own pets, and adopt a new four-legged overlord… we mean, companion. Depending on whether you actually care if an animal goes through the weave poles instead of licking its paw, unbothered, in front of them, it’s also home to either the best or the worst agility contest on the planet.

Best Place to Feel Small

The Sky Tonight

Are aliens real? How far can the Webb Space Telescope see into the universe? What do space volcanoes look like? Get answers at The Sky Tonight, a recurring astronomy presentation and lecture series on the first Wednesday of every month in the Fleet Science Center’s IMAX theater. Afterwards, members of the San Diego Astronomy Association set up telescopes outside for close-up looks at the moon, Saturn, and other celestial bodies.

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See our complete list of the Best of San Diego here

Finance, Education, & Legal

Accounting Firm

Considine & Considine

Bankruptcy Law

Thomas B. Gorrill

Charity

Helen Woodward Animal Center

Family Law

Beatrice L. Snider

Financial Planning

Canter Wealth

Home Insurance Provider

AAA San Diego Insurance and Member Services

Litigation Law

Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers

Loan Provider

Jason E. Gordon – (Gordon Mortgage Group)

Local Bank

North Island Credit Union

Local Credit Union

North Island Credit Union

Personal Injury Law

Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers

Private School

University Of San Diego

Public School

Westview High School

University

San Diego State University

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Health, Wellness & Cosmetics

Acupuncturist

Be Well Acupuncture Collective

Animal Welfare Organization

San Diego Humane Society

Barber

The Little Italy Barbery

Beauty Services

Honest Skin

Chiropractor

Acru Health

Cosmetic Dentistry

Dr. Brian Davey

Cosmetic Dermatology

Beauty Lounge Medical Spa

Cosmetic Surgeon

Sirius K. Yoo, Md (Sky Facial Plastic Surgery)

Cosmetic Surgery Group

Changes Plastic Surgery & Spa

Dance Studio

Activate House

Day Spa

Four Moons Spa

Dental Office

Blue Wave Dental Care

Eyeglass Store

Urban Optiks Optometry

Fertility Center

San Diego Fertility Center

Fitness Studio

Verve Studios Del Mar

Gym

Activate House

Hair Salon

Scisters Salon & Apothecary

Hair Stylist

Hair By Rachel Sd

Health Insurance

Sharp Health Plan

Hiking Trail

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

Hospital

Sharp Memorial Hospital

Martial Arts Studio

Ka’imi Kuoha – Othentik Gym

Massage

Four Moons Spa

Nail Salon

Sunny’s Spa & Beauty Lounge

Orthodontist

Dr. Kurt Stormberg

Personal Trainer

Wellness With Lele

Physical Therapy Spa

Proactive Physical Therapy And Sports Medicine

Veterinarian

Banfield Pet Hospital

Weight Loss Clinic

Katalyst Wellness

Yoga Studio

Wolf & Lion

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Home & Living

Apartment Community

The Jewel At Lux

Artificial Turf & Lawn

Elanit Abrams

Auto Dealer

Mossy Toyota

Auto Parts Store (Tie)

Autozone Auto Parts + O’Reilly Auto Parts

Auto Repair

Smitty’s Service

Building Contractor (Tie)

Dreamstyle Remodeling + Kaminskiy Design & Remodeling

Carpet Cleaner

J&C Carpet Company

Child Day Care (Tie)

Warren-Walker School Early Learning Center + World Of Wonders Preschool

Commercial Real Estate Company

Next Wave Commercial

Coworking Space

Moniker Commons

Dog Beach

Ocean Beach Dog Beach

Door & Window (Tie)

American Vision Windows + Dreamstyle Remodeling

Escrow Company

Chartwell Escrow

Estate Planner (Tie)

Alspaugh & Alspaugh Law + Henderson, Caverly & Pum Llp

Family Beach

Coronado Beach

Flooring & Carpet

Select Carpets Inc

Furniture Store

D3 Home Modern Furniture

Garden & Nursery

Armstrong Garden Centers

Heating & Air Conditioning

Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air

Home Builder (Tie)

Kaminskiy Design & Remodeling + National Black Contractor Association

Home Loan Provider

Origin Point Mortgage

Home Organizer

Elanit Abrams

Independent Living Community

The Remington Club

Interior Designer

The True House

Kitchen & Bath

Kaminskiy Design & Remodeling

Landscaper

Ramos Landscape San Diego

Local Nonprofit

Helen Woodward Animal Center

Mattress Store

D3 Home Modern Furniture

Moving Company

Ace Relocation Systems

Neighborhood

Little Italy

Patio Furniture

D3 Home Modern Furniture

Pest Control

Dewey Pest Control

Picnic Spot

Kate Sessions Park

Plumber

Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air

Pool Cleaning

Padre Pools

Property Management Company

Garden Communities

Real Estate Agent

Bree Arellano

Real Estate Agent Team

Greg Cummings Group | San Diego Real Estate | Compass

Real Estate Brokerage Company

Compass Real Estate

Solar Power Company

Baker Electric Home Energy

Sunset Viewing Spot

Sunset Cliffs

Surf Spot

It’s A Secret…

Tile & Masonry

Daltile

Tire Store

Discount Tire

Wedding Venue

Bali Hai Restaurant

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Travel, Entertainment & Shopping

Airline

Alaska Airlines

Antique Store

Sea Hive Station

Appliance Store

Costco Wholesale

Art Gallery

Bread & Salt

Artist – Jewelry

Ember&Onyx

Artist – Muralist

Josue Baltezar

Artist – Painter

Stefanie Bales

Artist – Photographer

Angela Garzon

Bookstore

Verbatim Books

Boutique Clothing Store

Stroll

Boutique Hotel

Inn at Moonlight Beach

Camera Store

George’s Camera

Canabis Dispensary

March and Ash

Concert Venue

The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

Doggy Day Care

Platinum Pet Sitting Co.

Engagement Rings

Marrow Fine

Evening News Broadcast

NBC 7

Event Venue

The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

Florist

Native Poppy

Golf Course

Torrey Pines Golf Course

Golf Store

Land & Sea Golf

Grocery Store

The Mighty Bin

Groom & Bridal Wear

The Bustle Bridal Boutique

Jewelry Store

Gorjana

Karaoke Bar

The Lamplighter

Local Casino

Sycuan Casino Resort

Local Theme Park Or Attraction

San Diego Zoo

Mall

Westfield UTC

Morning News Broadcast

FOX 5 KSWB TV

Movie Theater

The Lot Liberty Station

Museum

Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Music Nightclub

Belly Up Tavern

Food + Drink | Arts + Culture

Health + Wellness | For The Kids | Retail | Reader’s Picks

Think we’ve run out of stuff to wax poetic about after seven-and-a-half decades of celebrating San Diego? Think again. Ever-evolving and always awesome, the city’s got a nonstop supply of cool places to eat, shop, and play. From a Michelin-starred chef’s game of “Guess Who” to zero-gravity camping, bioluminescent boozing, and one legendary goose, here are 70 of our current local favorites. (Plus more than 100 of your picks, too!)

Click on the links above to see our full list in each category.

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Food + Drink

Best Way to Sabbath

Juniper & Ivy

Juniper & Ivy was one of the restaurants that put Little Italy on the serious-food map. It opened with Richard Blais holding the reins. Now, for nearly 10 years, it’s been Anthony Wells (protégé of Thomas Keller and Jonathan Benno) who keeps it flying high. While they’re usually a nice-shirt kinda place, they’ve introduced a Sunday Supper, a more casual, family-style, three-course meal using the best of hyper-local farms, fish, and ferments. It’s set to return in September. Wipe great food on your jeans. –TJ

Arts + Culture

Best New North County Noise

The Sound

Nearly 50 years after local institution Belly Up Tavern opened in Solana Beach, it finally got a sibling—one three times as large. The Sound, a new 1,900-person-capacity concert hall operated by the Belly Up and housed on the San Diego County Fairgrounds, brings a much-needed mid-size venue to North County. With a state-of-the-art sound system and the space to accommodate headliners such as M83 and The Flaming Lips, it’s a thrilling addition to the live music landscape. –JT

Health + Wellness

Best Place to Sleep in a Tree

Alter Experiences at Mt. Laguna

Husband-wife hosts Rami Abdel and Shantel Seoane created Alter Experiences as a haven away from city hustle. They thought of everything to make tent camping accessible and hassle-free (including luxurious linens and outdoor kitchens), but what makes this place extra special are the tree hammocks. Equipped with super cozy, warm sleeping bags and lights that make them glow like fireflies or aliens (depending on your imagination), they offer a unique, weightless outdoor sleeping experience.

For The Kids

Best Childcare with Chaturangas

If I Was A Bird Yoga

Sure, there are plenty of so-called “Mommy & Me” yoga classes, where you’re trying to manage your kindergartener and somehow downward dog at the same time. Then there’s If I Was A Bird Yoga studio, which has locations throughout the county (Liberty Station, Mission Hills, Del Mar) and offers drop-off kids’ yoga classes. You can send in your little to learn cat-cow with a very patient instructor, and then head to your own workout class. They even offer an art and yoga class for children as young as two, where you have the option of bidding your baby adieu or staying for the class.

Retail

Best Spot For, Well, A Meet-Cute

Meet Cute Bookshop

Not a single Dan Brown thriller in sight. Queer-owned North Park bookshop Meet Cute exclusively stocks romance novels, with particular focus on LGBTQ and BIPOC authors (and an allowance for the occasional queer memoir or nonfiction writing guide). And if you happen to reach for a book at the same time as a fellow hopeless romantic… Well, we know how this story goes.

Reader’s Picks

You voted! And here’s what you had to say. All the city’s best things to do, places to eat, and hidden gems to explore as voted on by our readers. 

Sure, the weather right now is freezing, but that means little to the many parents across the San Diego region who are planning their summers. Camp registrations are opening soon, if they haven’t opened already, and spots fill up fast.

Many parents (myself included) map out the summer of no school with complex spreadsheets of different camp options, prices, locations, and times. Here to make your search a little easier is a list of 10 summer camps in San Diego for you to choose from.

San Diego Unified Extended School Year

San Diego Unified offers free summer school for all enrolled students at a selection of local schools. You can see the list of schools here. Most programs go until 1 p.m., but you can also apply for free PrimeTime aftercare. Summer school goes from June 20 to July 21, and then you can apply for free full-day care at PrimeTime from July 24 to August 2. PrimeTime spaces are limited, so if you need a full day of care, you may need to look into other options.

Price: Free

Time: 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Dates: June 20-July 21

Location: Schools across the city

Camp CaHito at Balboa Park

Campers at Camp CaHito ages 5 to 13 can go to day camp with a range of activities including games, hikes, STEM activities, archery, hiking, art and crafts, and scavenger hunts. Older kids can also attend specialty camps with themes like junior ranger, archery, wizardry of chemistry, art, and jewelry making.

Price: $360 a week

Time: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. or 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Dates: Weekly all summer

Location: Balboa Park

Soccer Shots

The popular Soccer Shots program offers full-day camps over where children practice their soccer skills alongside traditional camp activities. Themes include nature, space, and the arctic, which means kids make crafts and play games that go along with the theme.

Price: $300 a week

Time: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Dates: Weekly all summer

Location: Lake Murray

SAY San Diego

Kids enrolled in SAY San Diego aftercare can also sign-up for full day summer camp at Birney and Marvin elementary schools. Kids will do games, art projects and have outside play time.

Price: $320 a week

Time: 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Dates: Weekly all summer

Location: Birney and Marvin elementary schools

Zoo Camp

Kids can go to summer camp at the San Diego Zoo, where they learn about the variety of wildlife and do animal-themed crafts and activities. Older kids can also sign up for art camp, where they create projects inspired by wildlife in a variety of media, and will have special opportunities for wildlife experiences.

Price: $363 a week and up

Time: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Dates: Weekly all summer

Location: San Diego Zoo

YMCA

The YMCA has a wide variety of camps from the basic arts and crafts projects to sports, swim, gymnastics and the specialized Star Wars/Harry Potter/Bugs and Slugs camps. Camps are hosted at YMCA branches across the region, plus there are surf camps at the beach and overnights at Camp Marston.

Price: $334 a week and up for members

Time: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Dates: Weekly, all summer

Location: YMCA branches across the county

New Children’s Museum Camp

The New Children’s Museum offers camps for four-year-olds and up, and summer studios for older children that are taught by professional artists. Kids work on art projects and do other fun games and activities.

Price: $360 a week for members

Time: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Dates: Weekly all summer

Location: New Children’s Museum

Little Explorers Camp at San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum

The discovery museum in Escondido offers summer camp programs for elementary school aged kids at the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum. There are a variety of themes all summer, with chances to explore the museum and do Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) activities.

Price: $300 a week for members

Time: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Dates: Weekly all summer

Location: San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum

SeaWorld Camp

Children can spend all day at SeaWorld Camp paying visits to animal attractions, seeing shows and doing typical camp activities like games, crafts, songs and participating in hands-on learning activities. Different weeks specialize in various sea animals, from orcas to sharks and sea lions.

Price: $379 a week

Time: 8:15 a.m.-3 p.m.

Dates: Select weeks in July and August

Location: SeaWorld

Fleet Science Center Camp

The Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park offers science camps for kids all summer. Each week centers on a different theme, from fairy tale engineering, survivalist adventure to robot coder. Kids can join in fun games and activities that also teach them about science.

Price: $285 a week for members

Time: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. with extended day to 5 pm available at an extra cost

Dates: Weekly all summer

Location: Fleet Science Center