If you are finding it challenging to decide on a perfect place to make your holiday or weekend an entertaining and fun-filled one, consider visiting La Jolla.
You might have heard of La Jolla but haven’t been to the city. Well! We want to assure you that the city offers plenty of fun exhibitions.
Apart from fun activities, you will also find many stunning attraction centers that have made La Jolla a great tourist destination.
Some of the fantastic features of the city include La Jolla Cove, La Jolla Tide Pools, La Jolla Sea Caves, and Windasea Beach, amongst others.
In this article, we will look at some of the most exciting things to do in La Jolla, CA, for couples, families, kids, adults, and for the weekend!
Where is La Jolla?
Situated within the Southern Californian state of the USA, La Jolla is a small city with an approximate population of 46,781 (according to the USA population census of 2010).
As far as La Jolla is concerned, it is a vibrant seaside region popular for its rough coastline.
Even though it is a small community, La Jolla is still home to many tourist destinations, activities, and sights. It also hosts several of San Diego’s top attraction centers, sceneries, natural beauty, history, culture, and even wildlife.
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Fun Things to Do In La Jolla, CA
Below are some of the best fun things to do in La Jolla, California
1. Windansea Beach
The first thing on our list of things you should consider doing in La Jolla is checking out the fabulous Windansea Beach alongside its historical hut.
Of all the beaches in La Jolla, the Windansea is one of the most beautiful (if not the most beautiful).
It is incredibly stunning for its rock formations, creating platforms that stretch out into the waves. You will find the historical and legendary thatched hut on top of one of these rocks.
The hut is among the most popular beach structures in San Diego. There are other entertaining exhibitions to enjoy on Windansea Beach.
Address: 6800 Neptune Pl, San Diego, CA 92037, United States.
2. La Jolla Cove
Are you looking to have an enjoyable adventure in San Diego? We recommend you visit La Jolla and spare a few hours admiring the incredible wildlife congregating around the little semi-circle of the beach and protected cove.
You will surely enjoy every second of your time here.
Meanwhile, La Jolla is a tiny semi-rounded facility of the sandy beach near rocky cliffs, which draws sea lions, seals, shorebirds, different kinds of fish, and tourists from far and near.
Considered among the most famous centers in La Jolla, the cove is greatly adored for its many different wildlife.
La Jolla Cove offers terrific views and is a perfect site to see the entertaining sea lions as they gallivant inside the water and relax on the rocks.
You will learn about the lifestyles of the various sea creatures and their reaction to each other.
Address: 1100 Coast Blvd. (at Girard Ave), La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
3. The Taco Stand
Apart from the many beautiful attraction centers in La Jolla, the city is also home to some of the best delectable Mexican dishes. One of the top places in La Jolla (or even Sand Diego) where you can see the best cuisines is The Taco Stand.
Over the years, San Diego has grown increasingly popular for its beautiful cities and exquisite Mexican meals, courtesy of its close contact with the border.
One of its beloved communities, La Jolla, is home to one of the best stores that deal on tacos, or The Taco Stand.
The Taco Stand stunningly displays the dishes. Meanwhile, its tacos are among the best, as well as their tasty cilantro salsa, which attracts long queues during lunch and dinner.
Who cares? It’s worth the wealth anyways! Apart from grabbing a bite at the Taco Stand, if you’re a dealer, you can sample your tacos at the stand.
Address: 621 Pearl St, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
4. Ellen Browning Scripps Park
This one will interest picnic lovers. If you are looking to plan a picnic with your family or loved ones in La Jolla, then the best place to do that is at Ellen Browning Scripps Park.
It offers a perfect place to dine and have fun on the grass on top of a bluff looking out over the amazing ocean.
Meanwhile, the park is a grassy picnic location on a seaside cliff in La Jolla. You will have a picturesque view of La Jolla Shores and the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier from Ellen Browning Scripps Park.
This park also features seats, among the best in La Jolla, to witness the sunset.
Feel free to come with a blanket and meals to sit on so you can sit and enjoy the fantastic sight of birds hovering around the cliffs as you’re having a great time with your family or loved ones.
Address: 1100 Coast Blvd, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
5. Torrey Pines Gliderport
If you are a La Jolla resident and haven’t heard of Torrey Pines Gliderport, then you must be new to the town.
However, whether you have heard about it or not, you need to visit the place and see the wonders the Gliderport brings.
This beautiful scenery is one of the best attraction centers in La Jolla and offers a place where visitors can watch the sunset on a cliff as paragliders soar above the bluffs.
The Torrey Pines Gliderport is an eye-catching facility sitting atop a cliff, which towers over the beach beneath it.
It is a great launching point for hang gliders and paragliders to go high over the coast. Indeed! You will find it fun watching the fliers crash off the cliff and then serenely soar several feet in the air.
It offers a great spot to watch the sunset. If you want to learn how to glide, this gliderport offers classes and tandem flights.
Address: 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Dr, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
6. La Jolla Tide Pools
Apart from other sightseeing attractions or dining experiences, you can choose to check out the La Jolla Tide Pools. It offers a perfect adventure for finding miniature creatures which hide beneath rocks and among the algae of little pools.
It is a fun-filled exhibition, especially as you can join others to poke around the small ecosystems forming in the tiny rock pools created along La Jolla’s beaches during the low tides.
You can adjust and readjust the patches of algae and seagrass to enable you to explore stunning creatures such as mollusks, anemones, urchins, sea slugs, and tiny fish.
Meanwhile, the best time to go for this tide pooling adventure is during the winter because it is the time that you will find so many low tides that will expose more pools. This exhibition will give you an unforgettable experience in your life.
Address: 303 Coast Blvd, San Diego, CA, United States
7. The Comedy Store
Indeed! The name befits the center. If you are among those that are madly in love with comedy and looking to entertain yourself with the very best jokes and hilarious moments, you have to spend a few hours at The Comedy Store.
The first Comedy Store was established in 1972 in Los Angeles by Sammy Shore, who was the opening act for Elvis Pressley.
Then, The Comedy Store became the first stand-up comedy nightclub on the planet. This comedy club developed the stand-up scene on the west coast.
However, in 1976, it created a new location in San Diego. As it stands, The Comedy Store has grown to the level of inviting some of the most renowned comedians to the stage during weekends and local jokers during the week.
Thanks to this store, you can witness both popular and up-coming stand-up comedians give you a laugh.
Address: 916 Pearl St, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States.
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8. Downtown La Jolla
If you feel bored at home during your free time off work or on the weekend, you can consider strolling through Downtown La Jolla. It will give you amazing sceneries of many wonders and attractive centers the small city offers.
The tiny La Jolla community is notable for offering shopping and dining experiences, featuring beautiful boutique stores and delicious dining, locked in between laidback spots that offer great ocean views.
You can take a walk or drive through La Jolla village and its vibrant streets featuring beautiful shops and eateries.
You can walk through Coast Blvd and Prospect Street, which both offers stunning views and takes pride in their historical, Spanish-style architecture.
Have you considered exploring the several art galleries displayed by local artists and pieces celebrating and dedicated to San Diego?
Address: San Diego, CA 92037, United States
9. The Coast Walk Trail
Are you looking for something to do in your free time? The Coast Walk Trail will not only give you something to do, but you can also expect an unforgettable experience, as it features moments of fun along the way.
Join other tourists to watch some of the most popular La Jolla attractions from a great spot on top of the cliff.
Although an easy dirt trail meandering over the La Jolla Cliffs, The Coast Walk still offers incredible sceneries of La Jolla Shores, the Scripps Pier, La Jolla Cove, and every small beach and wildlife in between.
The trail will take you from Coast Walk road to the Goldfish Point view, close to the La Jolla community and La Jolla Cove.
Address: Coast Walk Trail, San Diego, CA 92037, United States
10. Birch Aquarium
Operated by the popular UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Birch Aquarium offers you one of the best exhibitions you will ever find in the small village of La Jolla.
The aquarium welcomes you to explore and know more about the incredible marine creatures with the guidance of experts around the place.
You can spare a few hours of your weekends or vacation to visit Birch Aquarium, conservation, research, and education pioneer, which offers you an opportunity to explore and learn about its marine life.
Located on a cliff that overlooks the Pacific Ocean, the aquarium is well-known for its incredible showings and enclosures.
Its presentations, displays, and activities have inspired many visitors and connected them to the ocean.
Thanks to this aquarium, you will have the chance to explore over 60 Pacific Ocean environments and several strange and exotic water creatures like penguins, octopuses, and sharks.
Address: 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
11. La Jolla Sea Caves
Among the fun things to add to your things-to-do itinerary is a kayak tour of the La Jolla Sea Caves. You will find a group of hidden caves beneath the most giant cliffs in La Jolla, which you can only see and access through the water.
You can kayak in and around these amazing sea cliffs, which have seen crashing and formed lovely pockets and caves that seem like an artistic architect molded them.
Kayak tours are among the best in La Jolla and offer the best ways to see the caves up close and even go into one of its largest.
Address: 2164 Avenida De La Playa. La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
12. Pannikin La Jolla
Are you wondering if there is a place in La Jolla where you can relax over a cup of coffee during your tour around the small but beautiful village?
You can trust Pannikin La Jolla to give you the best-desired coffee treatment. So, what again is stopping you from engaging in a short and enjoyable adventure around the village of La Jolla?
Situated inside a wooden beach-shack-type structure with tons of great character, the Pannikin La Jolla is a landmark creation that has played a crucial role in the development of the small town and its surrounding areas.
It is one of La Jolla’s staple establishments that offers a nice spot you can have a tasty coffee.
Inside this unique establishment, you will find a small patio, which offers a lovely spot where you can sit and help yourself with their delicious coffee and breakfast, as well as have an engaging chat with some La Jolla residents loyal to the Pannikin.
Address: 7467 Girard Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
13. La Jolla Underwater Park
Has it ever crossed your mind that you can snorkel the La Jolla Underwater Park? Indeed! We are here to remind you of some fun-filled activities that must have evaded your thoughts.
You can visit this underwater park to explore marine creatures like fish, turtles, sharks, and stingrays, which have made the aquatic their home.
Situated off the coast of the small village of La Jolla, it might interest you that La Jolla Underwater Park is a safe marine area featuring a unique ecosystem that houses several kinds of marine life.
It features seagrass, rocky reefs, and kelp forests, all attracting various types of fish, sharks, and even green sea turtles.
The place will significantly benefit spear-fishers, snorkelers, and scuba divers. If you want to snorkel with others, you can rent snorkel gear from one of the recreation shops close to La Jolla Shores. Schedule a snorkeling tour from numerous places on offer.
Again, you’ll enjoy the sight of multiple harmless leopard sharks around the nearshore waters, which are attracted by the warmer water of the summer.
Address: 8302 Camino Del Oro, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
14. The Cave Store1
One of the most fun things to do in La Jolla is a visit to The Cave Store. In 1902, a German artist initially living in The Cave Store commissioned a tunnel to be dug from the inside of his residence to the Sunny Jim’s Cave close by.
Legend has it that the cave was a secret route bootleggers took to smuggle in alcohol when it was prohibited.
However, it has become a great tourist attraction where you can join other visitors to explore the inside of the only sea cave that you can access through the tunnel.
Address: 1325 Coast Blvd, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
15. Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial
If you are in La Jolla and have never visited Mt Soledad, you can join others to pay homage to all veterans, from the revolutionary war up to the present.
Situated alone on top of a hill, the unique Mt Soledad National Veterans memorial is a structure that pays tribute to every veteran.
Talking about veterans, we refer to both those that are alive and dead, from the era of the Revolutionary War until today.
You will find this an emotionally moving activity as you discover every name and portrait carved into a wall and set against panoramic sceneries of every of La Jolla.
Address: 6905 La Jolla Scenic Dr. S, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
16. The Marine Room
If you want a fantastic dining experience on the La Jolla beach, you can trust The Marine Room to offer you the best services you need to complete your fun-filled adventure.
With this room, you can have a romantic dining experience while enjoying the stunning views of the ocean and its wave occurrences.
The Marine Room has great menus of food and flavors produced from local ingredients.
Situated right at the southern end of La Jolla Shores, positioned on the beach, this lovely eatery will offer you an incredible display, especially during high tides, when the waves will crash against the restaurant walls.
Indeed! It is an astonishing sight to behold.
Address: 2000 Spindrift Dr, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
17. La Jolla Historical Society
La Jolla Historical Society shouldn’t miss your top list of things to do in the small La Jolla town.
If you have never been to this center, you should spare a few hours of your free time to pay a visit, as you’ll learn a great deal about La Jolla’s rich history and culture.
This historical society consists of a group of preserved historical buildings presently used to collect and share the great history of La Jolla and its dwellers. A visit to the place will allow you to immerse yourself in exhibitions of culture.
You’ll also get to explore the arts and learn about the history that has become the hallmark of the La Jolla we presently see.
Thanks to La Jolla Historical Society, you will also be offered periodic symposia, make tours, and engage in educative discussions.
Address: 780 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
18. La Jolla Shores
Whether you are an experienced surfer, a beginner, or you want to learn how to surf, head to La Jolla Shores, as it will help your wishes to come through.
This shore is one of the most famous beaches in La Jolla and is widely recognized for offering some suitable waves for surfing.
La Jolla Shores comprises a long stretch of beach, otherwise known as La Jolla Beach. It offers excellent surfing experiences to both expert surfers and learners that are interested in becoming skilled surfers.
The little nearshore waves provide smooth rides for novices, making it one of the most recognized centers for surf education in San Diego.
Address: 8200 Camino Del Oro. La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
19. San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art
Have you ever visited one of the best museums in San Diego? You can spare a few hours to visit the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art and explore the world and culture through the lens of art.
Established in 1941, this museum is situated inside the historical tower that overlooks the ocean in the heart of La Jolla.
Thanks to the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, visitors can explore the world as well as a global and regional culture through the eyes of contemporary art.
It features long-lasting collections and rotating exhibitions of 20th-century art and innovations. This museum will surely interest art lovers and museum explorers.
Address: Downtown 1100 Kettner Blvd. San Diego, CA 92101, United States.
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20. The Spa at Torrey Pines
Indeed, there is nothing wrong with taking a few hours of your time to rest your nerves at a good spa and relaxation center.
One of the best places in La Jolla where you can embrace relaxation and rejuvenation is The Spa at Torrey Pines.
Situated just adjacent to the rugged cliffs of Torrey Pines State Nature Preserve, this spa overlooks the unique Pacific Ocean and integrates elements of San Diego’s natural plants and beauty.
These features and integration make it a perfect way of connecting with the local environment. It’ll do you a lot of good to relax and rejuvenate in this spa.
Address: 11480 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
21. La Jolla Open Aire Farmers Market
If you are looking for a nice place to pick up some of your favorite locally-sourced products, produce, and food items, you can head to La Jolla and explore the La Jolla Open Aire Farmers Market.
Mainly open on Sundays, the farmers market is a unique place to visit and get your locally produced vegetables for the week.
The center was initially a local elementary school courtyard that was transformed into a busy, attractive farmers market featuring several vendors who deal in foodstuffs.
Apart from food, there are dealers of beautiful artisanal clothes, pieces of jewelry, art, and produce.
You can also browse some of the to-do lists while you are in the market. Make sure you taste some of its delicious breakfast or lunch from any food vendors around the La Jolla Aire Farmers Market. Indeed!
There are so many things on offer in La Jolla.
Address: 7335 Girard Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States