Motivation Monday: Free Things!

Low on cash? Bored at home? No worries. San Diego offers a number of FREE (that's right, FREE) things to do. Check it out! Disclaimer: ideas, verbiage and links are stolen borrowed from SanDiego.org.


Nicholas Califf Photography (La Jolla Cove)

 

• Catch a magnificent Pacific sunset and watch sea lions play along the shoreline at La Jolla Cove, one of the most spectacular natural settings in the world.
• Stroll through the 16½-block historic Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego. Once the stomping grounds of the legendary Wyatt Earp, the Gaslamp Quarter is now home to unique stores and numerous restaurants, nightclubs and bars, many of which are set in turn-of-the-century Victorian architecture.
• Take free fly-fishing lessons from the San Diego Fly Fishers club on Sunday mornings from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Lake Murray, located in La Mesa. If you don't have your own gear, arrive early for a free equipment loan.
• Sample some of the more than 200 varieties of fresh produce grown in San Diego at one of the region's many Farmers' Markets, held daily at locations throughout the county.
• Bike, walk or jog along Mission Bay Park's many trails. Bikers, walkers and joggers share more than 20 miles of scenic paths winding through sunlight and shade near the shoreline with workout courses at planned stations along the route.
• Visit Mission Trails Regional Park featuring a state-of-the-art Visitors Center where guests explore and learn about the wonders of nature and the native people who once lived on the land. The park also offers over 40 miles of natural and developed hiking and biking trails.
• Walk along the downtown Embarcadero and view impressive public art sculptures, tributes and memorials set along San Diego Bay. The artworks celebrate San Diego's international ties, cultural diversity, military significance and unique oceanfront environment.
• Join the festivities of the annual San Diego LGBT Pride Parade and Festival, one of the most popular events of its kind in the country. Free festivities include a mile-long parade through Hillcrest in July.
• Two weekends each July, watch the Annual World Championship Over-the-Line Tournament, San Diego's original boisterous beach softball event at Fiesta Island on Mission Bay.
• Take a walk through Balboa Park, the largest urban cultural park in the United States, and discover its beautiful Spanish Colonial-Revival architecture and glorious gardens. Also, visitors can take advantage of the Park's variety of other free offerings, including ranger-led walking tours at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesdays and Sundays.
• Gather friends, family and firewood for a cozy beach bonfire at one of San Diego County's bonfire-friendly beaches, located in Coronado, Ocean Beach, Oceanside, Mission Beach and Pacific Beach.
• Take a drive to the top of Mt. Soledad in La Jolla, home of the Mt. Soledad Veterans War Memorial, for breathtaking, 360-degree views of San Diego. Spectacular views also await at the top of Mt. Helix in La Mesa, offering visitors a birds-eye glimpse of San Diego's East County communities.
• Experience the history of the local Hispanic community's struggles and triumphs with a visit to the Chicano Park Murals, established by activists in 1970. This cultural park has received international recognition as a major public art site for its commanding mural paintings set underneath the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. Some of the murals narrate the history of Barrio Logan where the park is located.
• Visit the U.S. Olympic Training Center, the nation's first warm-weather, year-round Olympic training facility, located in Chula Vista. Free guided tours of the 150-acre lakefront facility are offered at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday; tours begin at the Copley Visitor Center. Self-guided tours are also available Mondays-Saturdays - 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Remember, take time in your day to smell the roses...figuratively and literally.