It's been a rough winter at work, and the work isn't done yet. Me and the GF have been looking at a three day getaway in April to San Diego. We already have the reservations made and now we need to fill in the rest of the itinerary.
First on the list is Stone Brewing. But which is better? Escondido or Liberty Station? I'd prefer to go to Escondido, but Liberty Station will be MUCH closer. Staying pretty near SeaWorld, by the way. Beer is a big priority on the list, but not all inclusive. We want to see other stuff too, I read something about sunsets at La Jolla were pretty awesome. And the Gaslamp Quarter was supposed to be pretty spectacular. Also, worthwhile restaurants?
So ultimately, what would you recommend? Which breweries are worthwhile? Where else can we go without spending tons of cash (i.e. SeaWorld, etc.). Which highways should we avoid or when should we avoid them? Any other wisdom worth sharing is also greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
I could fill an entire page of must sees and must dos depending on your likes and dislikes. As for non brewery stops you mentioned Gaslamp. That's a cool place to go if you're looking for night life and lots of restaurants all clumped together in walking distance from each other. If you're down there you could hit up Top of the Hyatt. It's free iirc and its just a cool lounge at the top floor of the Hyatt downtown. Great views of the bay and downtown from there.
La Jolla has Mt Soledad, amazing views of the cove and La Jolla there. Lots of fancy schmancy overpriced restaurants there but also some good ones as well. The cove is nice as well.
Where you're staying is near Mission Beach/Pacific Beach/Ocean Beach/Pt Loma areas. Ocean Beach is Bohemian and hippy like. Pacific Beach is a younger crowd. Lots of bars and restaurants there, but can get a little rowdy depending on where you go and what day. Mission Beach is in between the two and doesn't really have a lot going on imo besides Belmont Park. Of course you've already mentioned Seaworld which is right there in that same area. Ballast Point has their Home Brew Mart very close to Seaworld, basically on the east side of the 5 Freeway. They have a tasting room there as well.
Speaking of parks, there's Balboa park which is cool and has a bunch of museums and gardens and stuff like that. It's also pretty much where the zoo is at. I'm sure you're aware of the zoo we have in San Diego...lol.
Near the park is Hillcrest which has a lot of cool restaurants and bars, but be warned there's quite a few gay bars there so make sure you're aware of what you're walking into if you're not into that scene. Otherwise, some amazing restaurants there. Hash house a go go is ridiculous. Worth checking out.
Coronado was mentioned by a couple people here. That's a neat place. you can take a ferry or drive across the big bridge (remember Anchorman when Baxter the dog gets kicked off the bridge...THAT bridge). Coronado beach is imo the best beach around. I'm pretty that's a widely held view as it was named #1 beach in California a year or two back. Of course there's the famed Hotel Del Coronado which is an old hotel that has been a mainstay of San Diego for over a hundred years. Used to be a hot spot for the stars back in the day.
As for North County, there's San Diego Safari Park, which was formerly known as Wild Animal Park. That's cool if you're into wild animals from Africa. It's also right in the same area as Stone Brewery in Escondido.
Traffic...well that's all relative. If you're coming from Los Angeles, you'll love it here. If you're coming from Podunk, USA. You might be overwhelmed. The main traffic is from commuting in the mornings and afternoons going into and out of San Diego Metro. So 805, 5 north and south headed into and out of San Diego can be a bit dodgy but nothing Google Maps won't help you avoid.
As for overall breweries I would recommend hitting up Brewery Circle as it's known. It's in Mira Mesa/Miramar area off of Miramar Road. There are about 6 Breweries some of which are pretty big names in craft like Green Flash, Ballast Point, Alesmith, and not to mention White Labs is in that circle too. They have a really neat tasting room and an opportunity to taste the same wort fermented with different yeasts to see their effects...way cool. Also, if you have any empty vials, for every 10 you bring in they give you one new one for free!
TLDR you can message me with more specific questions if you'd like.
