Some of the best treasures in San Diego are free or near so. The number of enjoyable experiences at Balboa part for instance are so vast that you could go once a week for months on end and not repeat the same type of experience.

Of course the San Diego Zoo is a part of Balboa Park and as fantastic as it is, is not a part of this post of the free or very inexpensive things to do in San Diego. But for sure , one of the best values in all San Diego is becoming a member of the San Diego Zoological Society. You will have free and unlimited passage to both the Zoo and the Wild Animal park. They have all sorts of package deals so be sure not to pass up this fabulous opportunity.

In today's post, one of the wonderful ways to enjoy coastal San Diego is to go to any of the many popular beaches, always free. Parking sometimes can be a challenge and most of the public parking parks have paid parking. But where there is a will, there is a way to bypass the need for most paid parking. The key is planning your beach times  during the week or at least very very early in the morning on weekends and street parking might then be more easily found.

Go Fly a Kite, literally that is. You are in for some real fun if kite flying interests you. Along Mission Bay Park , there is a large grassy area that is ideal. Over the years I have seem some amazing Kites. Dramatic and colorful and in shapes you wouldn’t guess could fly. But fly they do. And these kite flyers of all ages take their sport seriously. Picking up the Bay breezes always insures success and the Mission Bay Park provides family entertainment no mater what your interests.

For those of you that have bikes, bring them over to the Mission Bay Park and enjoy the bike paths around a large section of the Bay. The Mission Bay Park is 4500 acres of aquatic park. From kyacking, swimming, rollerblading, jogging along the waters edge the park, picnicking or just taking a snooze, the park provide a great escape from our San Diego daily lives.

For the Star Gazers in the family, The San Diego Astronomy Association provides a look into our “Outer World”  on the first Wednesday of Every Month in Balboa Park. So plan to see the heavens, San Diego style through the huge telescopes provided by the the association.

If you want to take a driving tour, a short one hour scenic trip East from Downtown San Diego that I recommend is to Mt Laguna. It stands 6,000 feet above sea level in the Cleveland National Forest and Mount Laguna is an amazing alpine area noted for it’s man  pine and oak trees. They say it is one of San Diego’s Best Kept Secrets. Mount Laguna is a perfect playground for hiking, mountain biking, camping, family activities, star gazing,or just enjoying some of the beauties of nature.

Visit the Arco Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista and take a tour from the Copley Visitors Center offered daily. This is a national training site for various Olympic teams that compete in the Summer Olympics. This s a 150 acre facility with catering to Archery,Tennis,Cycling,Softball,Track and Field and Field Hockey among other Olympic sports . 

Another one great things to do in San Diego that costs nothing is exploring the tide pools in Point Loma at low tide. Check the paper ( on the weather page) so you know the times for the high and low tides.The marine life that gets trapped in these tide pools  is pretty amazing. It is possible to see octopus, sea anemones and  wealth of other magnificent marine life. 

Another cool park, one of the largest in the entire state of California is the Anzo-Borrego Desert State Park which is comprised of 600,000 acres of desert. In the spring after the spring rains, it comes alive with magical explosions of colorful wildflower blossoms.

One of the most beautiful sights to behold are the spectacular sunsets along the coast. Each one is more spectacular than the last one and you will never tire of seeing the splendor as the day comes to an end.