There are many fun things to do for free in San Diego, California. This coastal city has an almost endless ribbon of beautiful, free public beaches. Swimming, surfing, sunbathing and beachcombing are all popular activities to do for free in San Diego, but there are other pleasant activities here that are also free.
The Old Town San Diego State Historic Park (SHP) is a free outdoor attraction that includes buildings and artifacts that are representative of the 1821-1872 Mexican and Early American historical periods. This is a great attraction to see for free in San Diego. You can view some original Mexican adobe homes such as La Casa de Machado y Stewart, a working class home, and Casa de Estudillo, an upper class home. Other period buildings include a blacksmith shop, schoolhouse and the office where Southern California’s first newspaper, The Union, was published.
Balboa Park is the largest city cultural park in the United States and admission to the beautifully-landscaped grounds of the Park in San Diego is free. While most of the attractions such as the San Diego Zoo and museums charge admission, the Botanical Building at Balboa Park is a free attraction. The Botanical Building houses many beautiful displays of plants and flowers. A large reflecting pond, complete with water lilies and several species of fish, is located just outside the Botanical Building.
Twilight in the Park is a series of live band concerts that has a decades-old tradition of being free in San Diego's Balboa Park on some summer evenings. Swing, military, Latin salsa and Dixieland jazz bands have performed at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion at Balboa Park. The Spreckels Organ Pavilion features the largest outdoor pipe organ in the world.
If your idea of fun is just relaxing outside, you may want to spend a sunny afternoon just watching the boats for free in San Diego Bay. You can pack a picnic lunch and head to Seaport Village for lots of sea breeze and boat-watching. Another great spot for catching amazing views for free in San Diego is La Jolla Cove. La Jolla Cove is known as a popular place to take in the beauty of ocean sunsets.
If you'd rather travel in the car to catch scenic views for free in San Diego, you can drive up Mount Soledad. The top of Mount Soledad offers 360 degree views of San Diego. You may also want to take a detour to the North Country area. Wine tasting and tours are often free in San Diego's North Country wineries.