Location: Chula Vista
Top Things to do in Chula Vista
10 Things to Do in Chula Vista That You Shouldn't Miss
Chula Vista (/ˌtʃuːlə ˈvɪstə/; Spanish: beautiful view ) is the second largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fourteenth largest city in the state of California, and the 74th-largest city in the United States. The population was 243,916 as of the 2010 census.
Restaurants in Chula Vista
1. USS Midway Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 20 reviews
Located in downtown San Diego, the USS Midway (Museum) was America’s longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century. Today, the interactive museum is an unforgettable adventure for the entire family as guests walk in the footsteps of the 225,000 young men who served on Midway. Visitors explore a floating city at sea, the amazing flight deck and its 29 restored aircraft, flight simulators, and are inspired in the Battle of Midway Theater, included with admission. Admission also includes a self-guided audio tour narrated by Midway sailors in English, Mandarin, Spanish, Japanese, French and German. Visiting Midway is a once-in-a-lifetime experience in San Diego, known around the world as "Navy Town, USA."
Reviewed By Peter T
If you like history, and particularly military history, then this is a must see attraction. Be sure to grab a headset for the self-guided audio tour, it's a great supplement to simply walking around and reading. When you get aboard, do the "Island Tour" first, as it is popular and they can only get a given number of folks through in a day. The "Island" is another name for the bridge and control rooms. There is no extra charge.
Volunteers are great - most are veterans, and some even served on the Midway when it was in service. Their knowledge and experience is also a great supplement to the posted information, and they are more than willing to talk.
The website says it takes 2-4 hours to see. We spent over 6, and we didn't even do/read everything that we could have.
You can buy your tickets online and get $2 off the ticket price, and skip the ticket line. Though don't worry if you choose to purchase your tickets on site, the line moves fast.
2. Coronado Island
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
A mere two-mile drive from cosmopolitan, downtown San Diego, across one of the world's most distinctive bridges, is Coronado Island - a world away. Developed in 1888 as a beach resort town, and home to the famous Hotel del Coronado, the island is blessed with one of the finest beaches in the world and bathed in endless sunshine. Coronado today is a vibrant beach community loaded with charm.
Reviewed By Kevin V - Estero, Florida
Recently stayed on Coronado for a brief vacation (Loews Coronado resort). The entire peninsula is lovely, lots of green space, a nice compact downtown area, awesome views of San Diego (especially at night). The area around the majestic Hotel Coronado is very scenic. The nice thing is that it is only a short Uber or taxi ride over to most hot spots in San Diego. Very peaceful at our resort also.
3. Imperial Beach Pier
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 333 reviews
Reviewed By divingpcola - Trenton, New Jersey
The water is freezing but then this is the west coast, the water is freezing everywhere, not the fault of the pier. The pier is dirty and despite the efforts made by the city, a very questionable crowed hangs out here. It is also packed with homeless people, which is a turn off when you want to enjoy the beach with your children and the buildings and pier stink like urine. If you make it to the beach, it is nice, but stay away from the pier and the surrounding areas mourned the beach and pier.
4. Steal and Escape
Overall Ratings
5 based on 65 reviews
Our rooms allow you to escape reality and interact with a scenario from a different time and place. STEAL and ESCAPE offers live, interactive, adventurous games, designed for groups of 2-6 people. The room is full of puzzles, riddles, keys and locks. The goal is simple yet challenging: complete the game in 60 minutes.
Reviewed By ccabrales - Bonita, California
We threw a birthday party for our kids at Steal and Escape, and they're still talking about it months later! The kids had a blast. Steal and Escape provided us with a room to have cake and pizza, while one group did the game, then the next group went. The 1st group was able to watch the 2nd group on the monitor, which was really fun. I really liked that they were able to get a little help (the age group was 11) so both groups were able to "escape". It made for a funner experience. The staff were SUPER helpful. They accommodated us, to give us exactly what we wanted. I did an escape room with friends at a different place, and Steal and Escape was WAAAAYYY better.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who wants to have a good time!
5. Coronado Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 951 reviews
Popular surfing beach.
Reviewed By wilkintj - Richland, Michigan
We brought the cloudy weather, but our girls still enjoyed playing on the beach - in their fleeces. We're from Michigan, so even at 60 degrees, and cloudy, it was beautiful weather for early April.
The girls especially loved the 'gold glitter' in the sand here and looking for sand dollars. Of the five we found, two of them made it all the way home.
I enjoyed watching the military aircraft fly overhead and watching the navy ships.
6. Living Coast Discovery Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 153 reviews
Living Coast Discovery Center is a nonprofit zoo and aquarium located on San Diego Bay. Greet a sea turtle as she swims up to say hello! Get eye-to-eye with a bald eagle! Touch a bat ray in our interactive touch pool! Peruse Raptor Row and see the Living Coast's rescued birds of prey, all of which are non-releasable from injury or imprinting. Discover the native species you don't see in the city--or on land! Visitors are also free to follow their own path along the Refuge's 1.5 miles of walking trails. The Living Coast Discovery Center is a chance to explore Southern California's plants and animals on the 316-acre Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. If you're looking for a wildlife adventure, this is the place!
Reviewed By Valerie P - San Diego CA
Small but lovely place - and one of the few wetland habitats left in San Diego. Take the kiddos and see lots of beautiful critters, both in captive displays and then free-ranging as you walk the paths around the center (my favorite). It's usually quiet - check the tide tables and go bird-watching when the tide is low. Rapture!
7. Balboa Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 10 reviews
One of the most popular urban parks in the United States, this bucolic paradise is packed with an array of attractions, including the world-famous San Diego Zoo.
Reviewed By itinerary_queen_pa - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
We tried to visit Palm Sunday for the 2p organ concert. The line of traffic was crawling through the park. There was no parking available. We rolled down our windows and listened to the organ as we crawled along just trying to get out of the insanity. We had planned on visiting both the railroad museum and Japanese garden as well. After this bad experience and a wasted 90 min of our vacation stuck in park traffic, I hesitate to consider returning.
8. Lamb's Players Theatre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 158 reviews
A beautiful, intimate theatre in Coronado's historic Spreckels Building, with a year 'round production schedule.
Reviewed By BobandJosie - Reading, United Kingdom
We came across Lamb's Theatre quite by chance - as we were walking from the car park to the beach late in the afternoon. Yes, it was open, yes there was a performance that evening, and there were seats available. Bingo! We bought two of...MoreWe're glad you found us! Thank you for your good words. We hope you'll visit us again if you get back to San Diego!
9. Otay Ranch Town Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 55 reviews
Reviewed By ExploringViking96 - San Diego, California
They did a decent job designing and laying out the mall, but other than the usual inventory of mall stores struggling to compete with the internet, their is nothing that will knock your socks off. It is nice to walk around the outdoor spaces, but they need some unique stores or attractions to make it more than average for me...
10. San Diego Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 23 reviews
Founded in 1916, the Zoo has been an icon in San Diego for nearly 100 years—and an absolute must-see in Southern California. Spend the day monkeying around in our tropical oasis as you visit beautiful habitats that are home to gorillas, eagles, tigers, sun bears, Asian leopards, rare reptiles, a palette of colorful birds, and more. Visit the Australian Outback to delight in our colony of 24 koalas, and travel along Panda Trek to experience giant pandas and other animals that share their bamboo forest habitat. Go back in time through Elephant Odyssey to discover what animals used to roam Southern California and see what the elephants are up to. Enjoy a guided tour on a double-decker bus or the scenic view from the Skyfari aerial tram, and dine in the peaceful surroundings of Albert's Restaurant. Discover the wonders of wildlife with animal encounters, interactive experiences, and keeper chats. A leader in animal care and conservation, the San Diego Zoo is at the heart of the San Diego experience.
Reviewed By Michelle248367 - Rochester Hills, Michigan
So much to see, it's great! Wear comfortable shoes, don't worry about style. Buy tickets in advance, get discount (best are through work or AAA) and save waiting in line at ticket booth. No coolers or straws allowed in park, but you can bring in food and beverages. We were glad we brought our own to control for cost and not eat things like hot dogs. Different areas of zoo have different selections. Suggest you start at Panda, line grows as the day advances. We had a great time as adults and teens.
