See an indie show at The Casbah on Kettner

The US Grant on Broadway opened in 1910, built by the son of President Ulysses S. Grant, and it is a designated historic landmark with 270 rooms across from the Gaslamp Quarter. Its Grant Grill has operated since 1951, and the Rendezvous bar recalls a 1933 original. Staying here puts the bay and Petco Park within…

Hotel del Coronado, built in 1888 and a National Historic Landmark since 1977, is a Victorian seaside landmark that works as a stay or a day visit. The Ice House Museum is free and open daily, and all history tours start there, including a docent-led walk through the building and gardens. Book a tour ahead on busy…

December Nights fills Balboa Park on the first weekend of December and is billed as the city's largest free holiday festival, with lights, music, food and museum evenings. Some museums offer free evening admission, and bags and food may need to be checked at a tent. Expect tens of thousands of people in the lit-up…

The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park is the San Diego Symphony's bayfront venue in downtown, opened in 2021 on land leased from the Port. Shows range from symphony programs to pop and rock acts, with a lawn for the biggest crowds. Check the concert calendar on the venue's site, arrive by trolley to the Convention Center…

Each September, Normal Heights hosts the Adams Avenue Street Fair along ten blocks of Adams Avenue, a free two-day music festival with about 75 acts on six stages. Add beer gardens, carnival rides, festival food and around 300 exhibitors. Walk the street between stages, and check the organizer's site for times, since…

Two blocks of Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach form the Antique District, with about a dozen shops and malls and more than 200 dealers. The Ocean Beach Antique Mall, a multi-dealer shop at 4926 Newport Avenue, sells china, jewelry, tiki items and sports memorabilia, and it has free parking. Wander without a list and see…

Liberty Public Market, San Diego's first food hall, opened in 2016 in the old Naval Training Center mess hall and commissary at Liberty Station. Walk the stalls, collect a few dishes from different vendors and carry them to the dog-friendly patio. The vendor mix changes over the years, so check the market's site for…

Mount Soledad is an 822-foot hilltop above La Jolla with 360-degree views from the Pacific to the mountains and downtown, and the national veterans memorial on top is free and open daily. Visitors sit on the steps or spread a blanket on the lawn in front. Only a few spaces are near the top, so use the large lot a…