What to do for 4th July in San Diego?

The Big Bay Boom is one of the largest firework and 4th of July celebrations in the US because of the strong military presence in San Diego. The best places to watch the show is; in front of the Hilton Bay Front Hotel, Harbor Island Park, Sea Port Village or the Embarcadero, or Centennial Park in Coronado is the best in my opinion. http://www.thebigbay.com/Featured-Event/the-big-bay-boom-2011.html

The 4th of July celebrations in San Diego may not be what you think it is. A lot of the fun is being able to have the day off from work, taking the opportunity to cook food on the BBQ and spend time with friends and family. Communities often have pancake breakfast, BBQ dinners, games, and other community sponsored family fun activities. Sometimes there is a parade, but not always. sometimes there are fireworks but not always. So basically, it is a day to spend with family and friends. But if there is one place to go to celebrate the 4th of July, it would be to watch the fireworks at la Jolla Cove. But be warned: it is VERY crowded and traffic is horrible. I would recommend seeing teh fireworks elsewhere instead of being at the Cove. Here is a list of 4th July events from LAST year. You can expect the list will be general the same for this year, though not all communities update their web sites so it is hard to get a current listing. http://www.san-diego-travels.com/4th-of-july.html

The fireworks at Mission Bay and Sea World are just great. If you have not booked a hotel yet let me suggest the Dana Hotel. It's across the street from Sea World and right on Mission Bay. You will get a double dose of fireworks. I'm suggesting this hotel because the beaches are unbelievably crowded on the 4th and driving to and from special events is nearly impossible. Think of the World Cup being held at Wembly Stadium and then multiply the chaos and the crowds by 50. Plus by staying at the Dana Hotel you can walk to Sea World and spend the day there. http://www.thedana.com/accommodations/index.cfm The festivities on the 4th consist mainly of hanging out with friends and family, barbecuing food and after dinner being in a place to watch fireworks.

Mission Bay, Sea World, and San Diego Bay have the best fireworks display. Mission Bay and Mission Beach are an all day event. Everyone goes to the beach early to get a good spot and they make a day of it with cookouts, picnics, and bonfires in the much sought after fire pits. Be aware that Mission Beach is closed to traffic after the parking lots have filled.Usually this is by noon. IMO the best place to watch is Crown Point in Pacific Beach. It has a view of both the bay and Sea World fireworks shows. http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&safe=active&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&q=crown+point+pacific+beach+map&biw=1001&bih=887&wrapid=tlif130816907891110&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x80deaa79d57265ab:0x84bd2b2aeeb57184,Crown+Point&gl=us&ei=kBP5TdHaL4a8sAP1-s3dBQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQ8gEwAA Another great place to go on the 4th is the San Diego County Fair. They have plenty of attractions, rides, concerts, and fireworks on the 4th. For a lot of peole it's an Independence Day family tradition. This might be a better fit for you. There is much more to do than sitting on the beach all day waiting for the fireworks show. http://www.sdfair.com/ The La Jolla Cove has canceled their display due to a lawsuit which might halt most fireworks shows in the state. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/05/31/san-diego-fireworks-celebration-jeopardy-judges-ruling/

The county fair is open on July 4th at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, that might be fun, but it will probably be very crowded.

They have awesome fireworks at the olympic training center

This week it's been warm, a little humid. You'll be wearing mostly shorts and short sleeve/tee shirts/tanks; you might want to bring a really light sweater or jacket to wear at night if you'll be near the ocean. You might want to bring jeans. Dark clothes for clubs are fine; in SD people are not all that concerned about dress conformity; it's pretty informal here. Lots to do other than zoo/shamu. Downtown: Petco Park (baseball), clubs, restaurants... downtown harbor area: maritime museum (lots of old ships, including tall ships and russian sub, that you can board), harbor cruise, midway aircraft carrier tour. Take the ferry to Coronado; visit the historic Hotel del Coronado; for really beautiful beach go to the adjacent Silver Strand. Point Loma: see lighthouse/hiking/tidepooling/great views of bay Mission Beach...walk the boardwalk of the beach for people watching...ride the rollercoaster...play volleyball on beach...rent bike or skates and cruise the boardwalk...hang out in bars...rent a small boat or jet ski and tour Mission Bay. Ocean Beach...walk the pier, visit Newport Ave. for "hippie" culture....hang out at the beach... Balboa Park...go on Sundays for international houses (different ethnic food and exhibits)...free concerts, including outdoor organ concerts 2 pm Sunday. See the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at Natural History Museum...Imax Theatre...Space and Science Center...Photography Museum...Auto Museum...Gardens...Old Globe Theatre for plays (won the regional theatre Tony award); Art Museums, Museum of Man (anthropological)...artist colony...too much to mention...great outdoor restaurant Cafe at the Prado. La Jolla area: La Jolla Cove; rent kayak to visit La Jolla Caves...Museum of Contemporary Art...Birch Aquarium...La Jolla Playhouse (also won regional Tony award)...walk Prospect Ave to visit art galleries, restaurants...and go to the beach. Watch hang gliders taking off from Torrey Pines Glider Port. Hike in Torrey Pines State Park above and on the beach. Visit nude beach Black's Beach. Get surfing lessons (look in phone book) North County: Visit Pizza Port for microbrews and great pizza (either Solana Beach or Carlsbad). Escondido: take tour of Stone Brewery..free samples at end of tour (if 21). Carlsbad: Museum of Making Music. Bars and restaurants on Carlsbad Villege Dr. Encinitas: Meditation Gardens at the Self Realization Temple...spectacular views from beautiful garden at the ocean's edge, and views of famous surf spot Swami's. Moonlight Beach. Visit San Diego Wild Animal Park (at dark, otherwise it's too hot during the day) east of Escondido. If you like professional tennis, the women's tour is playing this week at La Costa...including the Williams sisters and the other big names. And it's also racetrack season at Del Mar...post time 2 pm...but keep in mind the traffic on highway 5 around post time and exit time is especially congested because of it. Tijuana...you can go if you want but don't think you'd appreciate how long you'd have to wait to get back across the border. During recent weeks it's taken more than 90 minutes in line to cross the boarder. Up to you. Safe or unsafe? Well, it's different; weird to drive there (you'd need Mexican auto insurance if you drove). For a true Mexican experience don't go where the tourists go. Unless of course you are under age 21 and want to drink..then be careful where you go as drunk Americans are easy targets. Public transit here isn't all that good. Best options are the trolley and coaster trains...then walk or take bus to final destinations. People don't use taxis around here much so unless you are in a real tourist area you are going to have a hard time finding one. Best to rent car. Restaurants: best view from outdoor patio/bar of Bertrand's at Mr. A's near downtown...can watch planes land at airport, the Coronado Bridge, downtown lights at night, the ocean. For fun try Corvette Diner in Hillcrest. I already mentioned my affection for Pizza Port...I really love microbrews and pizza. The Beach House in Cardiff (north county) is awesome at sunset if you get a table on the patio. Get there before 6 or 6:30 for early bird specials. Drive to LA is maybe 2 hours if you go on a Sunday morning, rest of the time there's traffic so count on lots of frustrating stop and go traffic...maybe three hours. Don't forget that Disneyland and Calfornia Adventure Parks are halfway between San Diego and Los Angeles, right off of highway 5. You might want to go there.