Entertainment Guide to San Diego

Art

If you should tire of admiring San Diego's magnificent natural scenery, the city has a number of art museums that offer eye-candy of a different kind. Balboa Park offers many of these treasures, including the San Diego Museum of Art, which offers an impressive collection of Renaissance, Dutch, Spanish Baroque, Impressionist, Southeast Asian and Contemporary Californian works. Also located at Balboa Park, the Timken Museum of Art showcases an extensive collection of Russian icons and 14th Century religious paintings, while the Mingei International Museum has a delightful collection of pottery, textiles, ceremonial and daily-use objects from around the globe. The work of some of the world's best photographers is displayed at the Museum of Photographic Arts. Meanwhile, Spanish Village Art Center offers visitors a chance to watch painters, glassblowers, sculptors and woodcarvers at work. Those with more modern sensibilities may prefer the Museum of Contemporary Art, headquartered in La Jolla with a smaller branch downtown.

Film

With giant multiplexes like the Gaslamp Stadium 15 Pacific Theatres and AMC Mission Valley 20, San Diego's cinemas offer plenty of mass, if not exactly highbrow, fare. Meanwhile, independent, art-house and foreign films are shown at the Hillcrest Cinema or the Ken Cinema, the latter specializing in revivals and cutting edge independent film.

Museums

First-time visitors to San Diego are often surprised by the variety of museums found here. The Museum of Man is an anthropological museum focusing on Native American, Southwestern, Mexican and South American cultures. In addition, the Junipero Serra Museum houses Native American and Spanish artifacts from the early days of the missionaries. Those not easily spooked should brave the Thomas Whaley Museum in Old Town, known for being haunted, a fact authenticated by no less than the United States Department of Commerce. Caveat Emptor, of course.

With a nod to San Diego's once prominent status as a commercial seaport, the delightful San Diego Maritime Museum offers visitors a chance to tour three historic vessels. Furthermore, the Birch Aquarium boasts the largest oceanographic exhibit in the country.

Nature lovers can indulge themselves at the San Diego Natural History Museum, which highlights the desert ecology of Southern California and Mexico. Meanwhile, science and technology buffs will enjoy the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center & Space Theater, which showcases a 3D tour of the ocean depths, rainforests and even outer space, all courtesy of IMAX.

Music

Options for classical music fanatics range from large concerts by the San Diego Symphony at Copley Symphony Hall to more intimate recitals by the San Diego Chamber Orchestra. The San Diego Opera season runs from January-May and consists of five operas performed at the Civic Theatre.

For those with slightly less rarefied musical tastes, San Diego offers an array of choices in rock, pop, jazz, folk, country, blues, hip-hop and alternative music. Serious rockers head to the ultra-sleek Coors Amphitheatre, which seats up to 20,000 and has become a "must-play" venue for top musicians. The 14,000-seat ipayOne Center also hosts big-name concerts. Smaller venues for upbeat tunes include Humphrey's By The Bay.

Sports

As far as baseball goes, the San Diego Padres have been the pride of the city. Playing in the National Football League AFC Western Conference, the San Diego Chargers have had a checkered record, but still manage to draw fans to Qualcomm Stadium between August and December.

Other prime spectator sports include horse racing and golf. From late June to early September, San Diegans place bets on their favorite thoroughbreds at the Del Mar Racetrack. This venue attracts some of the best jockeys and horses in the country. Meanwhile, the world's top golfers also visit San Diego several times each year at the Mercedes Championship at the La Costa Resort & Spa in January, and the Buick Invitational at the Torrey Pines Golf Course in February.

Whether your preference is for trendy nightclubs or traditional theater performances, San Diego has entertainment venues to please all tastes. Add sunny skies and ocean views to these top-notch attractions and it is no wonder why San Diego draws countless tourists every year.

Theater

San Diego boasts a remarkably healthy theater scene with not one, but two Tony-award-winning theaters. The consistently excellent La Jolla Playhouse often originates innovative and provocative dramas and musicals. Meanwhile, the oldest professional theater in California, Old Globe Theatre, performs classic, Shakespearean and contemporary works on three stages in Balboa Park. In addition, several smaller companies, such as the San Diego Repertory Theatre and the Lamb's Players Theatre, stage year-round performances of contemporary works.

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