PassPort to San Diego

LOCAL LIVING RESOURCE for Residents, Visitors & Newcomers

Fiesta de Reyes

LOCAL LIVING RESOURCE for Residents, Visitors & Newcomers

Attractions in San Diego

Now in its fifth year, our annual celebration of local birds of prey – Hawktober – is coming to 18 parks across San Diego County. Attend a free workshop to meet hawks, owls and falcons that are part of our animal ambassador program!

Throughout the month of October, specially trained rangers will be taking some of our resident raptors on tour. Get to know Turbo, our Peregrine Falcon – the fastest animal alive – and Penelope, our Ferruginous Hawk, the largest in North America. Mutaah, our Great Horned Owl, is the only owl that actually hoots. Violet, our American Kestrel, is small and sweet in appearance, but looks can be deceiving because she will eat other birds!

Learn what these raptors look like up close, where they live, what they eat, how they hunt and what survival skills they’ve picked up over time, to help them thrive in San Diego’s diverse environments.

Different birds may be featured at different locations, so we encourage you to visit more than one workshop. Events are free and open to guests of all ages.

Download the flyer or scroll down to see the list of locations.

You can also view individual events on our Facebook events page – and catch the virtual series we ran in 2020 on Owls, Hawks, Falcons and Small Birds of Prey.

PERK ALERT!! When you visit any of these parks, pick up a limited-edition set of Hawktober trading cards! Each includes a picture of one of our superstar-raptors, and fun stats like their length, weight, wingspan and adaptations for success.

Throughout October, Flagship Cruises & Events is proud to welcome children aboard for a free cruise around San Diego Bay. Kids 12 and under can ride the scenic San Diego Harbor Tour for free with paying adult companion. Enjoy a fun, educational family outing in San Diego at an unbeatable price.
• Choose 1-hour North or South route or 2-hour Full Bay
* Up to two children per full-fare adult
Book here. Flagship also offers harbor tours, brunch, cocktail and dinner cruises. Enjoy 15% Off a Cruise Here

Weather conditions are just right to embark on some of the region’s best trail adventures! To encourage more people to spend quality time outside – wherever and whenever they can – the County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation is partnering with Nature Unplugged to host ranger-led hikes during their October 2023 Hike-a-Thon. Enjoy hikes every Saturday morning, throughout the month. This free, all-ages event will include a brief presentation, wellness information and resources, a fitness activity, a guided nature walk, giveaways and more!. Get details on the hikes here. Check out the calendar of events at sdparks.org

Circle back to the past and ride the historic Balboa Park Carousel! Almost all of the animal figures are original from 1910, as are the hand-painted murals on the center panels, the outer rounding boards, the military band organ, the motor, and the famous brass ring game. Fifty-two animals — ranging from horses to giraffes to zebras — and four chariots, are hand-carved and intricately and colorfully painted. Rides, set by an old-fashioned egg timer, last 5 minutes, with a top speed on the outside ring of 13 miles per hour. Take a spin and make new memories on this treasured attraction, celebrating its 101st anniversary in 2023. The Carousel is open 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekends in the fall. Balboa Park Carousel

October is the BEST time to be a kid in San Diego! The San Diego Museum Council has announced the return of the popular Kids Free San Diego program, presented in partnership with the San Diego Tourism Authority and with support from First 5 San Diego. From Oct. 1-31, children ages 12 and under can enjoy free admission to dozens of museums and other family-friendly attractions throughout San Diego County. With more than 50 participating locations (like the USS Midway Museum (pictured), there is something for every age and interest, including art, science, history, cultural heritage, nature, wildlife, trains, ships and much more. A list of participating museums can be found on the San Diego Museum Council website (with additional locations still being added). Coupons for each museum  can be downloaded from the SD Museum Council website. Kids Free San Diego

• Take a stroll on the iconic Scripps Pier this fall! During Sunset Pier Walks, guests will join Birch Aquarium naturalists on an exclusive walking tour of Scripps Pier — which is normally closed to the public — and learn about fieldwork being conducted by Scripps Oceanography researchers. The 90-minute tour features hands-on science stations where guests can scoop up plankton, examine samples under the microscope, The tour requires guests to walk the length of the pier and all participants must be ages 9 or older. Participants are encouraged to dress in layers and wear comfortable walking shoes. Sunset Pier Walks

• After the sun goes down. Birch Aquarium will light up for Halloween Aglow, set for 6-8:30 p.m. Oct. 27-28. Modeled after Oceans at Night, the aquarium’s popular adults-only event, Halloween Aglow celebrates the wonders and mysteries of the ocean after dark in a fun family-friendly atmosphere. View the aquarium’s glowing nightscape featuring live music, a costume contest and trick-or-treat stations. There will also be interactive experiences that highlight ocean phenomena that occur at night including bioluminescence. Don’t miss skeleton divers in the Giant Kelp Forest or the opportunity to learn about some weird and wonderful research being done at Scripps Oceanography. Tickets for Halloween Aglow are $27 for members and $30 for the general public. Advanced reservations are required as the event is expected to sell out. Tickets