The beautiful Star of India is the world’s oldest active sailing ship and is the pride and joy of the San Diego Maritime Museum. Built in 1863 at the Ramsey Shipyard on the Isle of Man the ship was one of the first built of iron and was originally called Euterpe. As the Euterpe it suffered a bit of tragedy with a mutiny, collision and a nasty cyclone off the Bay of Bengal. The ship was also used in bringing emigrants to New Zealand, Australia and the Americas from England, Scotland and Ireland. The vessel even had time as a salmon hauler working in Alaska. Today she is the second oldest ship what is still sail worthy and the oldest iron hull merchant ship floating. The ship has been declared a United States Historic Landmark and still sails a couple of times a year.
San Diego is known for its amazing Zoo and Sea World but an attraction just as popular is Lego Land California. This 128 acre park targets children from 2 to 12 and its a fantastic hands on day out where they can have great fun and be creative with the world’s most popular toy- Lego. The park has 8 theme lands and more than 40 interactive attractions and all the park looks as if it has been made out of Lego. DinoLand is one of the most popular of the lands with kids just loving the Costersaurus roller coaster and animated Lego dinosaurs. Other lands include the Pirate Shores, Castle Hill and Miniature Land which features a miniature USA with incredible 1:20 scale reproductions of cities and famous landmarks in the country. The park has plenty of fun rides including boat rides, mini fire truck rides and some fun rollercoasters and robotic rides and some fun shows, and then there’s the gift shop- guess what they sell?
San Diego is one of North America’s most beautiful harbour cities and one of the most popular places to relax, have a bit to eat and do some great shopping is at the Sea Port Village right on the Pacific Ocean. Opening in 1980 on reclaimed land over the Point of the Dead or Punta de los Muertos in Spanish the site was where the Spanish buried their dead from Scurvy in the 1780’s. It later became a goods yard for the railroad and today has been transformed into a huge open air entertainment complex. The centre has over 50 shops, a dozen or so eateries and a number of fine dining experiences plus its only a short stroll to the Convention Centre, Marriott Hotel & Marina, Manchester Grand Hyatt and Midway Museum. The area is beautifully landscaped with lakes, cobblestone pathways and a boardwalk along the San Diego Bay. There is a full calendar of events and a beautifully restored 1895 carousel for the kids. A great way to fill in the afternoon for anyone visiting lovely San Diego.
It’s the 4th of July so today we take a look at one of the worlds best zoos, the San Diego Zoo in Southern California. This zoo has one of the worlds finest collections of animals and plays an important role in conservation and the breeding of endangered and threatened species. One of the most popular animal exhibits is the Giant Panda’s which are truly magnificent. The zoo has recently opened a Monkey Walk which is also very popular here visitors can get very close to a selection of interesting primates in a very real environment. Visitors to Los Angeles can visit visit the zoo in a day trip but San Diego has so much to offer including a historic townships, waterfront precincts, great shopping and the Zoo’s wild animal park adventure… and the Mexican border is only minutes away on the train.
