traveldk.com

Only a fraction of the 3,000 works from every noteworthy art movement of the past half-century are on display at this renowned museum.

Although a membership is required to check out materials from this outstanding collection of music and art, you can attend music performances and visit its art exhibitions.

Stroll along palm-lined walkways and gaze out over panoramic coastline views.

This memorial, erected in 1954 to honor Korean veterans, now honors veterans from all wars. Six walls beneath a 43-ft (13-m) high cross hold 1,400 plaques.

Brilliantly colored underwater habitats dazzle and educate at this marine museum. You’ll feel like a scuba diver when viewing an offshore kelp bed housed in a 70,000-gallon tank. A popular interactive exhibit is an ocean supermarket scanner that demonstrates our dependence on the sea.

Leading the way in oceanographic research, this 1903 institute is the world’s largest. A part of UCSD, over 1,000 scientists at 18 centers are developing the latest marine technologies.

Now UCSD’s Mandell Weiss Center for the Performing Arts, additions to the Playhouse include a state-of-the-art theater, design studios, rehearsal halls, and a restaurant.

Coastal view of La Jolla

At this gorgous reserve (see Torrey Pines State Reserve), hiking trails wind past coastal scrub, sculptured sandstone cliffs, wildflowers, and woodlands, with stunning views of the Pacific. Guided tours leave from the visitor center.

Jonas Salk founded this institution (see Salk Institute) for biomedical research in 1960. Its scientists explore gene therapy, AIDS, cancer, and diabetes.

Six colleges make up one of the most prestigious public universities in the country.