San Diego has always boasted a wealth of attractions, from the soft sand beaches of the coast to Balboa Park museums, Little Italy's restaurants and more. Here's just a sampling of things to do in California's sunniest city.
SEE: Cannibals: Myth and Reality
A display devoted to cannibalism may seem like a grisly idea, but the exhibit at Balboa Park's Museum of Man is absolutely fascinating. This thought-provoking, nongory exhibit explores the history of cannibalism, touching on not only some of the most famous instances where survival was at stake -- shipwrecks, plane crashes, the Donner Party and the Uruguayan rugby players stranded in the Andes -- but political practices in which European rulers used the term as a weapon. At "Cannibals: Myth and Reality," you'll self-diagnose at an interactive centuries-old apothecary to see whether your ailments should be treated with corpse medicine, the powdered skull bones and such commonly prescribed in Europe at the time. You'll board a wooden raft on storm-tossed virtual seas to see who draws the short straw. And you'll ponder where, exactly, the line is drawn. Are you a cannibal? Details: Tickets are $6-$13. Open daily at San Diego Museum of Man, 1350 El Prado; museumofman.org.
PLAY: Enigma HQ
Escape rooms are popping up across the country, drawing eager adventurers into a web of locked rooms filled with puzzles and mysteries, with limited time to solve them. Some of these are scary: A bomb is ticking or a zombie's on the loose, and the door really is locked. Others are like San Diego's Enigma HQ: The door's not locked, there are no monsters and the puzzles put all your Indiana Jones' skills to the test. Enigma's hourlong Lazarus Crystal challenge was particularly fun, with excellent props, a cool story line, challenging puzzles and clever twists. Details: Tickets are $40 per person, reservations essential. 1446 Front St., Suite 301, San Diego; enigmahq.com
EAT & DRINK: Liberty Station
Over the last couple of years, San Diego's former naval training base has been transformed into Liberty Station, a dining and shopping destination that's as enticing to locals as it is to tourists. In addition to Stone Brewing's World Bistro & Gardens, which opened in 2013, there are 30 other restaurants -- Breakfast Republic, Soda & Swine, Fireside By the Patio and more -- as well as galleries, boutiques and picnic-perfect lawns. Details: Open daily at 2640 Historic Decatur Road, San Diego; libertystation.com.
Travel on 10/22/2017