San Diego Regional EDC Quality of Life – Sports, Recreation, and Attractions Professional/ College Teams Location Affiliation San Diego San Diego Major League Baseball Padres San Diego San Diego National Football League Chargers San Diego San Diego Professional Arena Soccer League Sockers San Diego San Diego Mountain West Conference (college) State Aztecs University of California La Jolla California Collegiate Athletic Association (college) San Diego Tritons University of San Diego West Coast Conference (college) San Diego Toreros San Diego San Diego Western States Hockey League (minor league) Gulls Special Attractions Location Description Anza-Borrego Desert State Park was established in 1933 as California's first desert state park. The 600,000-acre park is the largest state park in Anza-Borrego Anza-Borrego California. Located approximately 60 miles east of downtown San Diego, Desert State Park the park has more than 100 miles of hiking and equestrian trails providing views of desert flowers, rock formations, Indian artifacts, and animals. Balboa Park, San Diego's 1400-acre cultural center, is located in downtown. Originally the site of the Panama-California exposition of 1915, Balboa Park San Diego today the park is home to museums, art galleries, the Old Globe Theater, the Reuben H. Fleet Space Center, and the world renowned San Diego Zoo. Cabrillo National Monument and museum, which is part of the National Park Service, commemorates Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s 1542 arrival to San Diego. The park was designated as a national monument in 1913 and is Cabrillo National San Diego located in the Point Loma section of San Diego. Within the park's 144 Monument acres, visitors can walk to a historic lighthouse, learn about 16th-century Spanish explorers, hike on nature trails, explore tide pools, and tour World War II military sites. San Diego Regional EDC The Chula Vista Nature Center is located on the Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. The center is a living museum serving the public with Chula Vista Nature educational facilities and programs that provide opportunities for scientific Chula Vista Center research and aid in the restoration and enhancement of the Sweetwater Marsh. The nature center is fully accredited by the American Association of Museums, a distinction held by fewer than 10% of the museums in the U.S. The Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego's liveliest neighborhood, is one of Southern California's premier dining, shopping, and entertainment districts. The Gaslamp features a truly eclectic blend of food, fun, and culture -- all within one of San Diego's most historic areas. Visitors can stroll past the The Gaslamp Downtown San Gaslamp's charming Victorian-style commercial buildings constructed Quarter Diego between 1873 and 1930, and browse the area's fine-art galleries, boutiques, bazaars, and specialty stores. As the sun sets, the streets come alive in the Gaslamp Quarter. The old-fashioned gaslamps glow along the wide brick walkways, illuminating many charming sidewalk cafes and more than 90 restaurants and clubs. LEGOLAND California, first park of its kind in the United States, is a 128- acre park geared specifically towards youngsters ages 2 through 12. Thirty LEGOLAND Carlsbad million LEGO bricks are used to create 5,000 LEGO models that decorate the park. With rides, attractions, shows, and building projects in six themed blocks, LEGOLAND Park mixes education, adventure, and fun. Mission Bay Park is an ideal place for picnicking, swimming, camping, boating, fishing, and golfing. The West Coast's largest aquatic park covers more than 4,000 acres, approximately half land and half water. The park Mission Bay Park San Diego encompasses 27 miles of shoreline, 19 of which are sandy beaches. A nature reserve can be found on the northernmost end of the park. Mission Bay offers boat docks and launches, sailboat and motor rentals, bike/walk paths, basketball courts, and playgrounds for children. The world famous San Diego Zoo is home to more than 4,000 exotic, rare, and endangered animals representing 800 species. Unique exhibits include Ituri Forest, Polar Bear Plunge, Rainforest Aviary, Gorilla Tropics, Tiger River, the African Kopje, and Sun Bear Forest. The luxuriously planted 100- San Diego Zoo/San acre zoo is also an accredited botanical garden. The San Diego Wild Animal San Diego Wild Animal Park is a unique, 1,800-acre wildlife preserve dedicated to the preservation Diego/Escondido Park of animals and has achieved international recognition. Located 32 miles northeast of downtown San Diego near the city of Escondido in north San Diego County, the Wild Animal Park is nearly 20 times larger than the zoo. The wildlife preserve allows visitors to view herds of exotic animals as they might be seen in their native habitats of Asia and Africa. Within Mission Bay Park is Sea World, a 189-acre marine entertainment complex that features 20 attractions, three rides, and several shows, Sea World San Diego including one by the famous three-ton killer whale, Shamu. With more than 3 million visitors a year, the park has achieved worldwide recognition. Torrey Pines State Reserve is a 2,000-acre forest reserve overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean near La Jolla. The reserve is home to 6,300 of the world’s rarest trees, the Torrey Pine, which grow naturally in San Diego Torrey Pines State La Jolla and on Santa Rosa Island. One can explore miles of unspoiled beaches or Reserve visit a lagoon that is a vital nesting place to numerous migratory seabirds. The reserve contains eight miles of trails and a visitor center, and offers guided nature walks on weekends and holidays. San Diego Regional EDC Annual Events Date Description This stop on the PGA tour is held annually at the Torrey Pines Golf Course Buick Invitational February in La Jolla, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Fair: early June- early July ; The gala San Diego County Fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds ushers in San Diego County horse racing summer and runs through July 4 every year. Then, in late July, the Fair/Del Mar horse season: late excitement of horse racing season begins at the adjacent Del Mar Race racing season July-early Track and runs 40-plus days into early September. September One weekend each summer more than 100,000 music lovers descend on the historic Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego for the Street Scene San Diego Street Late August music festival. The line-up in 2003 included 90-plus bands on nine stages Scene playing an exciting mix of rock, alternative, blues, electronica, jazz, reggae, hip-hop, punk, Latin, and more. Source: Respective organizations, attractions and events .