You can enjoy exceptional accommodations and service at a price that won’t break the bank at one of our San Diego Marriott hotels. Whether you’re interested in sightseeing and sun worshipping or staying for business, you’re sure to find a San Diego Marriott hotel that’s right for you and right where you want to be.
If you’re on vacation, you’ll appreciate Marriott’s unique blend of convenience, luxury and affordability. If you’re traveling on business, San Diego Marriott hotels offer state-of-the-art technology for work, as well as the best spa services for pleasure.
Now, it has been said that the best things in life are free. And if you’re staying at one of San Diego’s 26 Marriott hotels, you’re in luck! We want our guests to fully enjoy this captivating city, no matter the size of their budget. That’s why we’ve put together this list of San Diego’s “best kept secrets” that are absolutely free:
Timken Museum of Art – More than 600 years of art history is housed within the modern architecture of the Timken Museum of Art in Balboa Park. Enjoy masterpieces by Rembrandt and Rubens, as well as works by American painters like Eastman Johnson and John Singleton Copley. Always free, call Timken today for hours and special collection tours (tel. 619/239-5548).
All the museums in Balboa Park: This may be the number one best kept local secret! All Balboa Park museums are open to the public, free of charge, one Tuesday a month. This is the largest urban cultural park in the United States, with more than 25 museums and attractions. But how do you know which Tuesday which museums are free? We have prepared a list of days off for you:
1st Tuesday of each month: Natural History Museum (tel. 619/232-3821), Reuben H. Fleet Science Center (tel. 916/238-1233), Model Railway Museum (tel. 916/696-0199)
2nd Tuesday: Museum of Photographic Arts (tel. 619/238-7559), Museum of the Historical Society (tel. 619/232-6203)
3rd Tuesday: Art Museum (tel. 619/232-7931), Museum of Man (tel. 619/239-2001), Mingei International Museum (tel. 619/239-0003), Japanese Friendship Garden (tel. 619/ 232-2721), Museum of the Living Artist (tel. 619/236-0011)
4th Tuesday: Aerospace Museum (tel. 619/234-8291), Automobile Museum (tel. 619/231-2886), Hall of Champions Sports Museum (tel. 619/234-2544)
Organ Pavilion Concerts: The 4,518 pipes of the world’s largest outdoor organ have been in nearly continuous use since 1915. Enjoy free concerts, year-round, every Sunday at 2:00 pm at Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park (tel. 619/702). -8138).
Chicano Park Murals: Considered the largest and most important outdoor mural collection in the country, the Chicano Park Murals celebrate and honor Latino culture and heroes. More than 70 works of art adorn the support towers of the Coronado Bridge in Barrio Logan Chicano Park, National Avenue at Crosby Street (tel. 619/563-4661).
Gone Fishing: You do not need a fishing license to fish from any municipal pier in San Diego. Just bring your own polo shirt and some suntan lotion.
Self-Realization Fellowship Temple: Built by a yogi in 1937, this Encinitas retreat, 215 W.K St., offers incredible views. It is an architectural marvel, with its lotus-shaped towers, and also boasts meditation gardens along the cliffs overlooking the Pacific. Visitors are welcome free of charge (tel. 760/753-2888).
Tijuana: There are many reasons why Tijuana is the most popular border city in the country. If you’ve never been, it’s a must. If you’ve been there, it’s a wish to see again! It’s a short drive or tram ride away, and taking in the views is free.
US Olympic Training Center – See for yourself where Olympians train, and if you’re lucky, catch a glimpse of some upcoming gold medal winners. Free tours are offered year-round at the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. It is the nation’s first year-round warm-weather multi-sport Olympic training complex (one of four in the United States). A 6-minute film about the Olympic movement is followed by a narrated tour (a 1 1/2-mile walk) of the impressive 150-acre campus. The one-hour tours take place every hour on the hour, Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (tel. 619/656-1500).
Old Town: Okay, you’ll be charged to eat at the area’s largest collection of authentic Mexican restaurants, but the history tours in the city’s oldest neighborhood are free. A visit to Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is like stepping back in time to experience the history of early San Diego. Even today, life moves more slowly in Old Town. The Historic Plaza continues to be a gathering place for community events and historical activities. Old Town, the birthplace of California, is just steps from the San Diego Light Rail Transit Center and a short drive from most San Diego destinations. Visit their website at www.oldtownsandiego.org/.
Walkabout International – Put on your walking shoes and experience San Diego up close. It’s fun, free and for all ages. Walkabout International is a non-profit educational group that promotes neighborhood walking in urban, suburban and rural settings around the world. Guided walks vary in pace and length, and many end with an invitation to socialize over coffee, breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Visit their website to see their schedule of walks and destinations at www.walkabout-int.org
San Diego is an ideal vacation destination, with plenty to do, much of it free, and year-round weather. For more fun and affordable ways to enjoy San Diego, visit the Concierge at one of the San Diego Marriott hotels you stay at.
So go ahead and book your vacation at a San Diego Marriott hotel today! With so many San Diego hotels to choose from, you’re sure to find one right where you want to be. Some of the Marriott hotels in San Diego include:
Downtown San Diego Courtyard
San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina
San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter
Residence Inn in downtown San Diego
Isla Coronado Marriott Resort & Spa
…And many more! book today!