Housed in a graceful Spanish renaissance structure, this space is devoted exclusively to art and music. Its reading room is a lovely place to relax and flick through a book, and it hosts a series of lectures plus live music, from classical to jazz.
Athenaeum
La Jolla
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.23 MILES
Built in the 1930s behind a wave-cutting seawall, La Jolla’s Children’s Pool was created as a family beach but has since been invaded by herds of seals…
1.91 MILES
This state-of-the-art aquarium is a wonderous underwater world home to 5000 fish. Visitors can watch sharks dart, kelp forests sway, and even meet a…
24.86 MILES
It's easy to spend an hour in this heartfelt museum of surf artifacts, from a timeline of surfing history to surf-themed art and a radical collection of…
10.49 MILES
Next to the new Waterfront Park, this collection of 11 historic sailing ships, steam boats and submarines is easy to spot: just look for the 100ft-high…
11.37 MILES
This interactive children’s museum offers interactive art meant for kids. Installations are designed by artists, so tykes can learn principles of movement…
23.27 MILES
For a glimpse at what a wall between neighbors really looks like, find your way to binational Friendship Park. On the Mexico side of the wall in Playas de…
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
7.77 MILES
On the site of San Diego's first European settlement, Old Town consists of a cluster of restored or rebuilt historic 19th-century buildings filled with…
11.81 MILES
A couple blocks east of Petco Park, the city's recent landmark is a beauty. Crowned by a steel-and-mesh dome, the futuristic, nine-story library features…
Nearby La Jolla attractions
1. La Jolla Historical Society
0.19 MILES
This place has vintage photos and beach memorabilia, plus regular exhibitions from classic cars to architecture.
0.21 MILES
Classic architecture, a nice place to stop for a photo on a historic walking tour of La Jolla.
0.23 MILES
Built in the 1930s behind a wave-cutting seawall, La Jolla’s Children’s Pool was created as a family beach but has since been invaded by herds of seals…
0.28 MILES
Waves have carved a series of caves into the sandstone cliffs east of La Jolla Cove. The one below the Cave Store, a shop selling vintage curios, is 200…
0.35 MILES
Commissioned by Ellen Browning Scripps and designed by famous San Diego architect Irving Gill, this notable building dates to 1915. The center has…
0.47 MILES
Although not open to the public, campus buildings (visible from the street) date back to 1898 and are a good example of early architecture in the area. If…
7. San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park Ecological Reserve
0.92 MILES
Look for the white buoys offshore from Point La Jolla north to Scripps Pier that mark this protected zone that's home to a variety of marine life, kelp…
1.91 MILES
This state-of-the-art aquarium is a wonderous underwater world home to 5000 fish. Visitors can watch sharks dart, kelp forests sway, and even meet a…