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 art-filled public spaces and plenty of learning opportunities – it has the second largest collection of baseball memorabilia in the US. It's fully open to the public for a wander and you can even log on to the free wi-wi. The architect? Rob Wellington Quigley, who also designed the New Children's Museum.
San Diego Main Library
Top choice in San Diego
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Children's Pool
11.97 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…
Birch Aquarium at Scripps
12.19 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…
Maritime Museum of San Diego
1.39 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…
New Children’s Museum
0.6 MILES
This interactive children’s museum offers interactive art meant for kids. Installations are designed by artists, so tykes can learn principles of movement…
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
4.04 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…
San Diego Zoo
1.81 MILES
This justifiably famous zoo is one of SoCal’s biggest attractions, showing more than 3000 animals representing more than 650 species in a beautifully…
USS Midway Museum
1.19 MILES
The hulking aircraft carrier USS Midway was one of the navy’s flagships from 1945 to 1991, last playing a combat role in the First Gulf War. On the flight…
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
15.69 MILES
This reserve preserves the last mainland stands of the Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana), a species adapted to sparse rainfall and sandy, stony soils. Steep…
Nearby San Diego attractions
1. Petco Park
0.19 MILES
A quick stroll southeast of the Gaslamp is the home of the San Diego Padres baseball team. The stadium has beautiful brick construction and skyscraper…
2. Gaslamp Museum & William Heath Davis House
0.41 MILES
This house, a prefab affair brought from Maine in 1850, contains a small museum with 19th-century furnishings, plus historic newspaper clippings in the…
3. San Diego Chinese Historical Museum
0.47 MILES
The historic heart of San Diego’s Chinese community is 3rd Ave. Immigrants were once taught English and religion in the Chinese Mission Building, built in…
4. New Children’s Museum
0.6 MILES
This interactive children’s museum offers interactive art meant for kids. Installations are designed by artists, so tykes can learn principles of movement…
5. US Grant Hotel
0.66 MILES
No hotel in the region can compare to the Hotel del Coronado for history, but US Grant, built in 1910, comes close. It’s on the National Register of…
6. Museum of Contemporary Art
1.06 MILES
In an upcycled Santa Fe Depot baggage building, this well-respected museum presents changing exhibits drawn from a collection spanning the arc of artistic…
7. Firehouse Museum
1.19 MILES
This museum preserves a historic collection of fire-fighting equipment and has exhibits depicting some of San Diego’s ‘hottest’ moments from the late…
8. USS Midway Museum
1.19 MILES
The hulking aircraft carrier USS Midway was one of the navy’s flagships from 1945 to 1991, last playing a combat role in the First Gulf War. On the flight…