13 Attractions in Chula Vista, California

Places to Wine, Dine & Unwind

While you’re not exploring the city’s sights, you can enjoy a meal at one of Chula Vista’s many lively restaurants. And for some evening relaxing, there are great spots to sip craft brews or cocktails while listening to live music.

Third Avenue Village

 

Spend an evening walking around Third Avenue Village, which has been Chula Vista’s downtown area since 1911, for a unique eating experience. Third Avenue runs through a pedestrian-friendly area full of small shops, art galleries, wine tasting rooms, bars, and restaurants, many of which have cute patios where you can sit outside.

La Bella Pizza Garden is a popular choice for handmade pies baked in a wood-fired oven. Aqua Terra serves high-end seafood and steak with a view of the Chula Vista Marina, and Rocket Pizza lets you make your own pizza with creative toppings. Don’t forget to save room for homemade ice cream, chocolate, or cheese at Ice Opps, Chocolat, or The Cheese Store on Third Avenue. In the summer, the town also has free street fairs, concerts, farmers markets, and shows for old cars.

Callahan’s Pub & Brewery

 

Callahan’s Pub & Brewery in the Telegraph Canyon area is recommended by locals for its handcrafted beers and fun pub food. Callahan’s opened in 1989 and has been improving its food and beer recipes for more than 30 years. It claims to be the first brewpub in San Diego County. Twelve of their own beers, like Dawn Patrol Pale Ale, That 90’s Show IPA, and Disaster Piece Brown Ale, are brewed right there. They also have guest taps.

You can eat filled nachos, buffalo wings, fish and chips, blackened shrimp tacos, or their famous Classic Burger with your pint. There are lots of chairs on the patio outside, and the dining room is very big, with hardwood floors and surf-themed decor. There are trivia nights, karaoke nights, sports watching parties, and live music with local bands on the weekends at Callahan’s, making it a great place to relax.

Outdoor Recreation

Chula Vista has a lot of parks, trails, golf courses, and marinas where you can enjoy the sunny California weather while you’re there. There are also amusement parks and cultural sites.

Chula Vista Marina & Bayfront

 

The Chula Vista Marina and Bayfront Park are great places to eat and enjoy the view of the water. There are walking and jogging tracks and benches with views of San Diego Bay, the Coronado Bridge, and the skyline of downtown San Diego. The area is over 200 acres big. The marina has a fuel dock, a pump-out station, bait and fishing shops, and a launch ramp for small boats. It has almost 900 slips for private boats.

You can either bring a picnic lunch or eat seafood at one of the places on the water, like Pacifica Breeze Cafe or Aqua Terra. Don’t forget to take pictures at the beautiful public art along the bayfront, such as the Native Interpretive Garden and Friendship Park, which honors Chula Vista’s connections with other cities.

Otay Valley Regional Park

 

The paths that wind through Otay Valley Regional Park are great for people who like to be outside and enjoy nature. This recreation area is part of a bigger open space preserve and covers more than 3,300 acres. It has a large network of trails that can be used by hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders. Along with action sports, people come to see the animals that live there, such as great blue herons, barn owls, mule deer, bobcats, and golden eagles.

You can camp in the park if you make a reservation for a pass. Since it’s free to get in and park, it’s a nice, easy thing to do outside to balance out some of Chula Vista’s busier sites. Just remember to bring a lot of water with you on hot, sunny days.

Salt Creek Golf Club

 

Book a tee time at Salt Creek Golf Club, which was named one of Golf Digest’s Top 100 Public Golf Courses, to work on your game on a championship course with beautiful scenery. The 18-hole, par-72 course was designed by Tom Weiskopf and goes for almost 7,000 yards across rolling hills with a view of the Otay Lakes Reservoir. This public course has beautiful views and is difficult for golfers of all levels. It has been the site of major tournaments like the SCGA Amateur Championship and is still relatively cheap compared to other top-ranked courses.

Don’t forget to work on your short game before the round. Their practice area is well-kept. The Fringe Bar & Grill, which looks like a country club and looks out over the 18th hole, is a great place to relax and refuel after a game.

Entertainment & Performing Arts

If you’re looking for something fun to do at night in Chula Vista, the city has some great places to see live music and performances.

OnStage Playhouse

 

People who live in Chula Vista suggest OnStage Playhouse, which has been the city’s resident live theater company for 30 years. This small black-box theater with 90 seats is tucked away down an alley in downtown. It’s a great place to see comedies, dramas, and musicals with great sets and outfits.

Popular shows with a lot of fans often use well-known songs from shows like Steel Magnolias, Spamalot, and The Marvelous Wonderettes. Tickets are cheap, parking is free, and snacks like beer and wine are available, so it’s a fun night out for both tourists and people who live in the area.

Family Fun Attractions

Chula Vista is a popular place for families to visit, and it has many kid-friendly activities that both parents and kids will enjoy. Here are some of the best places in the city for families.

Chula Vista Nature Center

 

Another great place for children and nature lovers to visit in Chula Vista is the Chula Vista Nature Center. This nature park and environmental education center is spread out over 115 acres and has wildlife enclosures and interactive exhibits that show off Southern California native plants and animals. People can look at natural environments for birds, reptiles, fish, and mammals in coastal sage and wetlands.

There are many interesting things to see at the Nature Center. The Shark & Ray Experience lets you touch and feed gentle rays, the Turtle Lagoon has five different kinds of turtles, and the San Diego Marsh Discovery Station exhibit has migratory birds that visit the nearby San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. On site, they also have an aviary, a fish hatchery, and a rehab center for sick, hurt, or orphaned wildlife. This place has educational programs, gardens, walking paths, and places to have picnics. Families could easily spend half a day visiting it.

Aquatica San Diego Waterpark

 

Go to Aquatica San Diego for water fun that the whole family will enjoy. This water park next to SeaWorld San Diego is beautifully landscaped and full of slides, rides, and splash areas that kids will love. The Taumata Racer high-speed racing and inner-tube slide is their main draw. The Tassie’s Twisters bowl slide, the HooRoo Run water coaster with tubes that spin around 360 degrees, and the walk-through aviary and turtle habitat are some of the other famous rides.

Little kids will love Kookaburra Cove, which is bright and has mini slides and bubble jets. Mom and Dad can relax on a lounge chair at the Blue Lagoon wave pool beach entry while the kids play. Aquatica is a great place for families to spend the day because you can rent private cabanas and eat at places like Waterside Grill, which is right on the water. In the summer, this famous water park does get full very quickly, so buy your tickets online ahead of time.

Cultural Attractions

Besides the theme parks and places for kids, Chula Vista also has a number of cultural and historical sites that are worth seeing during your stay.

Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center

 

This world-class training center is in the Olympic Training Center Chula Vista area. Sports fans and people who want to be Olympians will enjoy it. There are apartments and a state-of-the-art fitness center in the 155,000-square-foot building, which is used for training camps by national teams and professional athletes. There is also a recovery lounge.

People can go on a 1.5-hour guided walking tour to see athletes practice, such as track and field stars, wrestlers, rugby teams, and Paralympic hopefuls. You will also find out about the companies and programs here, such as the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Program for young athletes with a lot of potential. Over 20 Olympic games have been practiced at the training center. If you book ahead of time, it can be an inspiring and educational trip.

Veterans Memorial Park & Museum

 

Stop by Veterans Memorial Park & Museum to learn about Chula Vista’s military past and honor those who have served our country. There are memorial walls and statues in this park on the water that honor different branches of the military. The museum has photos, memorabilia, items from the past, and changing displays about the military and local veterans.

Around Memorial Day and Veterans Day, they hold bigger events and parties once a year here. After going to the museum on a nice day, people can check out the park’s trails, fishing pier, picnic areas, and playground. They also have movie nights and concerts in the summer that people from the area and tourists enjoy.

Shopping Destinations

When you’re done with attractions and sightseeing, Chula Vista has some great places to shop where you can look around and buy gifts.

Las Americas Premium Outlets

 

The Las Americas Premium Outlets are right across the line from San Diego and are a great place to get designer clothes at low prices. The over-the-air outlet mall is huge and has more than 125 name-brand shops, such as Puma, Under Armour, Adidas, Coach, Guess Factory, Kate Spade, Levi’s Outlet, Nike Factory Store, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, and more.

You can save anywhere from 25% to 65% off of regular retail prices, which makes it a great place to find cheap clothes, shoes, accessories, home goods, beauty products, and gifts. The mall has a food court, a nursing room, and VIP Shopper Services for tax-free shopping in other countries. It is easy for both tourists and locals to get to because it is right off the I-5 road.

Otay Ranch Town Center

 

Visit Otay Ranch Town Center, the biggest regional mall in Chula Vista, for more places to shop and eat. Macy’s, JCPenney, and Target are some of the big department stores in this area. There are also more than 140 specialty shops and restaurants. Clothing, shoes, beauty and cosmetics, electronics and accessories, sporting items, home furnishings, and more are just some of the things that retailers sell.

They have a modern movie theater, an indoor carousel ride for kids, and events for the community in addition to places to shop and eat. The modern open-air center is a nice place to take a walk and look around. The most shops and restaurants can be found in one place at Otay Ranch Town Center.

 

Conclusion

Chula Vista has a lot of fun things to do for all kinds of travelers, from seeing animals to going to water parks, shopping at outlet malls, and seeing plays. Families will love spending time at the Nature Center, Aquatica, and Third Avenue Village. Culture vultures will enjoy tours of the Veterans Museum and the Elite Athlete Training Center. And people who like being outside have a lot of fun things to do, like parks, walks, golf courses, and marinas.

Chula Vista, which is on the coast and has a nice community feel, is known as the “Lemon Capital of the World” because it has so many fun things to do on vacation. This guide should help you come up with some “juicy” ideas for cool places to visit in California that fit your tastes. Checking out some of these Chula Vista sites will make your trip fun and relaxing, no matter if you’re just there for the day or using it as a base to see more of San Diego.