February in San Diego

All of February, dozens of San Diego museums offer half-off admission through Museum Month. You pick up a free pass (often at any San Diego County library branch) and it gets you 50 percent off at participating spots all month.

The list usually runs past 40 museums, including the Balboa Park institutions, the USS Midway, the New Children's Museum downtown, and smaller spots like the Maritime Museum on the Embarcadero. It is the cheapest stretch of the year to work through the Balboa Park lineup.

Lunar New Year lands in late January or February depending on the year, and San Diego marks it in a few places. The Convoy District in Kearny Mesa, the city's main Asian dining corridor, holds celebrations with food vendors, lion dancing, and performances.

Pacific Beach also hosts a Lunar New Year street fair along Garnet Avenue in some years, with food booths and cultural performances. Both are free to walk into and built around eating your way down the block.

The Gaslamp Quarter throws a Mardi Gras celebration downtown on Fat Tuesday, with a street party along Fifth Avenue. Expect costumes, beads, live music, and the bars and restaurants of the historic district running specials.

This is a 21-and-over night once the ticketed street party gets going, so it is an adult evening rather than a family one. The surrounding Gaslamp restaurants make a good pre-party dinner stop.

Mid-February brings Valentine's, and San Diego's coast does the heavy lifting. Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma is the classic spot for a sunset walk on the bluffs above the Pacific. Coronado's beach and the grounds of the Hotel del Coronado make an easy afternoon stroll.

For a view without a hike, drive up to the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial in La Jolla. The 360-degree view takes in the coastline, downtown, and the mountains, and it is free.

February is the heart of gray whale season in San Diego. The whales migrate south from Alaska to the lagoons of Baja, and they pass close to Point Loma. Whale watching boats run daily out of the harbor, with trips of roughly three to four hours.

Gray whales are the main show, but you can also see dolphins, sea lions, and the occasional larger whale species. Operators leave from downtown's Embarcadero and from Mission Bay.

For land-based whale watching, Cabrillo National Monument sits at the tip of Point Loma with a high vantage over the migration route. The visitor center has a dedicated whale overlook, and rangers often set up spotting scopes during February.

The monument also holds the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and tide pools down at the shore. There is an entrance fee per vehicle, and it is part of the National Park system.

The Birch Aquarium in La Jolla, run by Scripps, leans into whale season with exhibits and family programming about the gray whale migration. It sits on a bluff above La Jolla Shores with an outdoor tide pool plaza overlooking the water.

This is the indoor, low-stress version of whale season, good for a day when the ocean is too rough for a boat. The aquarium is small enough to cover in a couple of hours.

La Jolla Cove is at its best in February. The summer crowds are gone, the water is clear, and the sea lions and seals haul out on the rocks along the bluff. The walkway from the Cove to the Children's Pool runs right past them.

The Children's Pool is a seal rookery, so part of the year the beach is closed for pupping season. You can still watch the seals from the seawall above.

Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma is a stretch of sandstone bluffs above the Pacific, with a path running along the top. February's low sun angle and clear air make for some of the best sunsets of the year here.

There is no developed beach access at most of the park, so this is a walking and watching spot rather than a swimming one. The southern end has more parking and some informal trails down toward the water.

Cowles Mountain in Mission Trails Regional Park is the highest point within the city of San Diego, and February's cooler temperatures make the climb far more pleasant than summer. The main route runs about three miles round trip with a steady climb to the summit.

On a clear winter day the view from the top stretches to the ocean and the mountains. Mission Trails is the largest urban park in the city and has plenty of other trails if the summit is busy.

Balboa Park is more than its museums. The park has miles of trails, formal gardens, and the Botanical Building beside the lily pond. February's mild weather makes a walking loop through the gardens comfortable in the middle of the day.

The park is also the most concentrated set of Museum Month venues, so a single visit can pair a garden walk with a half-price museum.

The Convoy District in Kearny Mesa is San Diego's Asian dining hub, and February is hot pot and noodle season. The corridor runs heavy on Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese spots, with hot pot restaurants that suit a cool, damp evening.

During Lunar New Year the whole district leans into the holiday with specials and festivities. It is the densest concentration of Asian food in the county.

Little Italy is one of the most walkable dining neighborhoods in San Diego, packed with Italian restaurants, cafes, and the Piazza della Famiglia at its center. It works well on a cool February evening when you want to wander between spots rather than commit to one room.

The Little Italy Mercato farmers market runs Saturday mornings and is one of the largest in the city, good for produce, prepared food, and a coffee.

February mornings are made for coffee with a view. Coronado, Ocean Beach, and La Jolla all have walkable coffee spots a short stroll from the water, which pairs well with a cool morning before the marine layer clears.

A coffee and a bluff walk at Sunset Cliffs or a coffee and a stroll along Coronado's beachfront is a low-cost San Diego morning that locals actually do.

The Embarcadero downtown lines the bay with seafood restaurants and harbor views, and it sits right where the whale watching boats depart. A meal here pairs naturally with a morning whale trip or a walk past the USS Midway.

February's clear afternoons make the waterfront patios usable without the summer crowds. The walk along the harbor connects Seaport Village, the Midway, and the cruise terminal.

The New Children's Museum downtown is built around hands-on art and play, aimed at younger kids. It is a participating Museum Month venue most years, so February is a cheaper time to go.

The exhibits change regularly and lean toward making and building rather than passive looking. It sits near the Gaslamp and the convention center, so it pairs with a bayfront walk.

The Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park is a hands-on science museum with an IMAX dome theater. It is a reliable Museum Month venue, which makes February a good time to combine it with the rest of the park.

The exhibits are interactive and built for kids to push buttons and run experiments. The dome theater is the largest in the area and shows both science films and full-dome shows.

The tide pools at Cabrillo National Monument are one of the best kid-friendly nature outings in the city, and February's low tides line up well for it. Kids can spot anemones, crabs, and small fish in the rocky pools below the lighthouse.

While you are there, the visitor center and the whale overlook add to the trip, since February is peak gray whale season at the same spot.

Beyond the museums, Balboa Park gives families room to run. The central plazas, the Botanical Building, and the open lawns make for an easy low-cost afternoon, and the carousel and miniature railroad near the zoo run on weekends.

In February the weather is mild enough that a park picnic works without melting in summer heat. Several of the museums on the Museum Month pass are family-friendly.

Anza-Borrego is the largest state park in California, about two hours northeast of San Diego in the desert. In a wet year the wildflowers can begin to bloom in late February, and the park becomes a draw for the desert bloom.

The town of Borrego Springs sits in the middle of the park and serves as the base, with the visitor center, sculptures of metal animals scattered across the desert, and trailheads like Borrego Palm Canyon.

Julian is a historic mountain town about an hour northeast of San Diego, sitting around 4,000 feet in the Cuyamaca Mountains. February is cold up there compared to the coast, and in a good winter it can get a dusting of snow.

The town is known for its apple pie, with several bakeries on the main street, and for its old gold-mining history. It is a short, easy drive that swaps the coast for pine forest.

Temecula Valley wine country sits about an hour north of San Diego, just over the county line in Riverside County. Dozens of wineries spread across the rolling hills, most with tasting rooms and many with restaurants.

February is the quiet, green season here, with the vineyards still in their winter dormancy and the hills green from winter rain. Weekday visits are calm, and the cooler weather suits the patios.

Coronado is a short drive or ferry ride across the bay, and it works as a half-day trip in February. The wide beach in front of the Hotel del Coronado is the main draw, and the winter crowds are thin.

Orange Avenue, the main street, has shops and restaurants for a walk after the beach. The ferry from the downtown Embarcadero is a scenic way over that skips the bridge traffic.