#luv-surf

San Diego is blessed with some of the most fantastic weather in the United States. However, even San Diego gets the blues once in a while and it does, in fact, rain in America’s finest city. The issue here is that whereas people in other cities are well equipped to handle wet days, San Diegans are not quite as rain-ready.  When people think of San Diego, they think of outdoor activities like surfing, hiking, going to the beach, the zoo and the Balboa Park. But what if you have already planned your vacation only to find that the beautiful San Diego weather has forsaken you? Here is a list of five, great, rainy day activities:

1. Birch Aquarium

The Birch Aquarium sits strikingly atop the La Jolla coastline, looking out over the ocean and is the public outreach center for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD. Wander through giant tanks filled with over 175,000 gallons of water and more than 300 animals that represent 380 different species. There are plenty of hands-on activities for kids and grown-ups with a focus on environmentalism and sustainability.

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Shark Reef is a 13,000 gallon tank that houses reef sharks, brown banded bamboo sharks, Port Jackson sharks and wobbegongs, otherwise known as carpet sharks.  http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/

Photo by Rebeca Anchondo

2. Miramar Speed Circuit

Just because it’s raining doesn’t mean that you can’t race cars. Head on up the I-15 to Miramar Speed Circuit and take a lap or two on their ¼ mile indoor racetrack, considered to be one of the best in-door tracks in the U.S. This course is designed by professional racers, with four hairpin turns and two straightaways, making it a technical course good for all levels.  Their go-karts can reach up to 40 mph and have sophisticated technology that records the laps times down to a 1/1000 of a second.

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They also offer laser tag so as soon as you are sick of the track, you can head on over to their 5,000 sq ft maze, a futuristic labyrinth, and let loose on your family members in a way only allowed in a laser tag arena. http://www.miramarspeedcircuit.com/

Photo by projectperspectivesd.wordpress.com

3. Bowling

Although there are numerous bowling lanes around San Diego that will bring you back to the nostalgia of hot dogs, popcorn and smelly shoes of youth, Tavern + Bowl makes it a whole lot more fun. With 4 locations in San Diego, and the original being downtown in East Village, this bowling establishment has a whole different feel from regular lanes. With a full bar, including many craft beers, delicious restaurant food and a vibe that is great with kids in the afternoon or with just adults on a Friday or Saturday evening, this place is a great way to bowl the rain away.

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Because of its popularity this place gets busy, but they take reservations, so make sure to call ahead and save your spot! http://tavernbowl.com/

4. Alpine Beer Company

Rainy day field trip!! If you are visiting for a vacation and want to kill a day of rain, rent a car and drive about 35 minutes East of San Diego and check out one of the stars of San Diego’s killer craft beer scene. Alpine Beer Company is a tiny brewery that just recently has started brewing some of their beer offsite, at Green Flash Brewery, so that they can bottle and offer their hoptastic brews to a wider audience. But this is where it all began and it’s a great way to spend the afternoon…trying a bunch of delicious beers and eating in their pub (get the fried pickles and the black and tan onion rings…trust us)

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For all of you hop-heads, the “must tries” of their beer list are the Duet and Nelson, two American IPAs and Pure Hoppiness, their famed Double IPA.

http://www.alpinebeerco.com/

5. A day at UTC La Jolla

So why would we recommend going to an outdoor mall on a rainy day? Because whether you are young, or just young at heart, you can make a day of indoor ice-skating and follow it up with a movie at the inspired Arclight cinema. Skating fee and rentals are only $15 together ($10 for kids) and you can skate for 2 hours. When you are nice and tired, head on over to the Arclight Cinema which is known for great seats which you pick out when you buy your tickets and a bar and grill that lets you take food and alcoholic drinks into the theater!

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According to reviews on Yelp, the Arclight has some of the best popcorn around using real butter, not the weird butter/oil that most places use. Yes please! http://utcice.com/  and https://www.arclightcinemas.com/