San Diego

We’ve compiled the best of the best in San Diego - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.

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  • 1. Globe Theatres

    Balboa Park

    This complex, comprised of the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, and the Old Globe Theatre, offers some of the finest theatrical productions in Southern California. Theater classics such as Into the Woods and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and more recent hits like Bright Star and Meteor Shower, premiered on these famed stages and went on to perform on Broadway. The Old Globe presents a renowned summer Shakespeare Festival with three to four plays in repertory. The theaters, done in a California version of Tudor style, sit between the sculpture garden of the San Diego Museum of Art and the California Tower. If you can't catch a show, daytime one-hour behind-the-scenes tours offer a close-up look at the theaters as well as the intricacies of set and costume design.

    1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego, California, 92101, USA
    619-234–5623

    Arts/Entertainment Details

    Rate Includes: Tours $7, Box office closed Mon.
  • 2. La Jolla Playhouse

    La Jolla

    Under the artistic direction of Christopher Ashley, the playhouse presents exciting and innovative plays and musicals on three stages. Many Broadway shows—among them Memphis, Come From Away, Tommy, and Jersey Boys—have previewed here before their East Coast premieres. Its Without Walls program also ensures that the productions aren't limited to the playhouse, having put on site-specific shows in places like outdoor art spaces, cars, and even the ocean.

    2910 La Jolla Village Dr., San Diego, California, 92037, USA
    858-550–1010

    Arts/Entertainment Details

    Rate Includes: From $70, Closed Mon.
  • 3. The Old Globe

    Balboa Park | Theater

    This complex, comprising the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, and the Old Globe Theatre, offers some of the finest theatrical productions in Southern California. Theater classics such as The Full Monty and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, both of which went on to Broadway, premiered on these famed stages. The Old Globe presents the family-friendly How the Grinch Stole Christmas around the holidays, as well as a renowned summer Shakespeare Festival with three to four plays in repertory.

    1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego, California, 92101, USA
    619-234–5623
  • 4. California Center for the Arts, Escondido

    Theater

    The center presents mainstream theatrical productions such as Grease and The Odd Couple, as well as concerts, art shows, and dance performances.

    340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, California, 92025, USA
    760-839–4138
  • 5. Coronado Playhouse

    This cabaret-type theater near the Hotel del Coronado stages regular dramatic and musical performances.

    1835 Strand Way, San Diego, California, 92118, USA
    619-435–4856
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  • 6. Cygnet's Old Town Theatre

    Old Town

    A 246-seat theater operated by Cygnet Theatre Company, this is one of the more interesting small San Diego theater groups. Catch local takes on edgy classics like Sweeney Todd and Little Shop of Horrors.

    4040 Twiggs St., San Diego, California, 92110, USA
    619-337–1525
  • 7. Diversionary Theatre

    University Heights

    San Diego's premier gay and lesbian company presents a range of original works that focus on LGBTQ themes.

    4545 Park Blvd., San Diego, California, 92116, USA
    619-220–0097
  • 8. Horton Grand Theatre

    After being home to the long-running Triple Espresso, the Horton Grand Theatre hosts productions from the likes of San Diego Musical Theatre as well as Intrepid Theatre Company, whose shows include Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Woody Guthrie's American Song.

    444 4th Ave., San Diego, California, 92101, USA
    858-560–5740
  • 9. Ion Theatre Company

    Hillcrest | Theater

    The little theater company that could, most of Ion's unique and sometimes controversial productions now take place in the quaint BLKBOX Theatre in Hillcrest and have included productions of Gypsy and Topdog/Underdog.

    3704 6th Ave., San Diego, California, 92103, USA
    619-600–5020
  • 10. Lamb's Players Theatre

    The theater's regular season of four to five mostly uplifting productions runs from February through November. It also stages an original musical, Festival of Christmas, in December. The company has two performance spaces: the one used for most productions in Coronado, and the Horton Grand Theatre in the Gaslamp Quarter.

    1142 Orange Ave., San Diego, California, 92118, USA
    619-437–6000
  • 11. Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater

    Balboa Park | Theater

    Amateur and professional puppeteers and ventriloquists entertain here five days a week. The cost is just a few dollars for adults and children alike. If you feel cramped in the 200-seat theater, don't worry; the shows rarely run longer than a half hour.

    2130 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, California, 92101, USA
    619-544–9203
  • 12. Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company

    Downtown | Theater

    Staging three productions over the year at the 10th Avenue Theatre in Downtown, this company is committed to performances by newer playwrights as well as more obscure works by old masters.

    930 10th Ave., San Diego, California, 92101, USA
    619-231–4137
  • 13. San Diego Civic Theatre

    The home of the San Diego Opera, the Civic Theatre is the city's largest performing arts venue, with musicals, theatrical productions, and concerts held throughout the year.

    1100 3rd Ave., San Diego, California, 92101, USA
    619-615--4000
  • 14. San Diego Dance Theater

    Liberty Station

    The company has earned serious kudos for its diverse company and provocative programming, including Mexican waltzes and its annual "Trolley Dances," which take place at various trolley stops throughout San Diego. Other performances are held at venues around the city.

    2650 Truxtun Rd., San Diego, California, 92106, USA
    619-225–1803
  • 15. Spreckels Theatre

    A landmark theater erected in 1912, the Spreckels hosts comedy, dance, theater, and concerts. Good acoustics and old-time elegance make this a favorite local venue.

    121 Broadway, San Diego, California, 92101, USA
    619-235–9500

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