Things to do For Free in San Diego this Winter
Winter feels pretty good in San Diego: Our temperatures are ridiculously balmy compared to most of the rest of the country. Besides providing a welcome respite from snow, ice, and Polar Vortexes, the pleasant conditions ensure the city hums along with activity all season long.
Here are a few highly affordable things to do during your wintertime stay with us here at Hotel Republic!
Museums
San Diego comes well-endowed with museums covering some remarkable scope: It’s no exaggeration to say there’s something for everybody among our local interpretive institutions. The San Diego Museum of Man, the USS Midway Museum, the San Diego Natural History Museum, the Maritime Museum of San Diego, the Gaslamp Museum at William Heath Davis House, the San Diego Museum of Art, the San Diego History Center, the San Diego Air & Space Museum—well, the list really does go on and on. And listen up: All of the above destinations are among the 40-plus museums offering half-off admission the full month of February as part of Macy’s Museum Month!
San Diego Zoo
Not far from Hotel Republic in the beautiful and historic Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo ranks among the best-known and most respected zoological institutions in the world. Here you’ll find the better part of 4,000 animals from every corner of the globe, including a remarkable share of threatened and endangered species—the San Diego Zoo’s a leader in captive breeding and conservation work. Harpy eagle to hippopotamus, panda to penguin, kookaburra to Komodo dragon, mandrill to mole-rat: The varied beasts and fowl here seem to enjoy the clement San Diego climate as much as anybody.
Festivals
The Year of the Dog’s about to dawn, and San Diego’s marking the occasion with some world-class Lunar New Year soirees! From February 16th through the 18th, the San Diego Tet Festival at Mira Mesa Community Park celebrates the occasion and Vietnamese culture in general with Lion Dances, live music, firecrackers, karaoke, and the popular Miss Vietnam Pageant.
And then there’s the San Diego Chinese New Year Fair on February 24th and 25th: a free, family-friendly Year of the Dog party with Lion and Dragon Dancers, storytelling, and some epically good food. More than 25,000 took in the Chinese New Year Fair’s charms last year. The two-day happening, which runs 10 AM to 5 PM Saturday and Sunday, takes place in the Asian Thematic District of downtown San Diego at Third Avenue and J Street—just blocks from Hotel Republic.
March, meanwhile, kicks off with the famous Spring Busker Festival in Seaport Village: the only one of its kind in Southern California. This free carnival, which takes place from noon to 6 PM on March 3rd and 4th, shows off the skills and charisma of a whole hodgepodge of street performers (aka buskers): from musicians and mimes to jugglers, sword swallowers, hula-hoopers, and various unclassifiable artists.
Choose Hotel Republic for Your Wintertime San Diego Getaway
The above are only a sampler pack of San Diego’s winter goings-on and destinations. With a perch at Hotel Republic, you’re auspiciously set up to take in all the seasonal pleasures. And whether it’s a winter wedding or a business meeting, if you’ve got a San Diego event in need of a venue, look no further than our 16,000 square feet of function space.