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San Diego

Navytown, USA: 12 must-visit naval sites in San Diego

Kai Oliver-Kurtin
Special for USA TODAY

As one of the largest fleet concentration areas in the world and home to the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet, San Diego’s temperate climate isn’t the only draw for tourists and transplants. The Navy snagged some of the best oceanfront real estate in America’s Finest City, but due to security measures, opportunities for the general public to access military bases nationwide are limited. For those who want to experience naval activities in San Diego that aren’t camouflaged, there are still many opportunities to say “hooyah!”

1. Perhaps the most popular Navy attraction is the USS Midway Museum, a decommissioned aircraft carrier-turned-museum that sees more than one million visitors annually. As the Navy’s longest-serving carrier of the 20th century, the USS Midway (CV 41) was in active service until 1992. Today visitors can explore 60 exhibits, see 29 restored aircraft and complete a self-guided audio tour. The museum hosts about 400 active-duty military events onboard annually, which the public is welcome to observe.

San Diego, so close yet so far from L.A.

2. Adjacent to the Midway, get in line to take a picture of the iconic 25-foot Unconditional Surrender sculpture replicating the famously photographed embrace of a sailor and nurse celebrating the end of World War II in Times Square. Nearby, the USS San Diego (CL 53) Memorial is a sculpture honoring the service and sacrifice of the World War II-era light cruiser and her crew.

3. Fleet Week San Diego (Sept. 3 to Oct. 1, 2016) takes place annually during the fall, featuring public events like Navy ship tours, the Sea & Air Parade with Navy assets on San Diego Bay, the Coronado Speed Festival auto show and exhibition held on Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI), and the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) Air Show flight demonstration, among others. Fleet Week events are typically the best opportunities for the general public to visit a military installation.

4. Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is a military cemetery and California Historical Landmark in Point Loma, located on the grounds of a former Army artillery station. Spanning 77 acres, the cemetery holds more than 100,000 graves, including those of many notable Medal of Honor recipients. Memorial Day is one of the most popular times to visit.

5. Just past the cemetery, Cabrillo National Monument is home to the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and a statue of Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. At 422 feet above sea level, the monument is a great vantage point to see the entire military footprint in San Diego, spanning the submarine, surface ship and aviation hubs.

6. Once a Naval Training Center, Liberty Station in Point Loma opened in 1923 as a training facility for Navy recruits. After the Cold War, the Navy eventually closed the base, which was later acquired by the City of San Diego. Today, Liberty Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a popular shopping, arts and culinary district with much of the original Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture still intact. The district’s layout still closely resembles a Navy base, with nods to its earlier life in many of the design elements.

7. Located within Balboa Park, the San Diego Air & Space Museum has a large collection of fully restored military aircraft from both World Wars, the Korean War and Vietnam War. While there, test-drive one of the flight simulators or take a guided tour of the museum to hear about the history of aviation.

8. Over the landmark bridge in Coronado, much of the island belongs to the Navy, including NASNI and Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Coronado, making it a major site of naval activity. Navy SEAL candidates endure a rigorous course called Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training at NAB Coronado. Guests at Hotel del Coronado usually know when candidates make it to week four of training, also known as Hell Week, because the exercises are done on the beach near the hotel. The teamwork exercise “rock portage” is one of the most visible, where candidates simulate landing a boat on rocks, then carry the boat out of the water above their heads. A prime viewing spot, the same beach also falls along the flight line for aircraft landing at NASNI, recognized as the birthplace of naval aviation and home to the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Naval Air Forces.

9. The 1986 blockbuster movie Top Gun is perhaps the naval aviation community’s best recruiting tool. Audiences watch Tom Cruise train at the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School at MCAS Miramar, one of many local filming locations. Known as the “Top Gun bar” downtown where several scenes were filmed, Kansas City Barbeque is where the memorable jukebox serenade takes place with Kelly McGillis. To visit the “Top Gun house” where McGillis lived in the movie, drive north to the Oceanside cottage that still stands today on an empty lot in front of Hello Betty Fish House.

10. Owned by a former Navy SEAL, McP’s Irish Pub in Coronado is a favorite off-duty hangout among the Navy community. Previous patrons include Prince Harry and his British military brethren in 2011.

11. For the best views of San Diego Bay, head to Harbor Island, Shelter Island or Coronado Ferry Landing to see ships as they transit the harbor. Typically Mondays and Fridays are the best opportunities to spot a ship in action. In years past at Naval Base San Diego, homeport to the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Naval Surface Force, the base has opened to the public for a holiday lights open house when ships along the waterfront are aglow from bow to stern.

12. The Navy’s Marine Mammal Program is only visible by water from a few vantage points. The enclosure of dolphins and sea lions is located on Naval Base Point Loma, home to the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Naval Submarine Force, where the mammals are trained to detect sea mines and other harmful underwater objects. Take a harbor cruise or ride a stand-up paddleboard through the channel between Liberty Station and Marine Corps Recruit Depot to get a peek of the enclosures and — just maybe — the top of a submarine.

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