Exploring the Coast of La Jolla, CA

Anyone not from the west coast may not know how to pronounce La Jolla (as in Luh Hoya). The town may derive it’s name from the Spanish word “joya”, which translates to Jewel. This town and stretch of coastline certainly are a jewel in the San Diego area.

The coastline is particularly beautiful as are the 7 sea caves where the granite and sandstone cliffs meet. Our family went on a kayak tour of the sea caves on a particularly beautiful day! The ocean was calm as we put in at La Jolla Shores Beach and paddled over the Underwater Park which is a great area for snorkeling and diving. We saw plenty of wildlife along the way, dolphins, cormorants, and sea lions, and got to explore the inside of Emerald Cave since the tide was right. My husband even spotted a Garibaldi fish, which inspired local resident Ted Geisel (more familiarly known as Dr. Seuss) with the main character from "One Fish, Two Fish." We worked up an appetite from kayaking and there were plenty of quaint restaurants to choose from. We enjoyed drinks and appetizers (amazing olives!) outside at Barbarella and later had delicious tacos at Galaxy Taco.

The beach in this area are lovely and the tide pools along the cliffs south of town were great to explore as we spotted plenty of anemone and crabs and heard the harbor seals in the distance at Seal Rock. To the north is the rugged and windswept views of the Torrey Pines Natural Reserve and Scripts Institute where we discovered a tree swing that overlooked the beaches and cliffs.

We left the beachy vibe of La Jolla Shores and drove the short distance to the Village. We spent time walking the streets filled with boutiques, wonderful restaurants, cafes and coffee shops and numerous wall murals. One could spend hours or days here with so much to see and do in this jewel by the sea!