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Top 10 Things to Do in Beautiful La Jolla, California

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Last year, we made a quick stop in La Jolla to catch the sunset and quickly realized that we needed to revisit and dedicate an entire weekend to this beautiful coastal city. There is so much to do in La Jolla, so we narrowed our list down to our top 10.

1. Parakeet Cafe

We started off our morning at one of La Jolla's newest organic eatery: Parakeet Cafe. It's a cute little establishment with an organic menu and unique drink selections like the Turmeric Latte and Low-Glycemic Hot Chocolate. 

The best part is that they serve breakfast all day, so you can have your Matcha Waffle anytime you want! The service was super friendly and the staff was very patient with us when we couldn't decide on what to order.

We noticed these cute parakeet pins at the register and to our surprise they were free! Of course we both had to have one as our La Jolla souvenir. 

Parakeet Cafe in La Jolla

Matcha Waffle

Yogurt Plate

2. Ellen Browning Scripps Park

We really wish we could spend our weekends all the time at Scripps Park. It's a great place to have a picnic and simply enjoy the stunning views in La Jolla. The grass is pretty, the trees are gorgeous, and the views of the La Jolla Coves are breathtaking.

Thanks to Ellen Browning Scripps for investing her time and fortune into preserving many of the gorgeous landmarks in La Jolla including the Children's Pool, Torrey Pines State Reserve, and many more. 

We also love this park because of its famous Lorax Tree (update: Sadly, the iconic tree fell in June 2019). Yup, that's right. Dr. Seuss’ famous Truffula Trees was an inspiration that came from these trees distinct to Southern California. 

Top: Anatomie Cami Tank, Bottoms: Anatomie Skinny Cargo

This tree was an inspiration to Dr. Seuss

3. Kayaking Tour of the 7 Caves

We booked a kayaking tour with EveryDay California and were pretty excited to go kayaking as it was our first time. On the day we went, La Jolla was experiencing unusually high winds so we weren't able to go inside the caves as it was too dangerous but normally, you're able to explore a bit.

The tour guides are very helpful and taught us how to kayak patiently. We also learned about the marine life along the way to the caves. It's a cool experience taking in all the magnificent views of La Jolla. 

The Seven Caves in La Jolla

Our cool kayaking gear from Everyday California

Our tour guide teaching us about La Jolla’s marine life

4. Sunny Jim Cave

If you don't have time for kayaking (or get seasick easily like Candy), but want to go inside one of La Jolla's caves, you can do so at The Cave Store. This is a gift shop where a man-made tunnel leads you directly to the mouth of the cave.

You can actually walk down to the cave without ever having to step foot in the water. The fee to walk down this tunnel is a very reasonable $5.

Sunny Jim Cave in La Jolla

Walking 145 steps up an down The Cave Store tunnel

Candy wearing Bearpaw Fargo Jacket

5. Duke's La Jolla

If you want to dine somewhere with an oceanfront view, we recommend Duke's La Jolla. It is a Hawaiian themed restaurant and the location is perfect if you are already spending the day in La Jolla.

We were pretty lucky and got the best seat in the house. We ordered the Korean Steak Street Tacos and the Rocket Salad. We also wanted to try some fun drinks and ordered the Black Salt Bloody Mary and Tropical Mule.

The food was average, but not bad. We were definitely paying more for the views and it was worth it.

Outfit: ANATOMIE, Shoes: SUAVS

Korean Steak Street Tacos

Rocket Salad

6. Legends Gallery

We typically don't stop by galleries, but when we found out that the gallery was showcasing Dr. Seuss's collection of art we were intrigued. The gallery is located right across the street from Duke's La Jolla and there was no entrance fee. It's a tiny gallery but had quite a bit of Dr. Seuss's art on display. It was so interesting to see his other artwork that we never knew about. We are only familiar with his children's books, so it was fascinating to get a glimpse of another side of Dr. Seuss. 

TOP: ANATOMIE VEST SHOES: SEYCHELLES SNEAKER

ONE OF DR. SEUSS' RARE PAINTINGS

7. Children's Pool

If you want to hang out with the seals, the Children's Pool is a great place to spot them. You can't actually get close to them (due to safety reasons), but close enough to see them in their natural habitat. If you are worried that you won't be able to see these adorable sea creatures, there is no need to panic. They are all along the coast and it's pretty much guaranteed you will see a dozen of them chilling out. 

SEALS RESTING AT CHILDREN'S POOL IN LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA

ADORABLE SEAL DOING SOME STRETCHES IN LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA

8. La Valencia Hotel

This hotel is located right along the coast, in the heart of La Jolla, and you can't miss it. It's a huge pink vintage Mediterranean style hotel with some of the best views in town. We didn't get a chance to stay here, but TripAdvisor rates it #5 out of the 24 hotels in La Jolla. What we love most about this hotel are the gorgeous views you get from the lounge and the outdoor seating areas.

9. Bobboi Natural Gelato

We stumbled across Bobboi as we were walking down to Coast Boulevard. Crystal spotted their adorable entrance and I'm so glad she noticed it because it was amazing! The staff is super friendly and encourage you to taste as many of their flavors as you like. There were so many to choose from that we both sampled at least 4 different flavors. They have an impressive 5-star rating with over 1,000 reviews on Yelp (we've never seen 5 stars on Yelp!). The portions are generous and you know you're getting the real deal as the owners are Italian. 

BOBBOI NATURAL GELATO MENU

TOP: ANATOMIE FLO SLEEVELESS BOTTOMS: ANATOMIE MARLO HEAVY LEGGING

STRAWBERRY AND PUMPKIN GELATO AT BOBBOI NATURAL GELATO IN LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA

10. Windansea Beach

We wanted to check out where the locals hung out and drove a couple miles south to Windansea Beach. The landscape here is a bit different and there were a ton of surfers. We couldn't find a parking lot, but we found plenty of street parking in the surrounding neighborhoods. We ended our day here and hung out for an hour and watched the beautiful sunset. There are no public facilities here, so if you plan on staying for a while it's something to keep in mind.

WINDANSEA BEACH IN LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA

TOP: ANATOMIE FLO SLEEVELESS BOTTOMS: ANATOMIE MARLO HEAVY LEGGING

BLACK VEST: ANATOMIE FAUX FUR HOODED

Tons of surfers at WINDANSEA BEACH IN LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA

That is our top 10 and we hope you enjoyed reading our list as much as we enjoyed our weekend in La Jolla. If you want to know some of our favorite locations to take photos in La Jolla, check out our post, "Where to Capture the Best Photos in La Jolla, California".

A special thanks to Anatomie, California Moonrise, Margaret O'Leary, BearPaw, and Seychelles for the amazing wardrobe. 

See this gallery in the original post