Attractions

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is preparing for the opening of the much-anticipated Elephant Valley, the largest and most transformative project in the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s 109-year history. Elephant Valley is an immersive journey for guests to learn about the crucial role elephants serve as ecosystem engineers and better understand the nuances of the herd’s rich social structure. Surrounded by elephants on multiple sides, guests will encounter what it feels like to walk beside the herd.

In early 2026, LEGOLAND California Resort is opening the park’s newest addition, a galactic space-themed land. This new land invites families to blast off into an imaginative LEGO® Galaxy packed with adventure including an immersive, groundbreaking indoor roller coaster. The new coaster promises to be the most technologically advanced attraction the resort has ever created. This new land also features two additional new rides, a junior astronaut training zone, and a Galactic Grub and Gear. 

 

Culinary 

LUCIEN, by Chef Elijah Arizmendi, is now open in La Jolla. After a rapid rise through New York’s most prestigious kitchens, Chef Arizmendi returns home to California with his Michelin-season team to helm this 30-seat, tasting-menu-only restaurant that blends classical French and Japanese Techniques, wood-fire cooking, and a fiercely seasonal ethos of the West Coast. 

Chef Travis Swikard of MICHELIN Bib-Gourmand Callie is opening his newest culinary concept, Fleurette, in late 2025. Fleurette will be located in the La Jolla Commons near the Westfield UTC shopping center. Fleurette features French-Provençal cuisine shaped by San Diego’s seasonal produce

Dora Ristorante, the newest concept from the team behind the Tre Forchette-recognized Cori Trattoria,  has opens this winter near the La Jolla Playhouse Campus at UC San Diego. Named for head Chef Accursio Lota’s grandmother, Dora is a love letter to the spirit and traditional flavors of southern coastal Italy, reimagined through a contemporary California lens. The menu will feature handmade pastas, Mediterranean seafood, a house gelato program, and playful, thespian-inspired dining experiences.

Arts & Culture

In 2026, the San Diego Museum of Art will be hosting its Centennial Celebration. The celebration kicks off in January with a special exhibition, SDMA 100 Years. On February 28, the museum’s official birthday, visitors can attend the Birthday Fest, complete with free admission, live music and dance performances, a Cake Party for an additional fee, and more. 

In partnership with the San Diego Museum of Art, the San Diego Ballet has unveiled the theme of its 2025-2026 season — “A Centennial Celebration.” Throughout the season, audiences will experience evocative and intimate performances inspired by SDMA’s permanent collection and special exhibitions, creating a seamless dialogue between visual and performing arts. 

This winter, the La Jolla Playhouse continues its 2025-2026 season with two world-premiere productions. The musical Working Girl continues through Dec. 7, 2025, and is based on the Twentieth Century Fox Motion Picture written by Kevin Wade, with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper. Following the early life of TV personality Julia Child, The Recipe runs at the Playhouse from Feb. 10 through Mar. 8.

Hotels

The Westgate Hotel has just unveiled its newest culinary concept, Bonne Vie Brasserie & Bar. Led by Executive Chef Fabrice Hardel, Bonne Vie features a vibrant menu that blends fresh California coastal ingredients with authentic recipes from the Coast of Northern France.

Oram Hotels, the San Diego–based hospitality group behind the historic Granger Hotel and The Guild, has partnered with UC San Diego’s Stuart Collection to introduce an artist-in-residence program. Led by art advisor Jennifer Findley, the initiative launches at the Granger Hotel with Los Angeles–based sculptor Max Hooper Schneider as the inaugural resident. Hooper Schneider will live and work at the hotel while developing a new artwork for the UC San Diego campus. Future residents will include Mexico City–based collective RojoNegro and fashion designer Carla Fernández in 2026, further deepening the connection between San Diego, Baja California, and Mexico City’s creative communities.

Transportation

Alaska Airlines is adding 5 new direct routes into San Diego International Airport. Starting in the Spring, these new routes will bring travelers from Dallas Fort-Worth, Oakland, Raleigh-Durham, Santa Barbara, and Tulsa.  

Southwest Airlines has announced a $25,000 donation to the San Diego Tourism Foundation— the San Diego Tourism Authority's 501(c)3 charitable arm— to help secure the region’s long-term prosperity by developing future leaders, backing local entrepreneurs, and fostering a more inclusive tourism economy in San Diego.

A new addition to the North County Transit COASTER will soon get passengers even closer to Petco Park and the San Diego Convention center. A recent announcement by the North County Transit District unveiled plans to extend the current COASTER route to a stop between First and Fifth Avenues by 2027.

Shopping

Westfield UTC has announced the newest additions to the shopping center as the next phase of their expansion opens in early 2026. Incoming retailers include luxury brands CHANEL, Carolina Herrera, Saint Laurent, Tom Ford, and Zenga, as well as two new dining concepts, JOEY Restaurants and Teleferic Barcelona. 

Awards

San Diego was recently named among Conde Nast Traveler’s top ten Best Big Cities in the United States. San Diego has been a recurring addition to this list over the last several years. 

The Lafayette and Orli La Jolla have become San Diego’s first two hotel properties to be recognized by prestigious MICHELIN Guide as part of their new hotel recognition program, the MICHELIN Key. They are two of 37 hotels throughout the US that have earned the designation this year. Hotels are judged on excellence in architecture and interior design, quality and consistency of service, overall personality and character, value for the price, and a significant contribution to the neighborhood or setting.  

For more information on San Diego’s offerings, including exciting vacation packages and valuable coupons for attractions, restaurants and more, visit the San Diego Tourism Authority’s website at sandiego.org.