San Diego Beach Guide: Imperial Beach
Imperial Beach aka IB is the first beach I went to in San Diego. When I visited my brother in 1990 he lived right on Imperial Beach. At the time, IB was a little downtrodden. Not the typical So Cal beach I imagined. Flash forward to 2018 and a renovated Imperial Beach is pretty hip.
- Location: 10 Evergreen Ave, Imperial Beach, CA 91932
- Beach Type: Busy beach with many activities and a pier
- Access: Straight on to beach from road
- Parking: Parking along street and some small lots
- Facilities: Bathrooms, picnic tables, many restaurants and activities
- Good For: A traditional family beach day, surfing, fishing
- Not Good For: People looking for a secluded spot
Imperial Beach is the southwestern most town in the United States. It is right next to the Mexican border and contains Border Field State Park which we visited separately. The heart of IB is about 3 miles north of the border, centered around the IB Pier.
Parking in Imperial Beach is generally not too bad. There is a great deal of free street parking. There are also some free parking lots. Right on the beach there is paid parking but it only costs $2 (for 2018 summer season the City of Imperial Beach waived the parking fee).
The centerpiece of IB is the ocean front courtyard by the pier, Portwood Pier Plaza. The entrance to the plaza contains the large Surfhenge monument commissioned in 1997. Throughout the plaza are surfboard shaped benches.
Imperial Beach is a classic Southern California beach. It is perfect for swimming, surfing or just laying in the sun. There are plenty of picnic spots. A block north of the pier is Dunes Park which has a sculpture of dolphins and includes plenty of grassy area.
Plenty of dining and drinking options have opened in IB in recent years. In 2014, Pier South Resort, the first major IB luxury hotel opened. This hotel is home to the acclaimed Sea180 beachfront restaurant. Of course, in more blue collar IB this is about as fancy as it gets.
More casual dining options seem to be opening on a regular basis. One of our favorite pizza places, Luigi’s Pizzeria opened a location across the street from the beach right by where my brother used to live. Coronado Brewing has a prime location a few blocks down. On the pier you can get fish and chips at the mini-chain Tinfish.
On your way driving in or out of Imperial Beach make sure and notice the surfboard forms along Palm Ave from Third street to Seacoast Dr. This outdoor “Surfboard Museum” honors IB’s history as prominent place for surfers and surfboard manufacturers. For those really into surfing you can download a guide to all the surfboard shapes from the Imperial Beach city site.
From 1980 to 2011 Imperial Beach was host to the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition. When that event ended, the city launched the Sun & Sea Festival. This family friendly event also has a sand building competition.
Imperial Beach is the second stop on our guide to the 70-miles of coastline in San Diego. Our first stop was at the Mexican border at Border Field State Park. Our next stop is Silver Strand State Beach.
Be sure and check our full guide to all San Diego beaches.
For lodging suggestions check out our guide to Where to Stay Coronado and South Bay.
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