Seaport Village Guide
Seaport Village has been a main highlight of downtown San Diego since the 1980s. However, it is slated for major redevelopment. This is our Seaport Village guide as it currently exists in 2019.
WEBSITE: https://www.seaportvillage.com
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History
Seaport Village opened in 1980 at the center of San Diego’s downtown harbor. It is located on 14-acres by the convention center and major downtown hotels.
The village features multiple freestanding buildings that house various shops, galleries and restaurants. Several restaurants are right on the waterfront. Validated parking is available at $5 for 3 hours. However, on busy days it quickly fills up.
This area is a key feature of our downtown harbor walks. The downtown harbor area is one of our top free attractions of San Diego. However, Seaport Village is clearly showing its age with a focus on low-end shops and tourist trinkets. We actually have never tried any of the current restaurants at Seaport Village.
Entertainment and Sites
Walking around Seaport Village remains quite charming. There are wonderful views of the harbor. It also opens into Embarcadero Park. You can see many spectacular yachts parked here. It has also become an outdoor music venue hosting regular performances.
Our favorite store in Seaport Village is Kite Flite. This has a wide range of kites for all abilities. The kites can be flown in front of the store by the Embarcadero.
There is also great people watching in Seaport Village. This includes street performers that line the walkways around the village. During weekends and summers there are regular outdoor musicians performing at the Food Court area in front of the carousel.
Several key excursions start in Seaport Village. This includes the San Diego Seal Tours and the San Diego Old Town Trolley Tours.
A centerpiece of Seaport Village is the carousel from 1895. This carousel costs $3 a ride.
Redevelopment
As of mid-2019, Seaport Village is slowing down as it prepares for redevelopment. In November 2018 it was reported that Seaport San Diego was the name of a massive project to totally transform Seaport Village.
This new project is limiting changes to Seaport Village. However, groundbreaking is not expected until 2024. Given that the project still needs approval, the current Seaport Village may be around for awhile.
The new project is very ambitious. It includes 1,933 hotel, 276,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space, 140,000 square feet of office space, an aquarium/butterfly garden, a veteran’s museum, a research center and a fisherman building.
Highlighting the project will be a 500-foot-tall tower designed to be the future icon of San Diego.
This sounds exciting but it could be a ways off. Building this type of multi-use project on the sensitive California coast requires all kinds of approval.
For more on the plans go to: https://www.seaportsandiegoca.com/
Visting Seaport Village
If you are on the downtown waterfront, Seaport Village is definitely worth walking through. It is near the Convention Center, Gaslamp Quarter and major hotels. It is right down from the wonderful Midway Museum and Greatest Generation Walk.
The shops may be touristy, but we are the first to admit that stuff can be fun. In terms of restaurants, we can not offer many recommendations foodwise. What we can say is that many of these places have some of San Diego’s best dining views. So at the very least they may be worth stopping for a drink.
Check out our Downtown San Diego Hike that goes right through Seaport Village.
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