Point Loma

Spanish explorer Cabrillo arrived here in 1542, making it the birthplace of San Diego

History: Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed to San Diego Bay in 1542 and anchored off Ballast Point. In the classic “Two Years Before the Mast,” Richard Henry Dana Jr. recounted his adventures in San Diego in 1834-36. He later recalled “the little harbor of San Diego, its low spit of sand, where the water runs so deep.” The Navy built a coaling station in 1901, about the same time Katherine Tingley established her Lomaland headquarters for the Theosophical Society, now the Point Loma Nazarene University campus.

How it got its name: Spanish maps labeled the peninsula “Punta de la Loma” —tip of the knoll.

Landmarks: The Cabrillo National Monument surrounds the original Point Loma lighthouse that operated from 1855 to 1891. Explore the tide pools and watch the gray whale migrations at Cabrillo National Monument.

Did you know? The oldest trophy in international sports, America’s Cup, was on display at the SanDiego Yacht Club from 1988 to 1995.

Things to do: Slow down as you drive by the stucco house on Rosecrans Street at Sterne Street, where the yard is landscaped not with bushes and plants, but with thousands of seashells in topiary-like designs, constructed by are tired tuna fisherman. Wear your sunglasses for a December night’s visit to the 3600 block of Garrison Street, where neighbors outdo each other with holiday displays to write home about.