Students in the San Diego Unified School District are going to have a particularly a short summer this year. With school ending later in June and starting up again early, in August (!), the time in between will be limited and will surely fly by quickly. Many UC High students are frantic about making the most out of their shortened vacation, but living in a city like San Diego, there are tons of cool activities to pack into the hot summer days.

   There are 33 different beaches in San Diego, according to the city’s website (sandiego.org). At the beach, you can play frisbee, hike, picnic, hula hoop, fish, read magazines, surf, catch up on phone calls, search for historical sites, meet people and go window shopping at the little seaside shops. The beach is also a picturesque scene to play I Spy: look for dolphins in the water, little critters in the sand and seashells at the shore. Make it a social event by celebrating a holiday or special occasion with bonfire parties. Or let nature be your muse and write poetry or messages in the sand, take photos, or sculpt an art museum-worthy epic sand castles. Or just relax, watch the sunset and daydream (hubpages.com). The list of beach-related activities to do in San Diego is virtually endless.

   There are over ninety different museums in San Diego, and the largest group of museums together is in Balboa Park (sandiego.org). In Balboa Park, there are Centro Cultural de la Raza, Marston House, Mingei International Museum, Museum of Photographic Arts, Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, San Diego Air and Space Museum, San Diego Art Institute (SDAI), San Diego Automotive Museum, San Diego Hall of Champions, San Diego History Center, San Diego Model Railroad Museum, San Diego Museum of Man, San Diego Natural History Museum, The San Diego Museum of Art, Timken Museum of Art, Veterans Museum at Balboa Park and World Beat Center (balboa park.org). You can spend many days trying to visit all the different museums around Balboa this summer.

   Most of the museums cost money, but some of them are free to San Diego residents on Tuesdays. The schedule is subject to change, but generally, on the first Tuesday of the month, exhibits at the Reuben H. Fleet Science center and the Natural History Museum are free, as well as the Centro Cultural de la Raza and Model Railroad Museum. On the second Tuesday of the month, students can stroll with an empty wallet into the Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego History Center, San Diego Hall of Champions and Veterans’ Museum and Memorial Center. On the third Tuesday, visitors can enjoy the Mingei International Museum, Museum of Art, Museum of Man and the Japanese friendship garden without charge. Finally, on the fourth Tuesday, visitors just need to pay for the gas to drive over to the Automotive Museum (last admission 3:45 p.m.). The Air and Space Museum (excluding special exhibitions), San Diego Art Institute and Select House of Pacific Relations International Cottages are free, too (balboa park.org).

   The San Diego Zoo, Belmont Park, Legoland and SeaWorld are also a good places to have fun in San Diego (sandiego.com). Going to any of these parks with friends over summer should lead to many great summer memories. You might even want to spring for a year-long pass. It doesn’t cost that much more and means you can return all summer long.

   Another great plan to make over summer is to visit the San Diego County fair with friends. You can eat yummy (or disgusting) fair food, check out student work in the art gallery and ride heart-pumping rides in the game area. According to the fair’s website, “Mad About the Fair is the theme of the San Diego County Fair opening at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 3 and continuing through Monday, July 4. The Fair is closed on Mondays, except July 4, and the first two Tuesdays” (sdfair.com).

  Catching the surf at the beach, checking out museums and touring interesting attractions may seem like enough activities to make for a busy summer, but if those aren’t appealing, there are many other possible ways to spend time with friends (tripadvisor.com). Websites like Trip Advisor list San Diego spots on the bucket list to visit like the USS Midway Museum, La Jolla Cove, Petco Park, Sunset Cliffs, Mount Soledad, Old Town, Mission Beach, Little Italy and Coronado, plus 385 more places, and if you really are adamant about packing as much fun as possible into your shortened vacation, there are probably 385 more things you can come up with on your own.