Gracing the tip of Point Loma is one of San Diego’s most beloved spots: Cabrillo National Monument, consistently rated among the National Park Service’s top three most visited national monuments.

Inside the visitor centre is a scale model of Cabrillo’s flagship, the San Salvador. The centre also has a great bookstore, and an auditorium where you can see slide shows on the monument’s human and natural history. The terrace outside affords magnificent views of the city skyline and ships entering and exiting San Diego Bay.

The park’s most recognizable feature is the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. Completed in 1855, the Cape Cod-style building and tower looks more like a fairy tale cottage than a hardworking lighthouse.