The kids may be sad to see the sweet treats and exciting costumes indicative of late October pass by, but the fun doesn’t stop as soon as all hallow’s eve ends! Just a few days after Halloween, San Diego’s Gaslamp quarter will be hosting their 12^th annual Fall Back Festival: The Children’s Historical and Cultural Street Fair in conjunction with the time change.

Each year San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter falls back to the days when wranglers, vaqueros and cowboys of all types roamed the streets in the 1800’s. Your little ones will be immersed in the world of early America as they pan for gold, churn butter, and learn how to be a blacksmith. You’ll even get to take home a souvenir when you dress your family up in traditional garb for your old-fashioned family portrait! Rest your feet while watching one of the many shows, or giddy up the little ones for a pony ride! And the best part? Entrance to the Fall Back Festival is free! Some of the carnival rides may require minimal charge.

After a long day filled with Old-West adventures, you’ll want to return to the comforts of 2012, and Ocean Park Inn is the just the place to do it! Just a ten-minute drive from downtown, the Ocean Park Inn offers large family-style rooms equipped with comfortable beds, kitchenettes, and great views, making it the perfect spot for a group getaway. Come for the Fall Back Festival, but stay the entire weekend! We’re just a few minutes away from SeaWorld, the Safari Park, the Zoo, and plenty of family-friendly restaurants.

This year’s fun-filled festivities will take place on Sunday, November 4^th, from 11 am to 4 pm in front of the Gaslamp museum at 4^th and Island Avenue. For more information, please visit the event website by clicking here.

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SoCal Music Festival

Feel the power of live music this Labor Day weekend at San Diego’s inaugural “SoCal Music Festival.” The Southern Californian lifestyle is identified by its sunshine, music, outdoor activities and relaxed vibes. All of these attributes will be on display at the SoCal Music Festival this holiday weekend. And with music festivals gaining popularity all over the world, we can’t help but wonder why San Diego hasn’t hosted one sooner!

This all-day festival will include four stages, and will feature a mixture DJ’s and live bands as well as interactive art exhibits displayed throughout the streets. The festival lineup includes a variety of acts to suite any musical taste, with performances from Cold War Kids, Roger Sanchez, Too $hort, Felguk, Krewella and more.

Attendees will also have the chance to visit the festival’s unique 80’s/90’s video arcade tent. The tent includes VAVi’s Interactive Zone, which will have a large inflatable slide, a giant-sized game of Jenga and more. In addition, guests will have the chance to ride an assortment of carnival rides for their entertainment.

Don’t worry about having to find a ride home either. The festival will have a designated driver program available at no cost for all attendees! From 7:00PM to 12:30AM guests will have the option to take a FREE designated driver shuttle home to anywhere in San Diego County!

For more information about the SoCal Music Festival and to purchase tickets, please visit: http://www.socalfestival.com/

When: Saturday, September 1 (Labor Day Weekend), 2pm-12am

Where: East Village, Downtown
G Street Between 9th Ave and 10th Ave
9th Ave between G Street and Market Street
10th Ave between G Street and Market Street

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Wholistic Expo 2012

San Diego has been ranked as one of the top ten most stress-free and best-rested cities in the nation, which makes it the perfect place to bring together the top experts in the field of health and wellness for the 2012 Wholistic Expo!

The Wholistic Expo is a three-day event that takes place at the famous Convention Center in downtown San Diego. The Wholistic Expo describes this exciting event as: “a meeting point for consumers of different alternative health therapies, such as meditation, herbalist, visualization and homeopathic; as well as relaxation, chiropractic and acupuncture services, bio-treatments, yoga, bodywork, vitamins, dieting and more”. The event features nine keynote speakers, workshops with famous authors, and 97,000 sq. ft. available for yoga, meditation, lectures and more.

With the purpose of providing a “whole holistic” experience, the Wholistic Expo is intended to promote mental, physical, emotional and spiritual balance. It is an ideal opportunity to meet, interact with, and learn from some of the best teachers, guides and gurus dedicated to exploring, teaching and living in connection with the universe through different alternative therapies for personal development. Located right on the scenic waters of Pacific Beach, Ocean Park Inn is that perfect getaway to provide that emotional and spiritual relief you’ve been searching for. With fresh ocean air, breathtaking oceanfront views, and a location that is a short and easy drive from your eye-opening attendance at the Wholistic Expo, what more could you ask for?

For a complete schedule of events, and more information on ticketing, please visit http://www.sandiegocoastlife.com/events/san-diego-bay/san-diego-wholistic-expo.html

When: August 24 – 26, 2012

Where: San Diego Convention Center
111 West Harbor Dr.
San Diego, CA

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Hot Chili and Warm Ocean Breezes

Pacific Beach, located in sunny San Diego, is one of the most popular summer destinations for travelers from all over the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and more.  Part of what makes Pacific Beach so attractive to visitors is the array of unique and distinctly San Diegan activities within walking, driving or cabbing distance of this lively beach town.  One such flip-flop friendly activity is the annual Ocean Beach Street Fair, located just a few minutes south of your ideal accommodations at the Ocean Park Inn.

This free festival looks to entertain more than 70,000 visitors in 2012. There will be a tantalizing variety of terrific food vendors available to please any appetite, along with great live music and entertainment, relaxing beer gardens, and a children’s area for the kids. The Chili Cook-off portion of the event will take place from 10am to 3pm as amateur cooks with original recipes compete for prizes, and the title of 2012’s best chili! Attendees who arrive early in the day will be able to taste every chili recipe, so you won’t want to be fashionably late to this particular event.

The Ocean Beach Street fair is free, fun for the entire family, and boasts an appetizing Chili Cook-Off, so be sure to visit the festival when traveling in San Diego this summer!

When: June 23, 10:00am -8:00pm

Where: Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach

For more information, please click here.

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From the bustling social scene of downtown, to the authentic Mexican food in Old Town, to the relaxing beach neighborhoods lining the 75-mile coast, San Diego is sure to fit anyone’s fancy.  But what can a traveler looking for a truly eye-popping and pulse-pounding experience expect to find in San Diego in April and May 2012?  To sate the appetite of even the most hard to impress event-goer, San Diego is proud to host Cirque Du Soleil’s TOTEM!

Cirque du Soleil describes the show on the event website as follows: “TOTEM traces the fascinating journey of the human species from its original amphibian state to its ultimate desire to fly. The characters evolve on a stage evoking a giant turtle, the symbol of origin for many ancient civilizations. Inspired by many founding myths, TOTEM illustrates, through a visual and acrobatic language, the evolutionary progress of species. Somewhere between science and legend TOTEM explores the ties that bind Man to other species, his dreams and his infinite potential.”

TOTEM is the perfect event to attend while staying in Pacific Beach this spring.  Spend the day relaxing amongst seals, dolphins, pelicans and fellow beachgoers, and the night immersed in the performance art of Cirque Du Soleil for a truly special San Diegan experience!

Cirque Du Soleil

When: April 12-May 13, 2012

Where: The Del Mar Fairgrounds

To purchase tickets, click here.

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