AP Features, September 4th, 2007
The San Diego region is a popular vacation spot year-round, with attractions like the San Diego Zoo, LegoLand and SeaWorld. But in the fall, the city and surrounding area also host numerous special events, from harvest fairs to Fleet Week.
Fleet Week events actually unfold over six weeks, Sept. 17-Oct. 27. Events include the Sea & Air Parade Sept. 29, free ship tours at the Broadway Pier Sept. 29-30 and Oct. 6-7 and the MCAS Miramar Air Show, Oct. 12-14; http://www.fleetweeksandiego.org.
The apple harvest in the town of Julian, Sept. 15-Nov. 15, gives visitors a chance to enjoy foliage, fresh apples and the countryside of the Cuyamaca Mountains; http://www.julianca.com.
The 32nd annual Harvest Festival, Oct. 2628 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, is one of the largest art and gift shows on the West Coast, with 300 artists and craftsmen, food, music and a pumpkin patch; http://www.harvestfestival.com.
The 13th Annual Pacific Islander Festival, Sept. 22-23, is a free event that showcases the cultures and customs of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, at Mission Bay's Ski Beach, the event also features tempting food and unique crafts; http://www.pifasandiego.com.
Several communities around San Diego County celebrate Oktoberfest, including La Mesa, which has one of the largest festivals of its kind on the West Coast, Oct. 5-7; http://www.lmvma.com.
The San Diego International Film Festival returns to the Gaslamp Quarter Sept. 27-30, while the San Diego Asian Film Festival takes place Oct. 11-18. http://www.sdff.org and http://www.sdaff.org.
For music-lovers, Julian hosts a bluegrass festival, Sept. 15-16; and Normal Heights hosts the Adams Avenue Street Fair, Sept. 29-30.
Old Towns Most Haunted offers night walking tours of San Diegos original downtown Thursday-Sunday year-round at 9 p.m.; http://www.oldtownsmosthaunted.com. Ghostly Tours in History also offers haunted tours at http://www.ghostlytoursinhistory.com.
On Oct. 28, the city of Oceanside, located 45 minutes north of downtown San Diego, celebrates Dia de los Muertos by transforming its downtown streets into a Mexican plaza with more than 30,000 marigolds, used to create "ofrendas" or altars as memorials. There will also be music, food, dancing, and the Chalk Cemetery, an interactive area that allows guests to use flowers, candles and chalk to create a memorial for lost loved ones; http://www.msoceanside.com.
Visitors can also see elaborate altars honoring the dead in Old Town's Bazaar del Mundo, Oct. 1-31, for Dia de Los Muertos; http://www.bazaardelmundo.com.
At the Del Mar Fairground you'll find the Scream Zone, open Sept. 28-29 and Oct. 5-7, 12-14, 18-21, and 24-31, with a ghost maze, a house of horror, haunted hayride, and midway rides; http://www.sdfair.com/screamzone.
San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter also hosts an annual haunted house, Sept. 28-Oct. 31: The Haunted Hotel, 424 Market St., with rooms from Hollywoods favorite horror films; http://www.hauntedhotel.com.
