Chula Vista

Chula Vista is a large city in San Diego County in Southern California. Originally a farming and dairy city in the early 20th century, by the early 21st century the city had grown tremendously with the addition of several prominent suburbs and business districts.

Get in

Chula Vista is accessible by car through Interstate 5, Interstate 805, Highway 125, and Highway 905. The nearest major airports are San Diego International Airport (SAN) and Tijuana International Airport (TIJ).

The San Diego Trolley Blue Line serves Southern San Diego County, running between Downtown San Diego down to the US-Mexico Border. Chula Vista has three trolley stations: Bayfront/E Street, H Street, and Palomar Street.

Private boats can dock at the local Chula Vista Marina.

Get around

Metropolitan Transit System runs several bus routes around Chula Vista, most of them connecting to at least one of the Chula Vista trolley stations.

See

• 1 Living Coast Discovery Center, 1000 Gunpowder Point Drive (parking lot is at the west end of E Street, across I-5 from the E Street Transit Center/Trolley station; once in the parking lot, wait for shuttle to take you through the marsh to the center), ☏ +1 619 409-5900. Daily 10AM-5PM. Situated in the midst of the marshes of the South Bay and something of a hidden gem is this fun nature center with lots of interactive exhibits on animals native to the San Diego Bay. Highlights include an aquarium with sharks and sea turtles, a touchpool with rays, an aviary where you can view shorebirds, and some birds of prey. Short trails lead out from the nature center through the marsh to the shores of the bay, where you can view some of the local wildlife. $14 adults, $9 seniors/students/youth, military 50% off, free for children 3 and under.  
• 2 Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, 2800 Olympic Parkway, ☏ +1 619-656-1500. M-F 9AM-5PM (Sa hours vary by season). Training center for Olympic athletes. Tours available. Tours $5-35/ person ($35 tour includes buffet lunch). (updated Aug 2019)
• 3 North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre. An amphitheater even larger than the Hollywood Bowl (updated Aug 2019)

Do

While a majority of activities can be found in the city of San Diego, there are still several things for visitors to do.

• Since Chula Vista is surrounded by Silver Strand, it has only a harbor and no beaches. However many boaters and recreational fishers find this to be an interesting area to boat and fish. There is a boat launching ramp located at the J Street Marina Park, off the J Street I-5 offramp. The ramp has a large parking lot for vehicles with trailers, picnic facilities and restrooms. Care should be taken navigating in the adjacent areas of San Diego Bay as there are extremely shallow shoal areas. Refer to a current navigational chart prior to leaving the ramp area. Nearby is South Bay Anchorage, which is free to use, but a permit is required (permits can be obtained from the Shelter Island Harbor Police Office in Point Loma). In the vicinity are several parks and bike trails.
• In the east is Coors Amphitheater and Knott's Soak City, both in the Otay Valley. The redevelopment of the area occurred in 1997-8 and his since been a popular place for locals and visitors.
• 1 Sesame Place San Diego (formerly Knott's Soak City), 2052 Entertainment Circle, ☏ +1 619 222-4732. Water Park (updated Jul 2017)
• 2 Sky Zone San Diego. 

Buy

Shopping Centers

• 1 Otay Ranch Town Center.  
• Westfield Shoppingtown Plaza Bonita. 
• 2 Chula Vista Centre. 
• Terra Nova Shopping District. 
• Eastlake Center. 
• 3 Third Avenue. 

Eat

• 1 Aqui Es Texcoco. Great lamb barbacoa. 
• 2 Tacos El Gordo. Family-owned counter-serve restaurant with Tijuana-style food (updated Aug 2019)
• Joe & Ernie's Pizza, 2295 Otay Lakes Rd, ☏ +1 (619)-240-7980. Affordable local pizza of great quality. Their best offer is the combo meal, which includes two slices of pizza and a fountain drink. For students K-12, the combo is $6, and for adults, $8. They are also known for a wide selection of flavors. They offer takeout, dine-in, and local delivery. (updated Jul 2022)

Sleep

• 1 Best Western Chula Vista/Otay Valley Hotel, 4450 Main St, ☏ +1 619 422-2600. 
• 2 Motel 6 San Diego - Chula Vista, 745 E St, ☏ +1 619 422-4200, fax: +1 619 585-8944. 
• 3 Hercor Hotel. Relatively inexpensive "urban boutique"-style hotel, just a block from the light rail station (updated Aug 2019)
• 4 The Rambler Motel. (updated Aug 2019)
• 5 San Diego Metro KOA, 111 North 2nd Avenue, ☏ +1 800-562-9877. Campground with numerous tent and RV sites available with 50 Max Amp full service hookups. Amenities include wi-fi, a pool/hot tub open year round, kitchen facilities, dog park, and a game room. (updated Jan 2020)

Cope

Coin laundries

• 1 Sunny Coin Laundry, 600 F St. 

Libraries

• 2 Chula Vista Public Library, Civic Center Branch, 365 F St, ☏ +1 619-691-5069. (updated Aug 2019)

Go next

• National City
• San Ysidro
• Imperial Beach

Routes through Chula Vista

San Diego ← National City ←

N  S

→ San Ysidro → Tijuana