The Bean Box

Romance, music and a dash of history all prove to be the ingredients of the perfect romantic evening when you visit Gaslamp Quarter. Aside from being an obviously hip, lively collection of restaurants, clubs and bars that are part of the district's top-drawer nightlife, it's also a great vantage point to do some fun people-watching.

The Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater in historic Balboa Park is a 234-seat indoor theater that produces shows for people of all ages, from pre-school to grade school to adults. The large stage is the perfect setting for several productions of various sizes. Marie Hitchcock was a puppeteer who used to conduct shows in Balboa Park and this theater was created in her memory after she passed away in 1994. So come and enjoy some great plays featuring several types of puppets that will appeal to the kid in all of us.

Belmont Park truly has a little something for everyone. It has the distinction of being the only beach-side amusement park in southern California and its biggest draw is the Giant Dipper which is an original wooden rollercoaster. Another popular attraction is the Plunge, a 175-foot-deep indoor heated pool, the largest in the state. There's also Pirate's Cove which is literally a 7,000-square-foot indoor playground. Plenty of places to shop and dine can be found here, too, so make plans to head to Belmont Park and leave happy.