Imperial Beach, CA Outdoor Activities

The 10th annual San Diego Film Festival showcases a packed schedule of more than 70 full-length and short-film offerings, giving celluloid connoisseurs an advance peek at upcoming fiction and documentary movies. On Saturday at 5:30 p.m., HBO Documentary Films will screen Superheroes, a nonfiction meditation on real-life crime-fighters who take to the streets in costume. Catch TV stalwarts Michael C. Hall (Dexter) and Lucy Liu (Ally McBeal) in East Fifth Bliss, a dramedy centering around a mid-thirties slacker who dates the daughter of an old high-school classmate while struggling to overcome his addiction to drinking orange juice straight from the carton (Saturday, October 1 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, October 2 at 1 p.m.). Many showings boast the film's cast and crew in attendance, allowing guests the opportunity to get up-close glimpses of acclaimed actors and Oscar-winning dolly grips.

Since 1925, shrieks of delight have sounded from the pinnacle of Belmont Park's Giant Dipper Roller Coaster as it inches toward its 73-foot drop. Closer to the ground, the Vertical Plunge drops riders three stories, the Tilt-A-Whirl spins at a furious clip, and the carousel makes its leisurely rounds. Like the waves breaking on the shores of Mission Beach—located just steps from the park—sheet waves generated by FlowRider and FlowBarrel technology carry boarders across a wave pool's padded surface.

No waves find their way into Belmont Park's indoor swimming pool, the Plunge, where an artificial grass deck surrounding the shallow end hosts a bounce house and Slip ‘N Slide. That idyllic environment is a far cry from the Rush Laser Tag arena, a post-apocalyptic atmosphere of makeshift fallout shelters and computers stuck with dial-up internet. An adjacent arcade returns players to civilization with new and old classics such as Guitar Hero and skeeball. In between rides and games, guests take breaks to snack at Belmont Park's myriad boardwalk eateries or browse the goods of nearby shops.

Via 3-D motion analyzers and the one-two combo of certified fitness professionals and physical therapists, your form will be psychoanalyzed and rebuilt to start trading bogeys for birdies. The evaluation consists of a series of more than 25 golf-specific tests assessing your flexibility, core stability, posture, and more. Like fulfilling an out-of-body experience, you’ll see the old you disappear as experts help you modify and adjust to achieve the ideal follow-through. Any serious golfer or competitive swinger has tremendous learning opportunities less than a chip shot away with today's Groupon.

Since sprouting to existence in 1969, the Padres have rallied West Coast baseball fans with two National League pennants—most recently in 1998—and several Hall of Fame players, including base-hit machine Tony Gwynn. For 33 years, the club shared Qualcomm Stadium's turf with the San Diego Chargers; in 2004, the gates to Petco Park swung open. A celebration of the region's natural surroundings and cultural diversity, Petco Park enhances ballgames with views of the San Diego skyline and the reutilized façade of the Western Metal Supply Company building in the left-field corner, which faces the audience and houses a souvenir shop, a restaurant, and party suites. The stadium's right-centerfield area features "Park at the Park" seating—a grassy slope that rises above outfield walls, letting fans sprawl out and watch games for a reduced price, while working their cores by balancing boxes of Cracker Jacks on their abs.

Even before you climb inside, the GoCar is clearly a car with a personality. The petite, three-wheeled two-seater has a hood that slightly resembles an eager-to-please smiley face, and an open top that seems custom-made for letting the breeze ruffle your hair. Then the real fun begins: built with the company's own software and a compassion for the voiceless robots of America, a talking GPS system guides two-seater GoCars through the city streets of San Francisco, San Diego, Miami, Barcelona, Madrid, and Lisbon with cheerful, info-rich narration. Second only to having a knowledgeable local jog alongside your minivan, tours zip along at drivers' own pace and accommodate as many pit stops as time allows.

The family-owned Sun Valley Golf Course cultivates a welcoming atmosphere that sets nerves at ease so that youngsters and beginners can make a stress-free foray into the lifelong game. The par 27 excursion politely omits any tee shot longer than 145 yards, eliminating the trepidation felt on long tee shots over water or asteroid craters at larger venues. Nevertheless, small greens and quick changes in elevation keep even more experienced players on their toes and help them to hone short-game technique. The course's short layout ensures that players average less than 90 minutes for a nine-hole round, leaving plenty of time in the day to polish lucky golf balls.

Its simple course layout makes Sun Valley Golf Course a natural place for young club cadets to take up the game. Junior golf programs led by instructor Mike Cortes help kids to develop proper form at an early age through camps, clinics, and classes.

Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 27 course
• Total length of 1,057 yards from the back tees
• Two sets of tees per hole