Things to Do in Santee

Anchored at Mission Bay, Mission Beach, and Pacific Beach, the nautical professionals at Resort Watersports continue nearly 30 years of teaching in maritime navigation, offering lessons in sailing, kayaking, and standup paddleboarding. They also equip recreationalists with quality rentals that range from beach-cruiser bikes to 22-foot sailboats. For more advanced sports such as wake surfing, Resort Watersports’ team packages rental and lesson combinations. Further services include guided segway tours and group events that bring together families, coworkers, and bearded people through activities such as scavenger hunts and building and destroying a sandcastle.

For those interested in sleeping in a bed not their own, the staff can coordinate accommodations at the Kernville Kayak School and Lodge. To complement vacation stays, Resort Watersports also staffs a retail location that carries sports gear and apparel from brands such as Roxy, Quicksilver, and Sanuk.

San Diego’s picturesque harbor—awash with graceful bridges, sweeping views, and glimpses of sea lions—has thrilled passengers on Hornblower San Diego cruise ships for more than 30 years. Hornblower’s large fleet of ships includes an antique yacht and one of the largest charter yachts in Southern California, and each cruise is narrated by an experienced expert. An environmentally concerned company, Hornblower San Diego introduces passengers to ecological problems and ongoing environmental projects in the area on its cruises.

PB Christmas Trees spreads holiday merriment with noble, douglas, and grand firs individually selected from forests in Oregon along with fraser firs from North Carolina. On the lot, trees stand in water and receive additional watering from the staff each day to keep needles healthy and green. Trees vary in size from 2' up to 16', ensuring customers can a perfect specimen no matter how high their ceilings or how modest their budget. Complimentary hot cider keeps patrons warm as they peruse the lot, and once they've found their perfect tree, the crew will gladly grab a rope and secure it to a car or riding mower at no additional charge.

Staff members at Rick's Rent-A-Boat outfit water-riders with the necessary safety equipment before sending them off for a ride on a professionally maintained jet ski, kayak, or boat. During excursions, riders safely glide over the ripples and spray of San Diego Bay's coastal waters atop a Kawasaki or Honda jet ski, kayak, or Triton ski boat. Sporting a provided life vest and drawing on operating instructions included with each rental, riders cruise atop their seafaring stallions, skimming over foamy waves and leading schools of local fish in a Hamlet lecture. Depending on Mother Nature's mood, guests can make waves 8 a.m.–8 p.m. every day of the week.

Ghostly Tours in History's passionate guides unlock a portal to the paranormal, leading visitors to haunted and eerie sites around San Diego's Old Town district and Gaslamp Quarter. Depending on the tour, stops include Victorian mansions, the Whaley House, known graveyards, and even unknown graveyards, below which lie the bodies of restless souls. Featured on both the Travel Channel and the Fodor’s Top 400, the company offers walking tours as well as bus and limousine tours for guests tired from giving their assigned ghost a piggyback ride.

In keeping with the historical nature of the tours, each guide dons a period costume and alter ego, ranging from reformed vagabonds to pioneering entrepreneur cowboys. In reality, the cast of guides is equally as diverse, encompassing trained actors, students, a Navy serviceman, and past and present members of the San Diego Historical Society.