The U.S. Navy SEALS are all over the news these days, and now you can see up-close and personal how they train.
If you go to Coronado Island, near San Diego, you will find just that. The Coronado Museum of History and Art has opened an exhibit called "The History of U.S. Navy SEALS in Coronado," which will run through January 2015.
Coronado was the birthplace of the Navy SEALS, which were formed when World War II Navy frogmen trained in underwater demolition in Coronado. The SEALS were tasked with clearing beaches for Allied landings.
These special operations forces have since been honored for service
in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan and still train each day on
Coronado Island beaches.
The new exhibit include vivid chronological displays of SEALS
memorabilia and guests will get to see actual equipment used in SEAL
special operations.
Plan to spend some time in Coronado. It's a laid-back island
experience and you'll enjoy seeing all the impeccable homes, a vibrant
shopping district and many historic buildings on the island.
If you're driving to the
island, check out the Silver Strand beach, a long stretch of beach and
coastline popular with tourists and locals alike. On the east side of
the island you can catch a quick ferry to downtown San Diego.
In fact, you can plan your trip around the foot-passenger ferry that
you can catch down on the San Diego waterfront. For just a nominal
charge, the ferry will take you -- and even your bike -- across the bay,
where you will disembark at a large outdoor shopping center with a wide
variety of shops and restaurants. You might plan lunch here because the
views of the bay are incredible.
After lunch, it's just a short walk or ride down Orange Avenue to
Coronado's downtown area, where shopping and people-watching are the
focus for most visitors. Just a little further and you come to the
famous Hotel Del Coronado, well-known because of its appearance in many
movies and its unique architecture. Visitors can enjoy strolling through
the grounds or dining in one
of the hotel's restaurants. Walk out front of the hotel and you arrive
at the No. 1 beach in California, at least according to most polls.
In addition to the Museum of History and Art, the area has Coronado Community Theater and the Lamb's Player's Theatre. If you like art, be sure and take in the Art-in-the-park exhibition put on the first and third Sundays of each month.
