I walked past the Spanish Village a few times on my way to the Zoo, and hadn't ever taken the time to stop in, since I really believed that it was going to be cheezy. Advertised as an arts community, I kind of thought it'd be like one big garage sale, with local artists peddling things like macaroni frames and cardboard bunny art.
Boy, was I wrong.
The Spanish Village plays host to several arts guild for the county of San Diego. The glassmaker's guild and the pottery guild are two that I can remember off the top of my head, for instance. Inside the unassuming walls, artists draw caricatures of passers-by, the smell of heated sand announces a demonstration of the glassblower for the day, who explains what she's doing as she does it, and a pollymer clay artist holds a class on how to make faces look realistic from a big tube of clay.
In short, this place is amazing. You can find anything you want in here -- tabletop fountains, jewelry, framed art, cards, pottery and sculpture, gorgeous glass windchimes, handmade books -- anything. Each "shop" within the village is a unique place, decorated and stocked by the one who leases it (I believe they may even be -given- space, based on merit, but don't hold me to that), making art -- and the artists- accessible to interested parties and shoppers. It's an energetic place, with a very artsy feel.
The prices for things vary widely. Some are very overpriced, as they are one of a kind pieces (as is most art), and some artists who are very prollific have a tendency to underprice their work. You can get some great deals here, join a guild if you do any artwork, or just browse as you would through a museum.
The Spanish Village is open nearly every day of the year, holidays excepted.