One of the best beaches of La Jolla is in La Jolla Shores, the neighborhood directly north of the Village. The beach is located in Kellogg City Park. There is a large parking lot, but in summer parking is at a premium and your best bet is to find a spot on one of the side streets. Parking and entry are free.
This beach is ideal for children because of the playground and grassy areas where you can stake out a picnic spot.
The area has been divided into sections for swimmers, boogie boarders and surfers. Surfers stay north of the checkered flag, closer to Scripps Pier. La Jolla Shores is the proud home of the Surf Divas, the first all-girl surf school, where women of all ages learn to surf.
Although swimming is generally safe south of the flag, there are rip currents, and every year a great number of careless tourists gets pulled out by the life guards. One caveat: the water never gets above 75 degrees F. Surfers wear full wetsuits in winter, spring suits in spring and fall.
Divers use the area for surf entry, and many divers get Open Water certified here. The underwater ecological park is right off-shore, and divers and snorkelers alike can enjoy the kelp forest with its fish and occasional seal. This protected area is also ideal for learning to kayak.
How to get there: from the Village, go north on Torrey Pines Road, then north on La Jolla Shores Drive, turn left on Avenida de la Playa, right on La Vereda.