Spruce Street Suspension Bridge

On our list of the best activities in San Diego.

A deep canyon once cut the neighborhoods above it off from downtown, so Edwin Capps designed the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge in 1912 to carry a walking route to the streetcar lines on Fourth and Fifth avenues. The wood-plank span drops 70 feet to the canyon floor and sways noticeably underfoot, especially once someone starts rocking it near the middle on purpose. A quarter-mile trail below the bridge winds through the canyon itself, greenest in spring, past a small structure locals call the hobbit house. Crossing is free, with only limited street parking nearby, and the bridge stays open daily from 6am to 10pm.