Centennial Park
Centennial Park offers breathtaking views of the bay and downtown San Diego.
Centennial Park sits on 1st Street in Coronado, California, between two condominium complexes on the island's bay side. The waterfront park occupies the former ferry landing where vehicles crossed San Diego Bay from 1886 until August 2, 1969, when the Coronado Bridge opened. It offers skyline views, grassy knolls, and a rose garden.
Coronado Ferry Landing Park History
The park sits on the former Coronado ferry landing, where vehicles crossed San Diego Bay from 1886 until August 2, 1969, just before the Coronado Bridge opened later that year. Local residents Patty Schmidt, Sally Krummenacher, and Wendy Longley-Cook campaigned to return the site to public hands, and the park opened in 1986, named for the 100th anniversary of Coronado's founding. The waterfront location along San Diego Bay places the Coronado Bridge within view, and the site's history as a ferry landing shapes the park's layout.
Best Photo Spots
Centennial Park has 6 photo spots spanning park grounds, a beach, a promenade, a seawall, a historic ferry ticket booth, and a rose garden.
Centennial Park
Photographs of This Location
Two Landmarks at Centennial Park
Centennial Park in Coronado was named in 1986 for the city's centennial and retains the old San Diego Bay Ferry toll booth at the Orange Avenue end of the grounds. A granite boulder bearing a 2011 bronze plaque from the California State Society, Daughters of the American Revolution marks the site as the Birthplace of Naval Aviation. These two compact landmarks give photographers concentrated subjects within a single small park, spanning the pre-bridge ferry era and early military aviation history.
Common Questions
The park has no parking lot or restrooms of its own; both are available at the nearby Ferry Landing, and street parking is also an option.
Centennial Park is at 1101 1st Street in Coronado, at the foot of Orange Avenue where it meets the bay, next to the Coronado Ferry Landing shopping village.
Dogs are not allowed on the beach at Centennial Park but are permitted on paths if leashed.
No, alcohol is not allowed at Centennial Park.
Centennial Park's Historic Ferry Landing and Promenade
Centennial Park on Coronado Island marks the historic ferry landing site, carrying a name drawn from the city's centennial. A surviving tollbooth remains on the park's edge, standing where drivers once paid their ferry fare before boarding. From there, a one-mile shoreline promenade extends south along the bay to Tidelands Park, providing a long stretch of waterfront for photography.
Practical Information
Orange Avenue; 1st St & Orange Ave, Coronado, CA 92118; First Street at the foot of Orange Avenue
street parking; Free
6:00am - 11:00pm; 1101 1st Street, Coronado, CA 92118; Centennial Park is described as a public park that visitors can access, with no specific hours mentioned in the source.
Free
$50 refundable cleaning deposit; Permit required for 25+; Wedding ceremonies up to 100
Tipps fürs Shooting
- If bringing a dog, keep it leashed and on the sidewalks only; no off-leash play at this park.
- Visit the small beach to the left of the park to capture the night skyline of San Diego Bay.
- Set up your tripod on the firm, even ground and move it around freely to chase the best skyline composition.
- The tollbooth and Birthplace of Naval Aviation boulder are worth photographing straight-on with enough resolution to read the plaques.
- Photographers should consider visiting the smaller, quieter beach slightly farther from the Coronado Ferry Landing for a calmer scene.
What to Expect During Your Session
Centennial Park offers a waterfront vantage where manicured lawns, historic lampposts, and palm trees frame the San Diego skyline, and late afternoon through sunset provides the most favorable light as front-lit downtown towers transition into blue hour when the city lights come on. The firm, even ground supports a tripod for composing skyline shots, and a small beach just to the left of the park serves as an alternative position for capturing the night skyline across the bay. Weekends and summer holidays fill the grounds with people carrying lawn chairs and umbrellas, so weekday evenings tend to be calmer for setting up shots.
On weekends and summer holidays, the park fills with people bringing lawn chairs and umbrellas, so plan around crowds.
“Evenings at the park lend themselves to quiet conversation or a romantic stroll along the bay.”
Getting There
Access & Transit
- Barrierefrei
- Centennial Park is ADA Accessible.
- Parken
- There is a small parking lot at 1st Ave near Centennial Park, but the best parking is at the Coronado Ferry Landing.
- Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel
- Coronado Ferry Landing; Coronado Ferry from Broadway Pier / Convention Center, 15-minute crossing; Coronado Ferry (foot ferry from downtown San Diego)
- Fußläufig
- The park is located at the foot of Orange Avenue, near the Landing condominiums.
- Fahrradfreundlich
- The Bayshore Bikeway passes right through Centennial Park and meanders around Coronado Island.