Attractions

One of the first major tourist attractions below the border is also one of the strangest -- the Museo de Cera (Wax Museum), Calle 1 no. 8281 (downtown), at the corner of Madero (tel. 664/688-2478). Featured statues include the eclectic mix of Whoopi Goldberg, Frida Kahlo, Laurel and Hardy, and Bill Clinton arranged in an exhibit otherwise dominated by figures from Mexican history. If you aren't spooked by the not-so-lifelike figures of Aztec warriors, brown-robed friars, Spanish princes, and 20th-century military leaders (all posed in period dioramas), step into the Chamber of Horrors, where wax werewolves and sinister sadists lurk in the shadows. When the museum is mostly empty, which is most of the time, the dramatically lit Chamber of Horrors can be a little creepy. This side-street freak show is open daily from 10am to 6pm, and admission is $1.50.

For many visitors, Tijuana's "main event" is the bustling Avenida Revolución, the street whose reputation precedes it. Since its construction in 1889, Avenida Revolución has been a mecca for tourists visiting Tijuana. In the 1920s, American college students, servicemen, and hedonistic tourists discovered "La Revo" as a bawdy center for illicit fun. Since then, however, some of the original attractions have fallen by the wayside: Gambling was outlawed in the 1930s, back-alley cockfights are also illegal, and the same civic improvements that gave Revolución trees, benches, and wider sidewalks also vanquished the girlie shows whose barkers once accosted passersby. Don't expect staid and sedentary, however: Drinking and shopping are the main order of business these days; while revelers from across the border knock back tequila shooters and dangle precariously from the upstairs railings of glaring bars, bargain hunters peruse the never-ending array of goods (and not-so-goods) for sale. You'll find the action between calles 1 and 9; the information centers (mentioned above) are at the north end, and the landmark jai alai palace anchors the southern portion.

Although the lightning-paced indoor ballgame jai alai (pronounced "high ah-lye") is no longer played here, it's still worth a visit to the Jai Alai Frontón Palacio, Avenida Revolución at Calle 8 (tel. 664/685-3687, 664/688-0125, or 619/231-1910 in San Diego), for its exquisite neoclassical architecture. Built in 1925, the building, for years, was the site of jai alai matches, an ancient Basque tradition incorporating elements of tennis, hockey, and basketball. Now the arena is used just for cultural events or occasional boxing matches.

Another building of architectural interest on Avenida Revolución (at Calle 2) is the HSBC Bank Building. One of Tijuana's oldest private buildings, the structure was built in 1929 to resemble the French Nouveau style popular in the early 1900s.

Visitors can be easily seduced -- then quickly repulsed -- by tourist-trap areas like Avenida Revolución, but it's important to remember that there's more to Tijuana than American tourism. If you're looking to see a different side of Tijuana, the best place to start is the Centro Cultural Tijuana (Tijuana Cultural Center), Paseo de los Héroes at Mina (tel. 664/687-9600; www.cecut.gob.mx). You can easily spot the ultramodern complex, designed by irrepressible modern architect Pedro Ramírez Vásquez, by its centerpiece gigantic sand-colored dome housing an OMNIMAX theater, which screens various 45-minute films (subjects range from science to space travel). The center also houses the Museo de las Identidades Mexicanas (Museum of Mexican Identities) permanent collection of artifacts from pre-Hispanic times through the modern political era, plus a gallery for visiting exhibits that has included everything from the works of artist Diego Rivera to a well-curated yet disturbing exhibit chronicling torture and human-rights violations through the ages. Music, theater, and dance performances take place in the center's concert hall and courtyard, and there's also a cafe and an excellent museum bookshop. Call to check the concert schedule during your visit. The center also holds the new Museo de las Californias (Museum of the Californias), with exhibits that trace the history of the Californias, dating back to prehistoric times. The center is open daily from 10am to 7pm. Admission to the museum's permanent exhibits is free; there's a $2 charge for the special-event gallery, and tickets for OMNIMAX films are $4 for adults and $2.50 for children. The OMNIMAX theater is open Monday through Friday 1 to 9pm, and Saturdays and Sundays 10am to 9pm.

The Cultural Center may sound like a field trip for schoolchildren, but it's a must-see, if only to drag you away from tourist kitsch and into the more sophisticated Zona Río (river area) of Tijuana. While there, stop to admire the wide, European-style Paseo de los Héroes. The boulevard's intersections are gigantic glorietas (traffic circles), at the center of which stand statuesque monuments to leaders ranging from Aztec Emperor Cuauhtémoc to Abraham Lincoln. Navigating the congested glorietas will require your undivided attention, however, so it's best to pull over to admire the monuments. The Zona Río also has some classier shopping options, a colorful local marketplace, and the Baja California Cultural Institute, which has exhibits showcasing the culture of the region. It's at 10151 Av. Centenario.

The ultimate kid destination in Tijuana is Mundo Divertido La Mesa, 15035 Vía Rápida Poniente, Fracc. San José (tel. 664/701-7133 or 664/701-7134). Literally translated, it means "fun world," and one parent described it as the Mexican equivalent of "a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant built inside a Malibu Grand Prix." You get the idea -- noisy and frenetic, it's the kind of place kids dream about. Let them choose from miniature golf, batting cages, a roller coaster, a kid-size train, a video-game parlor, a bowling alley, movie theaters, and go-karts. There's a food court with tacos and hamburgers; if you're in luck, the picnic area will be festooned with streamers and piñatas for some fortunate child's birthday party. The park is open weekdays noon to 9pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am until 10pm. Admission is free, and several booths inside sell tickets for the various rides, which cost from $1 to $11.

The fertile valleys of northern Baja produce most of Mexico's finest wines; many high-quality vintages are exported to Europe but most are not available in the U.S. For an introduction to Mexican wines, stop into Cava de Vinos L.A. Cetto (L.A. Cetto Winery), Av. Cañón Johnson 2108, at Avenida Constitución Sur (tel. 664/685-3031 or 664/685-1644; www.lacetto.com) or make an appointment for a tasting. Shaped like a wine barrel, this building's striking facade was fashioned from old oak aging barrels in an inspired bit of recycling. The entrance has a couple of wine presses (ca. 1928) that Don Angel Cetto used back in the early days of production. His family still runs the winery, which opened the impressive visitor center in 1993. L.A. Cetto bottles both red and white wines, some of them award winners, including Petite Sirah, Nebbiolo, chardonnay, and cabernet sauvignon. Most bottles cost about $5; the special reserves are a little more than $15. The company also produces tequila and olive oil, for sale here. Admission is $3 for a tour and generous tasting (for those 18 and older only; those under 18 are admitted free with an adult but cannot taste the wines), $5 with souvenir wine glass. L.A. Cetto is open Monday through Friday 10am to 5:30pm, and Saturday 10am to 4:30pm. Tours and tastings run Monday through Friday 10am to noon and 2 to 5pm.

If your tastes run more toward cerveza than wine, plan to visit the Cerveza Tijuana brewery, Fundadores 2951, Col. Juárez (tel. 664/684-2406 or 664/638-8662; www.tjbeer.com). Here, guided tours (by prior appointment) demonstrate the beer-making process at the brewery, where all beers are made from a select group of hops and malt. The family that owns the company has a long tradition of master brewers who worked in breweries in the Czech Republic and brought their knowledge back home to Tijuana. Cerveza Tijuana was founded in January 2000, and now has select distribution in the U.S. Its lager, dark, and light beers are all available to sample in the adjoining European-style pub, which features karaoke on Monday and Tuesday nights and live music Wednesday through Saturday. A menu of appetizers and entrees is also available. It's open Monday to Saturday 1pm to 2am.

Sites of Interest

Tijuana's long and varied history has given rise to a number of intriguing sites of interest. Here are a few of my favorites:

Although the original Caesar's Palace Hotel, Av. Revolución 1059, at Calle 5 (tel. 664/685-1666), is one of Tijuana's oldest hotels, its real claim to fame is as the probable birthplace of the Caesar salad (tossed by Caesar Cardini in 1924).

The oldest church in Tijuana is the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral), in front of City Hall, at Paseo Centenario 10150 and Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, in Zona Río (tel. 664/607-3775). First inaugurated in 1902 as a parish church, it was appointed cathedral status in 1964, at which time an expanded construction began, which was completed in the mid-1970s. A more recent expansion began in 2001 and is still underway. You can watch the progress at www.nuevacatedraldetijuana.org. When finished, the renovated cathedral will seat 3,000, with standing room for 14,000. Its hallmark will be a brilliant white obelisk bell tower 25 stories high in front of a large statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico's patron saint. Mass is celebrated Monday through Friday at 8am and 7pm, Saturdays at 7pm, and Sundays at 9am, noon, and 6pm.

A modern symbol of Tijuana, the Monumental Arch (also referred to as the Tijuana or Millennium Arch, or Monumental Clock) was constructed to celebrate the millennium and has become a source of local debate as to whether it's loved or hated (its modern architecture leaves some with a bad taste in their mouth, as it sits in a historical district). It's at the mouth of Plaza Santa Cecilia, where Calle 1 meets Avenida Revolución.

Plaza Santa Cecilia, also known as Arguello Square, is Tijuana's oldest plaza; at Calle 1 and Avenida Revolución, near the Tourist Assistance kiosk, it is the only plaza in the city that is on a transverse street from the original city-planning grid. Today it's home to a variety of colorfully painted restaurants and shops, and you'll almost always find a mariachi band playing for tips. At the center of the plaza is a monument to Santa Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians.

First Crush: The Annual Harvest Festival

If you enjoyed a visit to L.A. Cetto, Tijuana's winery or Ensenada's Bodegas de Santo Tomás, then you might want to return during the Fiesta de la Vendimia (Harvest Festival), held each year in late August or early September. Set among the endless vineyards of the fertile Valle de Guadalupe, the day's events include the traditional blessing of the grapes, wine tastings, live music and dancing, riding exhibitions, and a country-style Mexican meal. L.A. Cetto offers a group excursion from Tijuana (about an hour's drive); San Diego's Baja California Tours (tel. 800/336-5454 or 858/454-7166) also organizes a daylong trip from San Diego.