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The hotel that played Florida, the dive bar that played itself, and a century of studios shooting two hours south of Los Angeles.
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San Diego has been Hollywood's convenient backlot since the silent era: close enough to Los Angeles for a day's drive, with a beach, a desert, a border town and a naval fleet all within an hour. The most famous result is Some Like It Hot (1959), shot at the Hotel del Coronado standing in for 1920s Florida — the hotel still trades on it, and the beach in the film is the one out front. Top Gun (1986) put Miramar, Kansas City Barbeque downtown and the Oceanside pier on screen; Anchorman, Almost Famous, Traffic and Bring It On all used real local locations. Most of these places are ordinary and free to walk up to, which makes a self-guided film tour one of the cheapest good days in the county.
| Film | Location | Visitable |
|---|---|---|
| Some Like It Hot (1959) | Hotel del Coronado | Yes — public areas and beach |
| Top Gun (1986) | Kansas City Barbeque, Oceanside pier | Yes |
| Almost Famous (2000) | North County suburbs | Streets only |
| Anchorman (2004) | Downtown, Balboa Park | Yes |
| Traffic (2000) | Border crossing, Tijuana | Yes |
| Citizen Kane (1941) | San Diego Zoo footage | Yes |
Coronado · 1888
Billy Wilder shot Some Like It Hot here with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. The wooden Victorian exterior read convincingly as Jazz Age Florida, and the hotel has kept a display about the shoot ever since.
Coronado · Free
The stretch where the film's beach scenes were shot is public. Late afternoon is when the hotel's silhouette photographs best.
Coronado · Free
Not a film set, but the easiest car-free way to arrive from downtown and start a Coronado walking loop.
Downtown / Marina · Open
The bar where the piano scene was filmed, still operating with the memorabilia on the walls. It burned in 2008 and was rebuilt.
Oceanside · Free
Several beach and street scenes were shot in Oceanside rather than San Diego proper — the pier area is the recognizable part.
Kearny Mesa · Base — no public access
The original Fighter Weapons School has moved to Nevada, but the annual Miramar Air Show is the public window onto the site.
Balboa Park · Free
Its architecture has doubled for everything from Latin America to fantasy cities — Anchorman's fight scene and Citizen Kane's zoo footage both drew on the park area.
Some Like It Hot (1959), directed by Billy Wilder and starring Marilyn Monroe. The hotel stood in for a Florida resort and maintains a display about the production.
Yes. Kansas City Barbeque near the downtown marina is open to the public and still displays memorabilia from the 1986 film.
Partly. Miramar, downtown San Diego and Oceanside all appear, along with carrier footage shot at sea.
There is no single official tour, but the main locations — the Hotel del Coronado, Kansas City Barbeque, Balboa Park and the Oceanside pier — are all public and easy to string together in one day.
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Written and fact-checked by the Sandi Spots Editorial team — San Diego residents publishing under Sleep Coast LLC. Every place we recommend has been visited in person or verified against an official source, and no business can pay for inclusion or a higher ranking. Last updated .