Cabrillo National Monument

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Cabrillo National Monument is a park commemorating the first European visit to what is now San Diego, California, in 1542, by a Spanish expedition led by the Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo (or Cabrilho).

Established in 1913, the park is located at the southern end of the Point Loma peninsula (32° 40' 28" N., 117° 14' 23" W.). It includes a statue of Cabrillo and a visitors' center with exhibits about the Spanish exploration and colonization of the Americas as well as other historic events associated with Point Loma. The park also includes an 1855 lighthouse (taken out of service because low-lying fog often made its light invisible to ships at sea; it is now a museum) as well as a newer, functioning lighthouse, and coastal defense emplacements from World War II. At low tide, visitors can also see coastal tide pools, which contain unusual aquatic flora and fauna.

From the visitors' center there are views of San Diego Bay, Coronado "island" (actually a peninsula) and its Naval Air Station, and, to the west, the Pacific Ocean, where whales can often be seen during their migration seasons. The park and nearby areas of Point Loma are known among birders as good sites for seeing migrating birds.