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Sunny Jim Cave at the Cave Store: La Jolla's 200,000-Year-Old Sea Wonder

Over millennia, relentless ocean waves have sculpted a series of breathtaking caves into the sandstone cliffs east of La Jolla Cove. The crown jewel is Sunny Jim Cave beneath the Cave Store—a quaint shop brimming with vintage curios. At 200,000 years old, it's the only cave accessible directly from land.

L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, christened it Sunny Jim Cave, likening its entrance to the profile of Sunny Jim, a popular Force cereal mascot. In 1902, owner Gustav Schultz hired two Chinese laborers to excavate a tunnel linking the shop to the sea.

Mind your head as you descend the artificial tunnel from the store, tackling 144 steps to reach the natural cave. During the 1920s Prohibition era, it doubled as a secret smuggling route for bootleg alcohol into La Jolla.

Allow 15-20 minutes for the round trip from the viewing platform at the bottom back to the top.

Tickets and Practical Information

The Cave Store at 1325 Coast Blvd is open daily 9am-5pm (last tunnel entry at 5pm). Tickets cost $5 for adults and $3 for children.


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