Outdoor activities and entertainment have dominated this area of Coronado since the creation of the Hotel del Coronado. The Boat House was a prototype for the construction of the hotel itself and served the hotel with sailboats for guests to use. In 1903, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography was established in the Boat House, where it operated for two years before moving north to La Jolla. The building has hosted several Coronado restaurants over the decades, notably the Chart House (1968–2001) and, now, the Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill.

The Japanese Tea Garden in Coronado was another attraction created by Spreckels to enhance the experiences of his hotel guests on the island. Close to the hotel, it was popular with guests and locals alike, until its demise in the late 1930s and ultimate redevelopment for houses and businesses.

As with other activities on the island, golf was connected early on with the Hotel Del as part of its promotion as a resort. The first course was laid out in 1897 close to its current incarnation. However, by 1900, a new, 18-hole course was created on the grounds of the country club and its racetrack, where it remained until that area was taken over for postwar housing. By 1957, the golf course returned as a municipal course to the other side of the island, enlarged by filling in part of the bay.

● Southwest faces: The Hotel del Coronado Boat House perched on the edge of Glorietta Bay. Date unknown. Coronado Historical Association Collection. Rights reserved.
● East face: The Japanese Tea Garden was created by J.D. Spreckels on the property behind his house, which is now the Glorietta Bay Inn. c. 1920s. Coronado Historical Association Collection. Rights reserved.
● North face: A woman golfer swings at her tee at the Coronado Country Club. 1922. Coronado Historical Association Collection. Rights reserved.

Art Outside the Box: Take 2 is the second iteration of artful wraps on the Caltrans signal boxes along Orange Avenue in Coronado. This project, a collaboration sponsored by the Coronado Cultural Arts Commission uses historic photographs featuring scenes from the surrounding area which are enhanced graphically with pops of color. The photo selection was completed by Coronado High School interns at the Coronado Historical Association (CHA) using historical images that reside in their collection, and graphics were done by Coronado School of the Arts (CoSA) interns.