In early September, the Star of the Sea Room is scheduled to be available for special-event occasions such as wedding receptions, large parties and convention group gatherings. Otherwise, it will be closed.

“We did extensive research and learned that San Diego, because it’s a popular convention destination, has a pressing need for this kind of venue,” said Beverly Nascari, a co-owner who serves as director of guest relations. “It’s an untapped market that’s perfect for the level of dining experience we provide our guests.”

Several months ago, the restaurant was set to reopen under the name of Ghio’s, paying homage to the Italian fishing family that has owned and operated the popular seafood chain since the 1940s. Those plans, however, were put on hold after it was determined that San Diego has a surfeit of high-end seafood and steak eateries.

The restaurant has remained dark since late last year, in contrast to its always lively dining neighbors, the family style Anthony’s Fish Grotto and Anthony’s Fishette take-out venue.

The Ghios recently refurbished the 60-ft. dock alongside the Fish Grotto, which can accommodate up to four boats.

The upscale Star of the Sea Room was once regarded as one of San Diego’s most exclusive restaurants, along with the long-ago defunct Lubach’s a few blocks away.

“San Diego has changed a lot since we first opened (in 1966) and competition is fierce,” Nascari said. “We learned that even the good ones aren’t always that busy these days.”

The Star’s overall decor and high-end cuisine will remain the same. “The only difference is, we’ll only be open when we have a group event scheduled,” Nascari said.

The aquariums dark caverns are home to an array of sea life, from king crabs to eels to entire fleets of jellyfish. Youll see the garibaldi, Californias state fish (which bares a striking resemblance to a colossal goldfish cracker), leafy seadragons and seahorses cleverly blending into their kelp garden habitats, and shark embryos cozily nestled in their sacs in the aquatic nursery. Theres also the 30-pound, eight-foot giant Pacific octopus, who’s somewhat of an exhibitionist. Stick around long enough to see her stretch her tentacles across the tanks wall, plastered against the glass for all to see.

Also impossible to miss is the 70,000-gallon kelp tank, which contains a thriving underwater forest of fish and plant life. During weekly feeding sessions, divers equipped with headsets interact with gazers and answer questions about sea life.

Outside, perched atop a hillside overlooking La Jolla Shores and Scripps Pier, are three living tide pools aquatic petting zoos that are chock-full of touchable sea urchins, sea cucumbers and seastars. Hands-on learners are welcome to dive right in for a feel. From here, watchful eyes can catch sight of gray whales heading south on their annual winter migration to Baja.

A 13,000-gallon shark tank, located in the aquariums courtyard, houses whitetip and blacktip reef sharks as well as wobbegongs, a bottom-feeder carpet shark. If you time your visit just right, youll score a ringside seat for feeding hour, which happens three times weekly. Dont worry; its nothing too gory. These guys dine on mackerel and squid, not surfers.

Birch switches out its interactive museum exhibits annually; those currently on display explore DNA, earthquakes and the use of camouflage among sea life. The aquarium also offers an extensive calendar of events and classes, including activities such as full-moon sea walks, critter costume events, seaside storytelling and beginning snorkeling. Classes are held year-round, as are whale-watching and tide-pooling excursions and other special events. And for the intellectual set, keep an ear out for nationally known oceanographic voices during the aquarium’s Perspectives on Ocean Science lecture series.

During the week, it’s a good bet to visit after 1 p.m. because the aquarium hosts school groups in the mornings. On the weekends and holidays, get an opening-door early start to avoid crowds. Complimentary three-hour parking is available in the lot adjacent to the aquarium.

For this very reason, novice scuba classes are held at La Jolla Shores. The grassy park of Kellogg Park is located behind the main lifeguard station and provides an excellent area for picnicking. A wide cement boardwalk parallels a large area of the beach between the sand and the park.

The beach of La Jolla Shores is adjacent to the San Diego La Jolla Underwater Ecological Reserve. The removal of objects from thisarea as well as fishing are prohibited. The Scripps Pier lies at the north end of the beach, although the pier isnt open to the public.

Within the City limits, La Jolla Shores has the only beachfront boat launch. Small boats can be launched directly into the surf at foot of Avenida de la Playa, which is south of the lifeguard station. This can be a rough terrain area, so you may need to have a four wheel drive vehicle.

If you like to surf, there are specified areas on the beach where the waves tend to be small. For scuba diving, the south end of the beach is widely used by scuba driving classes.

During the summer months, La Jolla Shores can tend be very crowded. You should try to go in the morning, as the crowds arent as bad. This is a great beach during those hot summer days, with plenty to do for your entire family.