Can you believe that Belmont Park is a century old? It was constructed in 1925 by a wealthy entrepreneur called John D. Spreckels, who by his biographer was coined as “one of America’s few great Empire Builders who invested millions to turn a struggling, bankrupt village into the beautiful and cosmopolitan city San Diego is today”. In a bid to drive real estate sales as he worked to develop San Diego, he constructed the Mission Beach Amusement Center – or Belmont Park as it is known today. Since then, its main attractions have been the Giant Dipper roller coaster and The Plunge swimming pool. Fun fact, the 2,6000-foot-long roller coaster was built in less than two months! The Plunge is impressive too, as it is the largest indoor heated pool (then salt-water pool) in the world. Interestingly, the amusement park was not as popular as it is today, causing its closure in 1976. It was eventually restored and reopened in 1990 and has gathered an overwhelming number of visitors since.