Off-Duty Missions: Optional Friday Activities

Come early and have some fun in the Top Gun city. These optional activities take place on Friday, February 18, 2027 and are open to all attendees, exhibitors, and spouse/companions. Pre-registration is required and can be added to the forum registration form. 

Golf Outing - Steele Canyon

 One of San Diego’s finest golf clubs. Steele Canyon is a 27-hole championship golf course designed by Gary Player, one of history’s greatest golfers. He designed Steele Canyon with great respect and appreciation for the natural beauty of the terrain.

Since opening for play, Steele Canyon has been celebrated as one of California’s most exciting golf courses. From the dramatic elevation changes of the Canyon nine to the subtle nuances of the Vineyard nine and the total seclusion of the Ranch nine, any combination will make for a wonderful day of golf. As a recipient of Golf Digest’s prestigious “4-½ Star Award” and more recently a City Beat News Spectrum Award winner, Steele Canyon Golf Club has been nationally recognized as one of Southern California’s best publicly accessible golf courses.

Itinerary:

• 6:30 am - Transfer from hotel to course (3199 Stonefield Drive, Jamul, CA 91935) on FSSA coach bus
• 8:00 am - Shotgun start
• Ends with lunch and transfer back to the hotel (approx. return time is 2:00 pm)

Cost:

• Early Access through October 6, 2026: $310/player 
• After October 6, 2026: $360/player

Registration for the golf outing can be added to the forum attendee or exhibitor registration form. If you've already registered and would like to add golf, click here to submit the add-on.

Cost per person includes greens fees, cart fees, boxed lunch, transportation, service fee, and taxes. Club rentals fees are not included. Call the pro shop at (619) 441-6900 for pricing and rental information.

USS MIDWAY PRIVATE 1-HOUR VIP TOUR

Step aboard the USS Midway—the longest-serving U.S. aircraft carrier of the 20th century, commissioned in 1945 and named for the Battle of Midway—for a private one-hour VIP Docent Tour.

After the guided hour, stay on board for the sailor-narrated audio tour and the 15-minute “Voices of Midway” film. This Cold War and Vietnam-era flagship later led the Saigon evacuation and served in Desert Storm before opening as San Diego’s top-rated museum.

Itinerary:

• 8:45 am - Meet and walk to USS Midway (4-minute walk from the hotel)
• 9:00 am - 10:00 am - Guided VIP Tour
• 10:00 am - Continue Tour on Your Own

Cost:  $65/person

WHALE WATCHING TOUR 

Join a 3- to 3.5-hour whale-watching cruise departing from downtown San Diego’s Broadway Pier and head out on a spacious two-deck vessel in search of gray whales during their annual Alaska-to-Baja migration. More than 20,000 gray whales pass close to the coast from mid-December through April. Flagship captains have tracked these routes since 1955 and use real-time conditions to put you in the best position for sightings, with onboard naturalists providing commentary.

Sightings are guaranteed or your next trip is free. You may also see fin, humpback, or minke whales, plus dolphins, sea lions, and seabirds. 

Itinerary:

• 8:30 am - Walk from hotel to Broadway Pier - 990 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA (approx. 15 minutes)
• 9:00 am - ship boards 15- 30 minutes prior to departure
• 9:30 am - 1:00 pm - San Diego Whale Watching Cruise

Cost:  $52/person

A snack bar on board is available for purchase with sandwiches, wraps, hot dogs, snacks, coffee, sodas, local beer, wine, and cocktails; light snacks may be brought aboard, but coolers, glass, and outside alcohol are not allowed. Please note that the boat is cashless.