Because it’s so close to Southern California and Americans don’t need a passport to visit or return (at least until next year), Tijuana remains a popular destination for many Americans, even if they stay for only a few hours. Given that nearly three-quarters of Americans don’t have a passport, that means for many, Tijuana is the only experience of a foreign country they’ll have. Which is all the more reason why they should consider venturing beyond Revolution Avenue, with its strip clubs and curio shops. If all you saw of the rest of the world was Revolution Avenue, you just might never want to leave the U.S. again. Tijuana locals I know avoid Revolution Avenue like the plague, yet tourists flock to it, generally because they have no idea where else to go. So where else to go in Tijuana?

The San Diego Union-Tribune just published a handy little guide to 10 intriguing Tijuana spots by Tijuana writer Pablo Jaime Sáinz.

Among the places and activities he suggests:

* Parque Morelos, a 150-acre park featuring food and rides that’s popular with locals

* Mundo Divertido, a small theme park with roller coasters and other attractions

* Tacos Salceados, a gourmet taco shop that is, in Sáinz’s words, “the best taquería in Tijuana, without a doubt”

* Lucha libre Mexican wrestling, held most Friday nights at the Auditorio Municipal on Agua Caliente Boulevard

I would only add that a block away from the Municipal Auditorium is Carnitas Uruapan, a great carnitas restaurant where savory pork is cooked up in big vats out front. Inside, as mariachis belt out José Alfredo Jiménez classics, diners at picnic tables devour big plates of carnitas with corn tortilas, onions, cilantro and salsa. Couple that with a dark Mexican beer and it’s a perfect pre-lucha libre dinner. Now that’s a Friday night. People who should know tell me Carnitas Uruapan is Tijuana’s oldest and best carnitas restaurant. Most taxi drivers at the border know the place. Just ask for Carnitas Uruapan near the Auditorio Municipal.

Related on World Hum:
* Introducing Xuani, Tijuana’s New (Sigh) Tourism Mascot
* Smackdown in Tijuana

Photo by Ollylain, via flickr (Creative Commons).