Where has the time gone?!?!? I grew up in the 80s and I can’t believe Top Gun celebrates its 30^th Anniversary this year! The movie Top Gun made its box office debut on May 16, 1986 and 30 years later, it remains a favorite for many in the list of classic 80s movies.

Photo credit: Krista | Location: Kansas City BBQ – San Diego, CA

Top Gun is an action-packed movie about the United States Navy’s elite flight school and the pilots who compete to be the best in their class. Several scenes of Top Gun were filmed in San Diego – some of them are famous, like Kansas City BBQ and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and a few of the locations may be unfamiliar even to some locals.

To celebrate the upcoming 30^th Anniversary of Top Gun, there are several ways you can get into the action and “feel the need…the need for speed” with other fans. Let’s grab some Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses and get ready to join Maverick, Goose, Iceman and the rest of the cast on a trip down memory lane. Here are a few suggestions:

Top Gun Day at The Del

If you live in San Diego, or will be visiting on May 13, 2016, you may want to attend Top Gun Day at The Del. Throughout the day and into the night on Friday, May 13^th the Hotel Del Coronado will feature Top Gun inspired food, beverages, and spa treatments.

Photo credit: Krista

• The day will begin at 7:30 a.m. with a Top Gun Beach Spin Class (RSVP in advance).
• From 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. the Spa at The Del is offering Top Gun themed treatments (book in advance).
• From 11:30 a.m. until sunset, the Sun Deck will feature Top Gun themed cocktails and music.
• During the afternoon (starting at 1 p.m.) until sunset, you can pose for some fun photo opportunities with the photo purchase being a charity fundraiser.
• The day will conclude with an outdoor presentation of the movie, Top Gun, on the Windsor Lawn starting at 8 p.m. The movie is open seating and free to attend.
• Another evening option is listening to Gonzo Gonzales, a Coronado favorite, perform Top Gun classics while you sip on Top Gun inspired cocktails from 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. at the B&S Bar at The Del.
• More details about Top Gun Day at The Del can be found on the Hotel Del’s website.
• A portion of food & beverage sales from Top Gun Day at The Del will be donated to Wings Over America  – college scholarship fund for dependents of the Navy aviation community.

Kansas City BBQ – San Diego, California

Another option to celebrate Top Gun, if you live in or visit San Diego, is to enjoy a delicious BBQ meal at Kansas City BBQ. You’ll recognize this location from the sleazy bar scene in the Top Gun movie and much of the restaurant is decorated to pay homage to its role in this classic 80s movie. The story about how Kansas City BBQ was selected by the Top Gun production team can be found here.

Photo credits: Krista

• The BBQ food is good and there are options to eat indoors or outdoors. When I visited Kansas City BBQ a few months ago, I enjoyed a short stack of ribs and sides of baked beans and potato salad. Even though the weather was cloudy and cool, I opted to sit outside under an awning and enjoy the San Diego cityscape.
• After my meal, I made sure to wander inside to see the iconic piano and all of the Top Gun memorabilia that now adorns this BBQ joint. If you’re interested, there are Kansas City BBQ/Top Gun themed t-shirts and post cards available for purchase.
• The parking is sort of tricky – there is some street parking, but no obvious parking lot per se. If you’re staying at one of the hotels near the Convention Center or Seaport Village, it may be best to walk to Kansas City BBQ. Another option is taking the trolley, which has a stop not too far away.

Top Gun Filming Locations in San Diego

A tour of some of the filming locations is another way to mark this Top Gun milestone. There are several websites with posts listing the major filming locations around San Diego County.

• A handful of websites have posts with lists and details, oftentimes pictures, of Top Gun filming locations in San Diego:
  • About.com has a great list of Top Gun filming locations. Check it out here.
  • LocationsHub.com has a list of the top 5 filming locations every tourist should know. Check out the top 5 list here.
  • MeetNGreet.com recently posted a guide to Top Gun sites in San Diego. It can be found here.
  • Fast-Rewind.com features favorite 80s movies and offers a behind the scenes look at some of the locations on its Top Gun post. You can read more here.
• If you’ve visited Liberty Station recently, you may not have realized parts of Top Gun were filmed here. In the 1980s when the movie was being filmed, Liberty Station was still open as the Naval Training Center (NTC). This made it a natural choice for filming since Top Gun is a military/Navy movie. However, the architecture of NTC/Liberty Station is visually stunning, especially the repeating archways, and I’m sure the location scouts and cinematographers were delighted to film at NTC. One of the iconic scenes from Liberty Station/NTC was filmed on Roosevelt Road and Historic Decauter Road when Charlie follows Maverick to where his motorcycle is parked after a classroom briefing.
  

  Photo credits: Paramount Pictures and Krista

• After Charlie (Kelly McGillis) leaves NTC, she drives her car through the streets of San Diego and stops at the top of a hill where Maverick (Tom Cruise) catches up to her on his motorcycle. This location is on Laurel Street between Union & Curlew Streets and the large palm tree is still there today. The next time you drive up Laurel Street from the airport area to Balboa Park, pay attention on the right and you’ll see the palm tree.
  

  Photo credits: Paramount Pictures and Krista

• Point Loma Lighthouse has a few homes surrounding it where the lighthouse keepers live with their families. One of these homes was the exterior of Viper’s home in Top Gun. Point Loma Lighthouse is part of the National Park Service and the Cabrillo National Monument and is open daily.
  

  Photo credits: Paramount Pictures and Krista

Top Gun Party Ideas

If you don’t live in the San Diego area, but want to commemorate Top Gun’s 30^th Anniversary, you could host your own Top Gun themed party complete with viewing the movie. I found some fun ideas on Pinterest and created a Top Gun board with lots of great pins/links. If you don’t have your own copy of Top Gun, there is a special 30^th Anniversary edition of the movie now available. Of course, what is a party without music? The Top Gun soundtrack has several memorable songs which will forever be linked to the movie. A Top Gun or similar patriotic theme would also be fun ideas for a Memorial Day or a 4^th of July party or get together.

Maybe your hometown is hosting a Top Gun 30^th Anniversary viewing party? Be on the lookout or do an internet search for events happening near you during the weekend of May 13 – 15, 2016.

In May 1986 when Top Gun was first released, I was wrapping up my junior year of high school and my school’s summer break was on the horizon. I remember going to the movie theater at our local mall and watching Top Gun with some of my friends. It quickly became one of my favorite movies, especially from the 80s. Whenever I watch Top Gun, I’m reminded of that time of my life when anything was possible and the sky was the limit.

How many times have you seen Top Gun? What do you think makes Top Gun such a popular movie?

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” (Disclosure Status Updated Jan. 9, 2018)