Oceanside
“Let’s head down to the ocean side,” is what they used to say, providing an easy name for this marvelous city found exactly where its name suggests. Right next to the beautiful Pacific, just 35 miles north of San Diego, Oceanside serves up all the advantages and none of the drawbacks of modern city life. Just ask the approximately 161,000 people who call Oceanside home.
Well served by wide roads, excellent schools and first-rate services, Oceanside is perfect for singles and families. Oceanside Harbor and 3.5 miles of beaches will turn any city dweller into a water lover. The San Luis Rey Bike Trail runs 7.2 miles along the river of the same name. And the Oceanside Transit Center offers easy access to the Coaster, the Sprinter, Amtrak and Metrolink trains or to North County Transit District buses.
If you’re looking for culture, sure you can head to nearby San Diego, Orange County or Los Angeles. But the Oceanside Museum of Art exhibits wonderful contemporary works from local artists and around the world. They also offer art instruction, films, concerts, lectures and tours. The magnificent ocean views are thrown in for free. And don’t forget all that happens where the water meets the shore -- Oceanside Harbor Days, an annual fall festival of arts, crafts, great food and entertainment; the Holiday Boat Parade in the Harbor; and outdoor concerts at the Oceanside Pier Plaza Amphitheatre.
So the next time you have nothing to do and plenty of time to do it, come on down to Oceanside where there’s plenty to do for everyone.
Websites of interest:
http://www.ci.oceanside.ca.us/
http://www.oceanside-ca.com/
http://www.oceansidechamber.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceanside,_California
Vista
Vista is just seven miles from the beautiful Pacific Coast. But that’s not the only reason we’re also Number Seven on “50 Fabulous Places to Raise Your Family.” Whether your priorities call for great schools, cultural happenings or the greatest of the great outdoors, Vista is sure to fill the bill.
A city of wide-open spaces, Vista has found that a dozen public parks fill those spaces well, including the 82-acre Brengle Terrace Park, which includes tennis, volleyball, a gymnasium, the Moonlight Amphitheatre and the beautiful Alta Vista Gardens. Guajome County Park is 557 acres (part of which is in nearby Oceanside) and offers campsites, horse trails, and the Rancho Guajome Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. If you want to get wet, there’s the Wave Waterpark, “North County’s Coolest Hot Spot.”
For the more culturally inclined, Moonlight Stage Productions, housed in the Avo Playhouse, brings you professionally produced plays and musicals. In the summer, productions can move outdoors to the Moonlight Amphitheatre. But culture comes in all shapes and sizes, such as the 55-acre Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, featuring a century of California farming and the equipment and people that made it possible. And connoisseurs will love our many restaurants, and really love our weekly Saturday Farmer’s Market, featuring the best in local produce, baking and specialty items.
So bring your energy, your appetite and your sense of adventure and see what makes Vista so Fabulous!
http://www.cityofvista.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vista,_California
http://www.moonlightstage.com
http://www.thewavewaterpark.com
Carlsbad
“The Village by the Sea,” Carlsbad is a city of the past, the present and the future – but let’s dwell a moment on the past. A newly discovered carving of a bear into volcanic rock was carbon dated at 8,000 years old. Of course the bear looked great for its age, partly due, no doubt, to the perfect climate, welcoming atmosphere and awesome views that help everyone in Carlsbad stay relaxed and rested. Situated on the ocean and rich in lagoons, beaches, undeveloped natural beauty and a thriving, vibrant community life, Carlsbad may be the perfect Southern California coastal city. No wonder the bear looked so good.
You cannot seriously discuss Carlsbad’s cultural life without mentioning its most famous achievement: LEGOLAND® California. Built with some 30 million LEGO bricks (and a few of the regular kind), this amazing 122-acre park draws visitors from all over the country. Now, with the amazing SEA LIFETM Aquarium, incorporating 72 LEGO® models, there is even more to see. If you seek a more natural setting, The Flower Fields® is a truly spectacular creation, with 50 acres of breathtaking color overlooking the glorious Pacific. Equally unique is the Museum of Making Music, where you can learn about all things musical, and enjoy marvelous exhibits and concerts. And San Diego’s resorts and golf courses are world famous, so make sure to play a few holes. When it’s time to be good to yourself – and when is it not! – we have the fabulous La Costa Resort and the luxurious Four Season’s Aviara.
Downtown, known as Carlsbad Village, is home to antique emporia, restaurants, and shops of every kind. The area also hosts marathons, a weekly Farmer’s Market and, twice a year, the Village Street Faire, the largest street fair in North America. And Olde Carlsbad, near the city’s original boundaries, offers an amazing mix of architecture, including the Magee House, and Carlsbad’s history museum.
http://www.visitcarlsbad.com
http://www.carlsbad.ca.us
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlsbad,_California
http://www.museumofmakingmusic.org
http://www.lacosta.com/
http://www.fourseasons.com/aviara/