Robert Arends (619) 557-2834
rarends@sandiego.org
Candice Eley (619) 557-2889
celey@sdcvb.org
Sarah Weinberg (619) 557-2838
sweinberg@sdcvb.org
MAY 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN DIEGO'S NORTH COUNTY COAST: A STUNNING VACATION
DESTINATION
With majestic sandstone cliffs covered in towering pine trees and expansive sandy beaches
along the sparkling Pacific, San Diego’s North County coastline offers some of the most beautiful
scenery in the nation. Visitors can drive along Historic Highway 101 from luxurious Del Mar to laidback Oceanside, enjoying the sites en route along with diverse and vibrant communities that capture
the true essence of a Southern California vacation.
From secluded seaside escapes, to vintage surf culture and family-friendly fun in the sun, to
discriminating dining and arts offerings, San Diego’s northern coastline can suit any traveler’s taste
and interest. Featuring world-class golf courses, European-style spa resorts, fine dining, rich arts and
culture, endless shopping and some of the most beautiful beaches in Southern California, San Diego’s
North County coast is waiting to be discovered.
DEL MAR AND SOLANA BEACH: SEASIDE HIDEAWAYS
The seaside town of Del Mar is famous for the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, founded by
Bing Crosby, and its charming downtown district along the historic Highway 101. Nestled
between salt water lagoons and a beautiful beach, Del Mar is a picturesque upscale neighborhood
popular for shopping and dining in some of San Diego County’s finest restaurants.
www.delmar.ca.us

The European-style retail village Del Mar Plaza is an elegant outdoor shopping complex
in the heart of Del Mar. Guests can find a selection of popular cafés, bookstores and
boutique shops. www.delmarplaza.com

Del Mar is home to numerous revered fine dining restaurants, many with outdoor patios
overlooking the Pacific. Opened in October 2010, Flavor Del Mar
(www.flavordelmar.com) features beautiful ocean views and chef Jason Maitland at the
kitchen’s helm, crafting menus based on locally sourced seasonal ingredients. KITCHEN
1540 at the luxurious L’Auberge Del Mar Resort & Spa (www.laubergedelmar.com)
features a seasonally driven menu of fresh ingredients prepared by chef Paul McCabe, a
frequent guest chef at the James Beard House in New York. A former contestant on
Bravo’s “Top Chef,” Brian Malarkey will open his newest restaurant, Burlap, in summer
2011 in Del Mar. Burlap’s offerings will have an Asian influence that Malarkey describes
as “Asian cowboy” cuisine, focusing on meats, seafood and bold side dishes.

The “turf meets the surf” at the Del Mar Racetrack where fans flock each summer from
July through September to wager on their favorite horses during the popular, annual Del
Mar Thoroughbred Club racing season. The races run six days weekly, with special live
entertainment during 4 O’Clock Fridays, a free headliner concert following Friday’s last
race. www.dmtc.com
Just north of Del Mar, the oceanfront neighborhood of Solana Beach boasts shopping and
dining both elegant and uniquely San Diego. www.ci.solana-beach.ca.us

The Cedros Design District in Solana Beach is a seaside niche of artist studios, galleries,
home furnishing stores, travel outfitters and boutique shops specializing in everything
from clothing and wearable art to imported hand-crafted items. Cedros Design District
also features relaxing health and beauty spas, patio dining and comfortable cafes.
www.cedrosdesigndistrict.net

Pamplemousse Grille (www.pgrille.com) has been a fine dining favorite in the region for
nearly 15 years. Chef/owner Jeffrey Strauss, who claims to have invented the culinary
staple of truffle fries, offers a menu mastering the assertive flavors of game, from smoked
Muscovy duck breast to baby rack of venison au poivre. Blanca Restaurant
(www.dineblanca.com) continues to win praise both regionally and nationally with its
modern California cuisine focused on local, seasonal ingredients.
ENCINITAS: A NATURAL BEAUTY
North of Solana Beach, Encinitas is an unspoiled reminder of the historic Highway 101
beach culture that thrived in the mid-1900s. The neighborhood’s eclectic downtown offers a
unique and dynamic blend of surf shops, casual cafes and coffeehouses, record stores and more.
www.ci.encinitas.ca.us

Made famous by the Beach Boys’ hit song “Surfin’ USA,” Encinitas’ Swami Beach is one
of San Diego County’s prime surf spots. Big waves break off the narrow, cobblestonestrewn beach challenging experienced surfers, while snorkelers and scuba divers explore a
fascinating underwater preserve nearby. Although swimming and sunbathing are
impractical here, a staircase that leads from the cliffs to the beach offers great views of
daredevil surfers below and the surrounding area’s magnificent scenery.
www.beachcalifornia.com/swami.html

Set along Highway 101, the tall white walls and golden lotus domes of the SelfRealization Fellowship Temple and Ashram Center shelter an expansive meditation
garden that offer beautiful views of Encinitas’ coastal beaches below. Here, Paramahansa
Yogananda, one of the preeminent spiritual figures of our time, wrote his Autobiography of
a Yogi, introducing spiritual seekers to India's age-old philosophy of Yoga and the timehonored tradition of meditation. The public is welcomed to the Self-Realization Temple
and its gardens for mediation, prayer and lecture services. www.yoganandasrf.org/temples/encinitas

Also along Highway 101, shoppers can explore aisles of eclectic and esoteric collectables
at Ducky Waddle's Emporium (www.duckywaddles.com), a worldwide source for
scarce and unusual books, multimedia art, toys, jewelry and more. Next door, Lou’s
Records (www.lousrecords.com) has been a local icon for San Diego music fans,
showcasing an unbeatable selection of new and used vinyls, tapes, CDs, turntables and
more that attracts visitors from all over Southern California.

Pizza aficionados flock to Blue Ribbon Pizza (www.blueribbonpizzeria.com), serving
hand-crafted wood-fired pizzas with local, organic produce and house-made cheese and
fennel sausage. Also available are local craft beers on tap and unique appetizers like local
yellowtail crudo with citrus and shaved fennel, sweet corn soup with chili oil and fresh
burratta with olive oil, sea salt and organic arugula.

Located just two miles east of the coast, the San Diego Botanical Garden is set on a
beautiful 30-acre private estate. Their collection of beautiful gardens featuring unusual
plants from around the world includes the Hamilton Children's Garden, the largest
interactive children's garden in the West Coast. www.sdbgarden.org

Offering innovative shows throughout the year, the Lux Art Institute aims to redefine
the museum experience to make art more accessible and personally meaningful. Their
artist-in-residence program provides up-close opportunities to view international artists at
work. www.luxartinstitute.com
CARLSBAD: A FAMILY FAVORITE
Known as the "Village by the Sea," Carlsbad offers beautiful beaches, diverse shopping, fine
and casual dining, and fun activities making it a perennial favorite for families and the young and
young at heart.

Located inland, LEGOLAND California is a 128-acre theme park for families with children
aged 2 to 12. Guests can experience 50 rides, shows and attractions, including the new STAR
WARS Miniland exhibit, which opened in March 2011, featuring six live-action LEGO
displays of memorable scenes from the classic Star Wars movies. Miniland USA also displays
the wonders of Washington D.C., New Orleans, New York City, Florida, San Francisco, Las
Vegas and the Southern California coastline right down to the smallest detail.
www.legoland.com

SEA LIFE Aquarium at LEGOLAND California offers 36,000 sq. ft. of play zones, fin
facts, quiz trails and marine exhibits designed to educate children about life under the sea.
The aquarium features a seahorse kingdom, 360-degree ring of sting rays and fish, an
interactive tide pool and 175,000-gallon aquarium displaying a replication of the Lost City
of Atlantis. The aquarium requires a separate admission from LEGOLAND® California.
www.sealifeus.com

Set at the foot of coastal bluffs along the south end of Carlsbad, Carlsbad State Beach is
ideal for families looking to swim, surf, scuba dive or fish. Visitors can walk or jog along
the Carlsbad Seawall north to Frazee Beach Park, where So Cal Surf offers private surf
lessons, surf camps and surfboard/bodyboard rentals. www.socalsurflessons.com

Each year from mid-March through late April, The Flower Fields at Carlsbad
California come alive when 50-acres of ranunculus plants present a spectacular canvas of
color. Guests are invited to walk through the fields on designated paths and view a
"rainbow" of millions of flowers, whose bulbs are harvested and marketed world-wide.
The Flower Fields is the only ranch of its kind in the world that encourages the public to
enjoy the beautiful flower up-close. www.theflowerfields.com

Discerning diners can find exquisite French fare at Paon Restaurant and Wine Bar
(www.paoncarlsbad.com), located in the downtown Carlsbad Village. Paon's
menu features seasonal, locally grown organic produce as well as organic prime meats,
game and fish prepared with traditional French sophistication. West Steak and Seafood,
located in the West Inn & Suites, also offers farm-to-table focused cuisine, with many
ingredients grown right on the property’s one-acre farm
(www.weststeakandseafood.com).

Carlsbad Company Stores, a specialty retail center, offers nearly 90 name-brand outlets,
including Donna Karan Company Store, Nine West, Carter’s, West Point Stevens Bed
Bath & Linens and Pauling Blue Fire Diamonds. Guests can experience an ultimate
shopping experience surrounded by beautiful fountains, palm trees and a soothing ocean
breeze. www.carlsbadcompanystores.com

For visitors with an adventurous spirit, Carlsbad offers A1 Biplane, Air Combat and
Warbird Adventures. Rides are available for two passengers, in helmet and goggles,
riding side-by-side in the front of a 1929 open cockpit biplane over the scenic coastline of
the Pacific Ocean. The pilot flies from the back cockpit while providing interesting and
humorous commentary along with educational aerodynamic demonstrations.
www.barnstorming.com
OCEANSIDE: SAN DIEGO’ S SURF CULTURE
Located along historic Highway 101 at the northernmost end of San Diego’s coastline,
Oceanside is home to pristine beaches, historical landmarks and a distinct Southern California
surf culture where visitors can explore a diversity of attractions. www.ci.oceanside.ca.us

Spanning 1,942 feet, the Oceanside Municipal Pier is the longest wooden pier on the
West Coast. An attraction on its own, the pier provides a perfect setting for fishing,
walking and wave watching. Guests can enjoy a burger and milk shake at Ruby’s Diner,
set out at the pier’s end. For those unable to walk its entire length, a tram transports
guests to the end of the pier and back for a small fee.

Diners can savor fresh seafood 333 Pacific (www.cohnrestaurants.com) while taking in
the view of the Pacific Ocean and Oceanside Municipal Pier. Menu offerings range from
traditional oysters Rockefeller to more adventuresome dishes like the spicy tuna eggplant
tempura with poke and eel sauces and wasabi tobiko. Those looking for an authentic
Mexican dining experience can head inland to Mariscos La Ensenada, where fresh
shrimp and whole fish entrees are prepared in the traditional Baja style.
(www.mariscoslaensenada.com)

Preserving California surf culture and chronicling its art and heritage, the California Surf
Museum near the Oceanside Pier houses a permanent collection of historic boards,
photographs and videos. Visitors can explore a colorful and educational display on the
sport of surfing and the legends who braved the waters over generations.
www.surfmuseum.org

A popular and prestigious surfside tradition is the Annual World Body Surfing
Championships, which takes place in August at the Oceanside Pier and Beach.
International and U.S. body surfers, equipped with only a pair of swimming fins, ride and
perform on waves as they compete for the prestigious championship title.
www.worldbodysurfing.com

Oceanside’s Harbor Village is home to a cluster of shops, restaurants, a sport fishing
center and lighthouse, and is reminiscent of an old California fishing village. Set along the
water, within close proximity to the beach, this little village offers the perfect place for an
afternoon of soaking up local color.

Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside is California’s largest mission and a symbol of the
early mission legacy. Visitors can take a guided or self-guided tour of the mission grounds,
including its artifacts. Guests can also schedule a behind-the-scenes tour or reserve
special overnight and weekend stays at the mission. www.sanluisrey.org
Happiness is calling in San Diego. For more information on San Diego’s offerings,
including exciting vacation packages and valuable coupons for attractions, restaurants and more,
visit the San Diego Tourism Authority’s website at www.sandiego.org or call 619-236-1212.
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5/11
“Funded in part by the San Diego Tourism Marketing District with City of San Diego
Tourism Marketing District Assessment Funds.”