San Diego
Most of Carlsbad's top lodgings are inland, but this swanky spot is an easy walk to the ocean across Hwy 101. Pools, spa, business and fitness centers will keep you busy on land. Chandler's restaurant serves three squares, including creative dinners like porcini-dusted Diver scallop and Alaskan king salmon with tomato-fennel marmalade. Parking costs $19. Resort fee $20 per night.
It's about 4 miles south of Carlsbad Village and west of Legoland, a stone's throw from the ocean.
17.44 MILES
Built in the 1930s behind a wave-cutting seawall, La Jolla’s Children’s Pool was created as a family beach but has since been invaded by herds of seals…
16.47 MILES
This state-of-the-art aquarium is a wonderous underwater world home to 5000 fish. Visitors can watch sharks dart, kelp forests sway, and even meet a…
7.71 MILES
It's easy to spend an hour in this heartfelt museum of surf artifacts, from a timeline of surfing history to surf-themed art and a radical collection of…
27.32 MILES
Next to the new Waterfront Park, this collection of 11 historic sailing ships, steam boats and submarines is easy to spot: just look for the 100ft-high…
28.16 MILES
This interactive children’s museum offers interactive art meant for kids. Installations are designed by artists, so tykes can learn principles of movement…
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
24.68 MILES
On the site of San Diego's first European settlement, Old Town consists of a cluster of restored or rebuilt historic 19th-century buildings filled with…
28.46 MILES
A couple blocks east of Petco Park, the city's recent landmark is a beauty. Crowned by a steel-and-mesh dome, the futuristic, nine-story library features…
17.37 MILES
Waves have carved a series of caves into the sandstone cliffs east of La Jolla Cove. The one below the Cave Store, a shop selling vintage curios, is 200…
1.41 MILES
One of the last remaining tidal wetlands in California, Batiquitos Lagoon separates Carlsbad from Encinitas. A self-guided tour lets you explore area…
2. Carlsbad Ranch Flower Fields
1.8 MILES
The 50-acre flower fields of Carlsbad Ranch are ablaze in a sea of the carmine, saffron and snow-white blossoms of giant tecolote ranunculus. Take the…
2.02 MILES
Historical exhibits and listening stations of 450 instruments from the 1890s to the present, from manufacturing to the distribution of popular music.
2.13 MILES
A fantasy environment built largely of those little colored plastic blocks from Denmark. Many rides and attractions are targeted to elementary schoolers:…
3.75 MILES
This 37-acre garden has a large collection of California native plants as well as flora of different regions of the world, including Australia and Central…
6. Self-Realization Fellowship Retreat
4.51 MILES
Yogi Paramahansa Yogananda founded his center here in 1937, and the town has been a magnet for holistic healers and natural-lifestyle seekers ever since…
4.57 MILES
Carlsbad’s long, sandy beaches are great for walking and searching for seashells. Good access is from Carlsbad Blvd, two blocks south of Carlsbad Village…
5.29 MILES
A little north of Cardiff State Beach, San Elijo State Beach has good winter waves and $10 parking all day Monday to Thursday, $12 all day Friday through…