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| SPOTLIGHT | | Sandy
beach, is great for diving, swimming, sailing, snorkeling, and windsurfing. |
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Highlights
Encinitas is one of North County’s
favorite beach communities. Encinitas hotels provide easy access to Leucadia State
Beach, Moonlight State Beach, or the beaches at Cardiff by the Sea. Once considered
a rural beach community with its flower farms and plant nurseries, Encinitas still
holds some of that charm from a bygone era. Train buffs will enjoy hearing the
Amtrak “Coaster” roll through town daily as it travels the California coast. Old
Highway 101 lies four blocks east of the beaches and parallels the coast. Encinitas
has a plethora of antique shops, surf shops, restaurants, and local hangouts.
.
Encinitas is located in North
San Diego County, the southernmost county in the Western United States. With six
miles of rugged coastline and 21.5 square miles of land, Encinitas enjoys ocean
views and a great surfing culture from San Elijo Lagoon on the southern terminus
to Batiquitos Lagoon to the north. Encinitas got its name from Encina Canada,
Spanish for "hills of live oaks," which describes what Gaspar de Portola
saw in 1669 when he led an expedition through the region. The Spanish Governor
of Baja California hoped to create a stronghold in California and did so until
Mexico laid claim on the land in the 1800s. That reign was short lived and California
became a state of the United States in 1850.
From an 1800's gold rush
in nearby Julian to the arrival of celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin in the
early 1900's, at least two establishments offer glimpses into the rich Encinitas
past. Visit the San Dieguito Historical Museum to learn about Indian tribes that
once dominated the region. Or sit in the historic La Paloma Theatre (possibly
the first ‘talking’ theatre in the rural United States when it opened its doors
in 1928) to watch a current movie.
Beaches, flowers, peace and love welcome
you to Encinitas. IBM, teeing off for golf and a Starbucks latte in a plastic
cup might greet you, as well. Encinitas is a place where diversity rules and is
celebrated daily. When the communities of Leucadia, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Olivenhain
and old and new Encinitas incorporated together as the City of Encinitas in 1986,
their union on paper did not mean that each would give up its identity and character.
Apart from the other communities mentioned, even Encinitas appears to
contain separate entities unto itself. There's an established district with beaches
and shady, tree-lined streets located on Historic 101. Cute flags with pink butterflies
welcome guests and give the impression of a happy, old-fashioned place where businesses
such as Encinitas Surfboards have plied their craft since 1975. With an average
annual temperature of 72 degrees and sunshine nearly every day, life feels great,
no matter what you do in Encinitas.
In stark contrast, prepare for a
time warp with new plazas, tract housing and a bridge where carts from Encinitas
Ranch Golf Course pass over the fast moving, stoplight-driven El Camino Real.
From the opulent Self Realization Retreat and Hermitage where world travelers
come to meditate and look out over the Pacific Ocean, to the neighborly Moonlight
Beach, where lovers look out at the same ocean and snuggle, cheek to cheek, life
is beach after beach in Encinitas.
If you want waves, Swami's the place.
It is located at the southern end of Encinitas and offers world-class surfing.
If you want to take off your clothes and soak up rays, The Boneyard at 4th and
D Streets is a spot where you can do that. .. Activities for visitors include
shopping, eating, sunbathing, swimming, surfing, museums and galleries, meditation
and enlightenment and flower power. Once recognized as "the flower capital of
the world," and spot where the renowned Ecke poinsettia was introduced in 1923,
drop by one of the commercial nurseries open to the public and purchase a traditional
poinsettia or be the first on your block with one of the new release plants. (Poinsettias
grow rapidly in southern California and the innocent holiday bouquet planted in
a yard can take off unexpectedly and become a tree.) Speaking of trees, Quail
Botanical Garden claims it has the largest bamboo collection in the US. It is
considered one of the best gardens in San Diego County and well worth a small
admission fee charged.
Public Transportation: Amtrak and Coaster
commuter train from Oceanside to San Diego. Train station in Old Encinitas. North
County Transit District. Lindbergh Airport in San Diego. McClellan/Palomar Airport
in Carlsbad.
Golf courses: Encinitas Ranch Public Golf Course,
Aviara Golf Course in Carlsbad, and La Costa Resort in Carlsbad.
Parks:
San Elijo State Beach, Cardiff State Beach, Swami's Beach, San Elijo Lagoon in
Cardiff, Batiquitos Lagoon, Paul Ecke Sports Park, Cardiff Sports Park, Leo Mullen
Sports Park, Magdalena Ecke Park (undeveloped), Oakcrest Park, Quail
Botanical
Gardens, and Stagecoach Park. For more park information call: 760-633-2740.
Special
attractions: Nurseries, Friday Farmers' Market in Old Encinitas
April -- Encinitas
Street Fair celebrating the arrival of Spring
July and August -- Sunday concerts
at Moonlight Beach
August -- Encinitas Soccer Cup
Fall -- The Rob Machado
Surf Classic & Cardiff Beach Fair
September -- Encinitas Day featuring a 5K/1
mile run/walk, live entertainment, and family fun
October -- Oktoberfest celebrates
Olivenhain and Encinitas German heritage
Early December -- Fall flower tours
Certified Farmer's Market - Del Mar YEAR ROUND Saturday, 1:00 p.m.-4:00
p.m.; Solana Beach OPEN-AIR/SEASONAL Sunday, 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Getting
There
From San Diego, head north on I-5 and take one of the following
exits: Birmingham Drive, Santa Fe Drive, or Encinitas Boulevard.
Insider
Tips
Encinitas is perfect for those looking for a less tourist-oriented
destination. The community is mainly residential and has a wonderful variety of
restaurants, shops, and galleries. Swami’s, a local’s beach located at the south
end of Encinitas, offers stunning views of the ocean and sandstone cliffs — perfect
for photographers. Cyclists enjoy starting their rides in Encinitas, heading north
and south along Coast Route 101, which is bicycle | |
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Top Beaches |  |
| |
Carmel Beach | | Carmel Beach, for one,
is a tranquil cove of blue water bordered by soft white sand and cypress-covered
cliffs (the tides are deceptively strong and dangerous, so be careful if you chance
a swim). | | |
| Hermosa
Beach | | Have fun with volleyball, paddleball
or beach ball, while creating a golden tan or toning up. Surfboarding, skateboarding
or boogey boarding are all here. | | |
| Long
Beach | | As you drive along the coast
of Long Beach, don't be fooled by the sight of the bright pastel islands just
off shore; far from natural, they're actually oil-drilling platforms in disguise. |
| |
| Surfrider
Beach | | Surfrider Beach here was the
surfing capital of the world in the 1950s and early 1960s, as seen in the Beach
Blanket Bingo movies of Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon (the surf is at its
best in late summer). | | |
|
Malibu | | Malibu, at the top of the bay
twenty miles north of Santa Monica, is a whole other world, its beach-colony houses
owned by those famous enough to need privacy and rich enough to afford it. |
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|
Zuma Beach | | Five miles along the coast
from Malibu Pier, Zuma Beach is the largest and most crowded of the Los Angeles
County beaches. | | |
|
Point Dume State Beach | | Adjacent Point
Dume State Beach, below the imposing promontory of Point Dume, is a lot more relaxed. |
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| Pismo
Beach | | Just outside San Luis Obispo,
on Pismo's 23-mile stretch of prime beachfront, flip-flops are the shoes of choice
and surf wear is the dominant fashion. It's all about beach life here, so bring
your bathing suit, your board, and a good book. | |
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Ocean Beach | | Ocean Beach, six miles
northwest of downtown, rivals Pacific Beach in its surfing and party atmosphere,
although Ocean Beach has a more down-to-earth, bohemian feel, and is replete with
excellent secondhand music shops. | | |
|
La Jolla | | A more pretentious air prevails
in La Jolla, an elegant beach community just to the north that mystery writer
Raymond Chandler once described as "a nice place - for old people and their
parents." | | | |
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