Staying in Carlsbad, California, is an excellent choice. It is conveniently located between San Diego and Los Angeles. It is ideal for anyone exploring beaches, national parks, history, and nature. There is so much to do. You have only a few short hours, but it would take a year to try it all.

Here are some things I saw and did while I stayed in the area.

La Jolla Underwater Park

Along the Pacific California coast, there is a different little beach town every 20 miles. Each is unique, but perhaps none more remarkable than La Jolla. In La Jolla (Hoy ya), there’s an underwater park of 6,000 acres and four different habitats.

San Diego created the underwater park in 1970. It includes a reef, kelp forest, sand flats and canyons. Part of the park is an Ecological Reserve, and some are also a Marine Life Refuge. Fishing or scavenging is not allowed in the reserve. This prohibition makes the area a sanctuary for animals that might not otherwise linger.

Two artificial reefs keep the waves minimal and attract wildlife while creating an environment for them to thrive. This makes it a hotbed of sea life activity you can’t see anywhere else.

The area is very popular for kayaking, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Many shops line the main street heading toward the beach. On Avenida de la Playa, you can rent any sort of water equipment. You can also book a tour, grab lunch, or enjoy the street entertainment.

Read more about La Jolla Underwater Park here.

Old Town San Diego

Old Town is an area of San Diego. It is next to a historic state park with 32 historic sites and buildings. So, you have two areas: an old city and a historical park.

The neighborhood has dozens of Mexican-style restaurants, with patios on the streets, making a festive environment as you stroll past. Many musicians play in the streets, tourists walk about, and various street vendors sell handcrafted Mexican-style goods. Mixed in with the restaurants are dozens more little shops. There is a mix of Mexican food, souvenir shops, and live entertainment.

People walk around in traditional garb, and musicians play Spanish and Mexican music in the streets and town squares. Spaces and places offer opportunities to experience life from that era. Preserved and replica buildings offer insights, and museum exhibits also showcase this historical period.

Read more about Old Town San Diego here.

Balboa Park Museums

The park has 17 museums, multiple performing arts venues, themed gardens, shopping, restaurants, street vendors, and historical and cultural attractions. It is easily worth spending an entire day exploring all the park has to offer.

The zoo gets talked about all the time. Sadly, it overshadows the park. As a result, many visitors don’t plan to spend the time they should or even know about it. The only reason I found the park was diligently searching for trails and places to walk. Otherwise, I would have thought it was just the entrance to the zoo and never visited.

Balboa Park is one of the oldest parks in the United States. It was reserved in 1835 and encompassed 1,200 acres of history and cultural spaces. It’s only about 40 minutes from the Carlsbad area and a wonderful place to walk around during the day.

My interest in visiting the park was the gardens. I’d read that you explore nearly 20 distinct types of gardens with excellent walking trails. It was true. Balboa Park has verdant, attractive, well-maintained gardens throughout the large space. It seemed like every 50 feet, I stumbled upon another unique garden. There’s a lot to see and just about anyone can find something interesting in this park.

Read more about Balboa Park Museums here.

Day Trip to Joshua Tree

The trip from the Carlsbad area to Joshua Tree is about three hours. The journey is filled with excellent desert views once you leave the city. The national park borders the Mohave and Colorado desert systems, so each side of the park is distinct. It’s nearly 800,000 acres with an astonishing range of landforms. 

In the park’s center, the Joshua Trees are so plentiful it’s a veritable forest of them. This forest, however, is different than others you’ve seen. Even though there are thousands of trees, it’s still the desert. Open space is everywhere. 

It’s easy to reserve a campsite online and stay for a night. The neighboring town of Joshua Tree is fun to visit on the weekend. Many artists sell their wares at various markets there.

Read more about Joshua Tree here.

Day Trip to Death Valley

This is a longer drive from the Carlsbad area, about five hours, but one well worth it.

The park is enormous, but the landscape is so captivating it goes by in a quick shocking moment. There are many different types of strange geology to see. This variety is why many movies, like Stars Wars, have been filmed in the park. Massive dunes, deep craters, and salt flats go for miles. It’s a perfect description of what other planets must look like.

I was also stunned by the dramatic changes in temperature. On the fall day I was there, the desert air started in the mid-40s. It rose to 90 degrees. The temperature fluctuated depending on the time of day and my elevation.

It’s easy to reserve a campsite online and stay for a night. There isn’t much outside the park except the desert. However, there are enough amenities in the park, including gas, to last you a few days.

Read more about Death Valley here.

San Diego Botanic Garden

The San Diego Botanic Garden is a beautiful place to visit if you appreciate plants and flowers. It’s filled with 37 acres of flora and fauna. There are four miles of trails you can walk. It’s great exercise too.

But the thing that drew me to the gardens were their two corpse flowers. Yes, two, which is very rare. The corpse flowers are rare plants because they’re the largest flowering structure in the world. They also stink like the dead. When blooming, the flower stinks like rotting flesh. Fortunately, or unfortunately, they take about ten years to start blooming. Then, they only bloom about once every four to six years after that. Making it rarer to see is that the bloom only lasts two days. The San Diego plants bloomed in Oct. 2021.

The San Diego Botanic Garden has two of them. I arrived just a few days too early to see the full bloom. I missed the smell as well. However, I could still see the giant plant.

Even without the stinking flowers, the gardens are spectacular. They are worth a few hours of walking and exploring if you’re staying near Carlsbad.

Find the botanic garden at 300 Quail Gardens Dr, Encinitas, CA 92024.

Missions

Missions are always an excellent place to learn about the region’s history and the people who live there. They had a multi-cultural history. This included Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and European people. These missions functioned as self-sustaining communities. They weren’t all the same. Still, many taught agriculture, industry, and education. Religion was also enforced in exchange for work and a safe place.

Mission San Juan Capistrano is now a historic landmark and museum. For about $18, you can explore the grounds and learn about the ruins and history from over 200 years ago. There is still a chapel and other interesting architecture.

Find it at 26801 Ortega Highway San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675.

Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá was the first Franciscan mission in “The Californias,” when it was still a province of “New Spain,” as were the other missions. It’s in excellent condition, and you can see it for free unless you’re a large group.

Find it at 10818 San Diego Mission Road San Diego, CA 92108.

Torrey Pines Reserve

The Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is a beautiful place to spend a day hiking or enjoying the beach. The reserve has 1,500 acres of undeveloped land. It includes the maritime chaparral shrubland and the rare Torrey pine. There are also beaches and a lagoon.

Because it’s a reserve, there aren’t any animals allowed and not even food outside the beach. Despite the absence of dogs, it was my favorite area to hike near Carlsbad.

The highlight of the park, of course, is the Torrey Pines. These critically endangered trees grow only in the reserve and a few nearby areas. They grow from 26 to 56 feet tall and have long needles up to about 10 inches long. Because of their open, rounded shape, they look less like traditional pine trees. There are between 3,000 and 5,000 of them left in existence.

There’s a $20 state park fee to enter the reserve. Find it at 12500 North Torrey Pines Road, San Diego, CA 92037.

Coronado Island

Coronado is an island in the San Diego Bay known for its long, wind sandy beach, small-town vibes and the Victorian Hotel del Coronado. Crossing the massive San Diego- Coronado Bridge is part of the fun of visiting this island. It offers a view of the entire bay. You can see all the sailboats and yachts docked in the marinas. Downtown San Diego creates a stunning background.

I visited the island a few times. It was great to stroll the beach at sunset. I wandered around the hotel and marveled at its wood paneling and stained glass. The wide-open atrium is clearly from another time—1888, to be exact. It’s a fun day to spend at the hotel. You can enjoy the beach. Grabbing a bite to eat in the picturesque little downtown area is also enjoyable.

Meditation Gardens

The Self-Realization Fellowship and meditation gardens were closed during my time in Carlsbad, but I strolled their parameter several times. If you go when the gates are open, I’ve heard that the tranquil gardens at the meditation center feature koi ponds, meditation areas, and ocean views among a variety of plant life. I walked past the garden several times, hoping the gates would be open; alas, they were not. The meditation gardens are connected to the temple and near the hermitage. All were closed in the fall of 2021 when I visited.

Find it at 939 Second Street, Encinitas, California.

Downtown San Diego

Sea Port Village is a cute little area on the bay. It is along the water and features public parks that host many events. There are over 70 small shops, restaurants, outdoor features, and attractions. Find it at 849 West Harbor Drive, at the intersection of Harbor Drive and Kettner.

Gaslamp Quarter is a picturesque area with historic architecture. It has been revitalized and filled with trendy shops and restaurants. A younger, bar-ready crowd hangs out there. They often close the streets for public events and markets on the weekends. Find it near Broadway, 4th and 6th Streets.

Little Italy is a walkable few-block neighborhood with bars, shops and dozens of Italian restaurants and markets. Outdoor patios line the streets where many buildings date to the late 1880s.

Beaches, Beaches, Beaches

If you drive along the 101 Highway from L.A. to San Diego, you’ll see nothing but white sandy beaches, palm trees, and the Pacific Ocean for miles. It’s a road where driving is a pleasure, and it’s better to be a passenger so you can enjoy the views. Watching the surfers, joining them, or strolling one of the many piers and boardwalks is great entertainment.

The list of great beaches could go on for a mile, so I won’t belabor it; stop at the interesting ones. Some, like Laguna Beach, are busier. Beaches closer to San Diego are rockier but also have more surfers. Those in the middle—well, maybe they’re just right.

The fun thing about being in the Carlsbad area is exploring each beach and deciding which ones you like best. But I will say, Carlsbad Beachfront along the coast in downtown Carlsbad is an excellent choice for the best of everything.

Read other stories about California here.

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