The northern San Diego County coastline includes the towns of Encinitas, Leucadia, Oceanside and Carlsbad. And say hi to my mom.<\/p>\n
getty<\/p>\n
When my 88-year-old mother moved to Encinitas this year, I told her she might need a boogie board and a pair of Rainbows. If only I was kidding. <\/p>\n
Even by Southern California\u2019s relaxed standards, North County San Diego is exceptionally chill and you feel it within a block of her place. Mornings start in flip-flops and wetsuits. An organic vegan burrito lunch can drift past two. And when the marine layer refuses to lift, nobody in Carlsbad, Encinitas, Leucadia or Oceanside takes it personally; the sun-bleached hoodies come out and it’s pickleball time.<\/p>\n
But don\u2019t mistake the pace for inertia. Carlsbad has a string of new restaurants and a serious new hotel. Oceanside is getting more interesting without compromising its grizzled surf-town edge. Encinitas remains charmingly independent, with good food, adorable stores and the occasional resident hauling a longboard across four lanes of traffic without a second thought.<\/p>\n
My mother\u2019s already becoming a regular at the Leucadia Farmer\u2019s Market and a few of the groovier sushi spots along North Coast Highway 101. I\u2019m thinking it won\u2019t be long before she\u2019s sporting her Locals Only trucker hat and wraparound Oakleys. Until then, here\u2019s what\u2019s worth seeing, eating and bare-footing in North County San Diego this summer. <\/p>\n
Check Into A Reinvented Resort<\/p>\n
Hotel Solea is a new 201-room resort in Carlsbad, California. Formerly the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort, the multi-million-dollar transformation is part of Marriott Bonvoy\u2019s Autograph Collection, complete with a new Italian restaurant, Verise, expansive outdoor gathering spaces and private access to Legoland California.<\/p>\n
Marriott Bonvoy’s Autograph Collection<\/p>\n
Hotel Solea<\/a> is a 201-room resort that opened this spring inside the bones of the old Sheraton Carlsbad. The makeover, part of Marriott\u2019s Autograph Collection, emerged with pale stone, blond wood and enough greenery to to make even the indoors feel lush. Bathrooms edge into spa territory. Many rooms have a balcony over the coast or the park.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a heated pool, a waterslide, complimentary bikes, a trolley into Carlsbad Village and access to the Ocean Pearl Spa next door at the Westin. At Verise, the hotel\u2019s all-day restaurant, chefs Riccardo Bilotta and Jason Luke put the focus on central Italy\u2014handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, tables set among olive trees. There\u2019s even a tableside affogato.<\/p>\n Other nearby hotel options abound: Park Hyatt Aviara<\/a> is the grandee, spread across 250 acres above Batiquitos Lagoon with golf and a Miraval spa. Cape Rey<\/a> sits on a perch near South Carlsbad State Beach. The Cassara<\/a> caters to families near the theme park and the Flower Fields<\/a>. Head further north and Mission Pacific<\/a> and The Seabird<\/a> situate you into walkable Oceanside, steps from the sand.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s Go, Lego! <\/p>\n The entrance of the Legoland California theme park located in North County San Diego.<\/p>\n getty<\/p>\n If you have kids, there\u2019s really only one hotel perk they\u2019ll care about. At some resorts, including Hotel Solea, families get a private gate into Legoland California<\/a>. <\/p>\n In March, the park opened Lego Galaxy, a new space-themed land and home to Galacticoaster, Legoland California\u2019s first roller coaster in more than two decades. Riders use interactive touchscreens to \u201cdesign\u201d a spacecraft before they board. There\u2019s also a G-force training ride, a rocket-building station and a gentler astronaut zone for kids not yet ready for big-kid speed.<\/p>\n Eat And Browse Carlsbad Village<\/p>\n Carlsbad Village is becoming a food destination of its own. A food writer friend insists that Wildland<\/a> on State Street makes \u201cwhat I continue to believe is the best breakfast sandwich in the United States.\u201d N\u00f3mada, which opened in early 2026, draws inspiration from across Sinaloa and Mexico\u2019s coasts, mountains and deserts, with chef Alex Carballo cooking over a wood fire. The room is timber with fireplaces and there\u2019s an enclosed patio for late nights, which in Carlsbad means you\u2019re in bed by eight o\u2019clock. <\/p>\n A few blocks away, Always Hungry Grocery & Goods recently resettled on Carlsbad Village Drive, bringing together local produce, small-batch pantry goods, tinned fish and wine. For a souvenir with more staying power than a sweatshirt printed with North County coordinates, The Drydown specializes in niche fragrance.<\/p>\n Choose Your Beach Carefully<\/p>\n Coastal view from Encinitas. Each beach in North County San Diego has its own distinctive vibe. Choose carefully.<\/p>\n getty<\/p>\n Each North County beach has a temperament. Tamarack is the practical Carlsbad pick, with a long coastal walk and the village close by. Terramar and North Ponto are thin on facilities, which makes them feel off-grid. South Ponto has a paid parking lot and a wide apron of sand near the mouth of Batiquitos Lagoon. Families lugging half the garage will have an easier time at Moonlight in Encinitas, which has free parking, a playground, rentals, a snack shack and lifeguards. Come early on summer weekends. The whole county will have had the same bright idea.<\/p>\n Although not an actual beach, Batiquitos Lagoon is worth the wander. The 526-acre coastal salt marsh has a flat shoreline trail that runs you past picnic tables and a small nature center, and is open dawn to dusk. <\/p>\n Slurp Pasta, Then Shop Leucadia<\/p>\n Pastaria Vivi opened in Encinitas in April as a fresh-pasta counter. It\u2019s a casual restaurant, Italian market and wine shop, all at once. The menu features more than 75 pasta-and-sauce permutations, though pappardelle with Bolognese will not make you unhappy. The ready-to-cook version is perfect if you\u2019ve got a rental kitchen. <\/p>\n From there, drift north on Coast Highway 101 to Thread Spun, a women-owned Leucadia shop stocked with fair-trade clothing, handmade jewelry, apothecary goods and home pieces from artisan cooperatives. This run of the 101 still has enough hipster plant shops, low-slung thrift spot and inexplicable little storefronts (Child of Wild? What\u2019s that?) to feel undiscovered.<\/p>\n Save Room For Oceanside<\/p>\n Oceanside keeps the surprises coming. The 1888 Queen Anne cottage beside Mission Pacific\u2014better known as the “Top Gun” house\u2014is slated to become An\u2019s Gate D5 this summer, an airport-themed outpost of San Diego\u2019s An\u2019s Gelato, complete with a check-in counter, gate-style ordering and rotating, destination-inspired flavors. Nearby, Rising Co. corrals local makers, surf brands and coffee under one roof, and the Thursday Sunset Market assembles an array of international food stalls, crafts and live music. <\/p>\n Have Lunch With Elephants<\/p>\n The strangest and best new outing in North County San Diego isn\u2019t on the coast at all. Up in the hills above Escondido, Denny Sanford Elephant Valley opened in March at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, the largest undertaking in the organization\u2019s history. From the terrace of the two-story Mkutano House, you can eat African-influenced dishes while elephants wade and roughhouse in a 240,000-gallon watering hole below. Lunch rarely comes with better company. Then again, have you had lunch with my mom? <\/p>\n More From ForbesForbesThis California Wine Country Escape Comes With Cold Plunges And Championship PastryBy David Hochman<\/a>ForbesFIFA World Cup 2026 Comes To The Bay Area: The Smart Fan\u2019s GuideBy David Hochman<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The northern San Diego County coastline includes the towns of Encinitas, Leucadia, Oceanside and Carlsbad. 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