the-Sea has groovy
restaurants, surf shops
and new-agey businesses
lined up along the coast.
Known for its surfing
breaks and laid-back
crowds, Cardiff sits by
the San Elijo Lagoon
(%760-623-3026; http://www.
sanelijo.org; 2710 Manchester
Ave; admission free; hnature
center 9am-5pm), an
ecological preserve
popular with bird-
watchers and hikers.
Since Paramahansa
Yoganada built his Self-
Realization Fellowship
Retreat (%760-753-1811;
http://www.yogananda-srf.org;
215 K St; admission free;
hmeditation garden 9am-
5pm Tue-Sat, 11am-5pm Sun)
by the sea here in 1937,
Encinitas has been a
magnet for healers and
spiritual seekers. Its
gold lotus domes border
Swami’s, a powerful
reef break favored by
territorial local surfers.
Apart from outdoor cafes,
bars, restaurants and
surf shops, downtown’s
main attraction is
the 1928 La Paloma
Theatre (%760-436-
7469; http://www.lapalomatheatre.
com; 471 S Coast Hwy 101),
often screening indie,
international and cult
films (call for schedules).
5 p291
The Drive » About 4 miles
north of Encinitas, S Coast Hwy
101 becomes Carlsbad Blvd,
slowly rolling north along the
ocean cliffs for just over 5 miles
into Carlsbad Village. If you go
too far, you’ll hit Oceanside,
largely a bedroom community
for Camp Pendleton Marine
Base.9 Carlsbad
One of California’s
last remaining tidal
wetlands, Batiquitos
Lagoon (%760-931-0800;
http://www.batiquitosfoundation.
org; 7380 Gabbiano Ln;
hnature center 9am-12:30pm
Mon-Fri, to 3pm Sat & Sun)
separates Carlsbad from
Encinitas. Go hiking
here to see prickly pear
cactus, coastal sage scrub
and eucalyptus trees,
as well as great heron
and snowy egrets. Then
detour inland past the
blossoming springtime
flower fields of Carlsbad
Ranch (%760-431-0352;http://www.theflowerfields.com;
5704 Paseo del Norte; adult/
child $11/6; husually
9am-6pm Mar–mid-May) to
Legoland (%760-918-5346;
http://california.legoland.
com; 1 Legoland Dr; adult/
child $72/62, incl water park
$87/77; husually 10am-5pm
Thu-Mon, extended daily
summer & holiday hr; c), a
fun fantasy park of rides,
shows and attractions
for the elementary school
set. Back at the coast,
you can go beachcombing
for seashells on long,
sandy Carlsbad State
Beaches (%760-483-3143;
http://www.parks.ca.gov; entry per
car $10; hdawn-sunset),
off Carlsbad Blvd. The
beaches run south of
Carlsbad Village Dr,
where a free beach
boardwalk beckons for
sunset strolls.54 p291
Local dad Paul Anderson recommends taking kids
to the Children’s Pool, south of Ellen Browning
Scripps Park along the coast in La Jolla. But not for
swimming. Seals and sea lions have taken to lolling
on the protected beach in recent years, and children
now come to watch the pinnipeds and their pups.
The pool has garnered headlines recently, as some
local activists want the seals removed and the pool
returned to its intended status as a swimming beach
for children. Stay tuned. The beach and cove are
off Coast Blvd, just north of the contemporary-art
museum.CHILDREN’S POOL
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE:
SOUTHERN.CALIFORNIA..27
.FUN ON THE SAN DIEGO COAST