Other Attractions

Carlsbad and its neighbor Encinitas make up a noted commercial flower-growing region. The most colorful display can be seen each spring at The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch, 5704 Paseo del Norte, just east of I-5 on Palomar Airport Road; contact tel. 760/431-0352; www.theflowerfields.com. Also popular is Weidners' Gardens, 695 Normandy Rd., Encinitas (tel. 760/436-2194; www.weidners.com). Its field of 25,000 tuberous begonias blooms from mid-May to August; fuchsias and impatiens are colorful between March and September; and the holiday season (Nov 1-Dec 22) brings an explosion of pansies and poinsettias, and the opportunity to dig your own pansies. Touring the grounds is free; Weidners is closed Tuesdays from Labor Day to October and Christmas to February.

Even if you don't visit during the spring bloom -- -or during December, when area nurseries are alive with holiday poinsettias -- there's plenty for the avid gardener to enjoy throughout the year. North County is such a popular destination for horticultural pursuits, in fact, there's a North County Nursery Hoppers Association (tel. 800/488-6742) in Encinitas. They publish a comprehensive leaflet describing all the area growers and nurseries, including a map that shows where to find flowers; it's available at local visitor centers, or by mail from the association. Also read about the gardens at the Self Realization Fellowship below.

More Fun Things To See & Do
Going from south to north, the hub of activity for Solana Beach is South Cedros Avenue, 1 block east of and parallel to the Pacific Coast Highway. In a 2-block stretch (from the train station south) are many of San Diego's best furniture and home design shops, antiques stores, art dealers, and boutiques selling imported goods. You'll also find The Belly Up Tavern, one of San Diego's most appealing concert venues.

In Encinitas, everyone flocks to Moonlight Beach, the city's long-suffering sandy playground. After overcoming a nasty sewage problem caused by a nearby treatment plant (don't ask), and receiving a much-needed replacement of eroded sand, Moonlight is back to its old, laid-back self. It offers plenty of facilities, including free parking, volleyball nets, restrooms, showers, picnic tables, and fire grates, and the company of fellow sunbathers. The beach entrance is at the end of B Street (at Encinitas Blvd.).

Also in Encinitas is the appropriately serene Swami's Beach. It's named for the adjacent Self Realization Fellowship , whose lotus-shaped towers are emulated in the pointed wooden stairway leading to the sand from First Street. This lovely little beach is surfer central in the winter. It adjoins little-known Boneyard Beach, directly to the north. Here, low-tide coves provide shelter for romantics and nudists; this isolated stretch can be reached only from Swami's Beach. There's a free parking lot at Swami's, plus restrooms and a picnic area.

The Self Realization Fellowship was founded in 1920 by Paramahansa Yogananda, a guru born and educated in India, and the exotic-looking domes are what remain of the retreat originally built in 1937 (the rest was built too close to the cliff edge and tumbled into the sea). Today the site serves as a spiritual sanctuary for holistic healers and their followers, with meditation gardens and a gift shop that sells Fellowship publications and distinctive arts and crafts from India. The serene, immaculate gardens line a cliff, with often beautiful flower displays and koi ponds -- they're a terrific place to cool off on a hot day. The gardens are entered at 215 K St. and are open Tuesday through Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sundays 11am to 5pm; admission is free. The bookstore is located at 1105 Second St., between J and K streets (tel. 760/753-2888; www.yogananda-srf.org).

While in Encinitas, don't miss a stop at Chuao Chocolatier, one of the top artisan chocolate makers in the country. The selection includes bonbons of soft banana and brown sugar caramel, and truffles of orange blossom and honey ganache. Though the prices are rich, one taste and you'll be hooked. All of the sensuous chocolates are handcrafted right on the premises -- it's located in the Lumberyard mall at 937 S. Coast Highway (tel. 888/635-1444; www.chuaochocolatier.com).

Carlsbad is a great place for antiquing. Whether you're a serious shopper or seriously window-shopping, park the car and stroll the 3 blocks of State Street between Oak and Beech streets. There are about two dozen shops in this part of town, where diagonal street parking and welcoming merchants lend a village atmosphere. Wares range from estate jewelry to country quilts, from inlaid sideboards to Depression glass. You never know what you'll find, but there's always something.

What about those therapeutic waters that put Carlsbad on the map? They're still bubbling at the Carlsbad Mineral Water Spa, 2802 Carlsbad Blvd. (tel. 760/434-1887; www.carlsbadmineralspa.com), an ornate European-style building on the site of the original well. Step inside for mineral baths ($60 for 30 min.), massages, or body treatments in the spa's exotic theme rooms-or just pick up a refreshing bottle of this "Most Healthful Water" to drink on the go.

Carlsbad has two beaches, each with pros and cons. Carlsbad State Beach parallels downtown and is a fine place to stroll along a wide concrete walkway. It attracts outdoors types for walking, jogging, and in-line skating, even at night (thanks to good lighting). Although the sandy strand is narrow, the beach is popular with bodysurfers, boogie boarders, and fishermen -- surfers tend to stay away. Enter on Ocean Boulevard at Tamarack Avenue; there's a $4 fee per vehicle. Four miles south of town is South Carlsbad State Beach, almost 3 miles of cobblestone-strewn sand. A state-run campground at the north end is immensely popular year-round, and area surfers favor the southern portion. Like many of the beaches along the county's shores, Carlsbad suffers from a high incidence of tar on the beach -- you're likely to find packages of "Tar-Off" in your hotel room -- but that doesn't seem to discourage many beachgoers. There's a $4 per vehicle fee at the beach entrance, along Carlsbad Boulevard at Poinsettia Lane.

Just a stone's throw from LEGOLAND is a diversion for music lovers, the Museum of Making Music, 5790 Armada Dr. (tel. 877/551-9976 or 760/438-5996; www.museumofmakingmusic.org). Visitors go on a journey from Tin Pan Alley to MTV, stopping along the way to learn historic anecdotes about the American music industry or to try playing drums, guitars, or a digital keyboard. It's open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 5pm; admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 4 to 18, seniors, students, and military.

Remember the hair-raising aerial escapades in The Great Waldo Pepper? You can enjoy everything but wing-walking on a vintage biplane from Biplane, Air Combat & Warbird Adventures (tel. 800/SKY-LOOP or 760/930-0903; www.barnstorming.com). Two of the six aircraft even have an open cockpit. Flights leave from McClellen-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, taking up to two passengers per plane on scenic flights down the coast. Weekday prices start at $219 for two-person, 20-minute biplane rides (weekend rates higher). Or, go for an Air Combat flight for a 2-hour mission that includes a 50-minute "dogfight" with another biplane "opponent" ($308 for one, or $596 if you bring your own adversary).If that's not thrilling enough, opt for a flight in a warbird, which includes loops and rolls with you at the helm ($445 and up)! Lastly, there's a 30-minute "sentimental journey" aboard a beautifully restored World War II V.I.P. transport followed by dinner at the Four Seasons Aviara -- $559 for two including tax, tip, and parking. Bargain-hunter's tip: Discounts are available through the website, or ask when you call.