Ever wanted to live in a boat? How about a landlocked boat? While walking around the neighborhoods…read moreof Encinitas, I came upon these huge boathouses along side other cottages and smaller homes. So quirky but interesting. I admit, I was kinda shocked to see two large boats sitting in the middle of a residential neighborhood. I had to investigate the history of the building of these large vessels. Neither of these boats have been out to sea although they are only two blocks from the beach. In 1928 Miles Kellogg built the SS Encinitas and the SS Moonlight. He used recycled materials from a demolished bathhouse at Moonlight Beach. This "courtyard architecture" was used in early California and was associated with Highway 101. Both boats were purchased in 2008 by the Encinitas Preservation Association and they will be preserved forever. You might be surprised to know that people actually live in both of these boats so you are not able to climb aboard and tour. You never know what kind of local flavor you will discover just be walking around but I was happy to find these boathouses.

These boathouses are so unique. They're off a street in the middle of a neighbor, and people…read moreactually live on these boats so you can't actually visit inside of them. On Saturdays, starting at 10am, there's a walking tour that discusses the history of the boathouses. This tour runs only on Saturday from 10am-4pm.

Cardiff by the Sea is a famous surf destination i have never been to till now…read more In front of Tower 15 had the best surf conditions up or down the beach. Today, 2-4 feet at 4 pm. So , when we come back we ll come here first. Lots of private spots to sit. Lifeguard towers but no shade and limited parking.

We moved to Cardiff a little over two months ago after living in Carlsbad and Cabo for the last…read moreyear or eight. Cardiff is completely different than any other North County beach. I've lived in on the app next-door. They call it walkers and composers. And it's very true it's very quiet. It's very artistic and it's this little village with some great great restaurants that are very local. You've got bump coffee with empanadas. You have the greatest donuts at VG. You also have high-end Italian great fish and one of the best grocery stores in North County, bring your wallet because it's the home of Cardiff crack so far it's a really good place to live and it's a great place to visit or camp right on the beach

Sightseeing in San Diego…read more.. Having a few hours between lunch and dinner, I decided to look around the area. I used my Yelp app, searched "Local Flavor", and found "Whale Mural". Let's do something about no reviews for this public art. It's not one of the 19 murals of North San Diego - an article in Macaroni KID. It's not listed in the article in The Coast News, " The Murals of Encinitas". The Whale Mural must be part of the Paint Encinitas Project. Private businesses hire artists to paint their walls - maybe because the City has no budget for Public Art and private businesses want to support local artists? Upon further research, the mural is signed by Aaron Glasson and Celeste Byers. The mural is named: Sonic Sea - Seawalls And was done in 2016. Anyway, this is one of the many murals in Encinitas... And it's beautiful!

Dave started by clearing an old abandoned lot owned by the state. He started putting in drought…read moretolerant plants, then trails and black and white rocks from the beach. One day someone places a painted rock on the edge of the garden. Dave thought this was a good idea. Since then 7,000 painted rocks from over 115 countries have been places in the garden and today you can still paint a rock and place it in the garden. We had fun walking through the garden and reading the different sayings and seeing the different rocks. It was fun finding Snoopy. Take time to visit Dave's Rock Garden.

This place is just super chill. No matter how many times we have visited we still always find new…read moreand inspirational rocks.

Beach is clean with a free parking lot just above. At the entrance there's a nice little…read moreplayground, a concessions stand with actual options beyond your standard hotdogs and burgers. We came on a cloudy day so it wasn't really crowded and we found free parking in the lot up the hill, just above the beach. The lifeguard station is right there so there was a sense of added safety as my kids learned to surf. Beach was clean, people were chill, and we'll def be back!

We came here as a family and really enjoyed it. I actually believe this beach was recommended to…read moreme, and it was everything they said it would be. The beach was nice and the water felt really good, not too cold, which made it even better. My daughter had a blast playing in the sand and just being free, and my husband loved it too, especially since it was his first time being in warm ocean water. We were able to find a spot that wasn't overly crowded, which made it feel even more peaceful and relaxing. Overall it was just a really good beach day and I would definitely come back.

Loved the food! Delicious chicken Limon served with fried…read morepotatoes and veggies just so good! Really nice glass of prosecco (I think only $10 - total bargain) My first time downtown Encinitas. I didn't even know it existed and it's really not for everyone. Makes me think Melrose and Fairfax - without all the filth. But seriously just as crazy-busy and very noisy. Very busy restaurant for good reason. Polished staff. Excellent food. Excellent service. Would go back in a heartbeat but not again at 6:00p on a Saturday. Way too much noise. Felt like I was dining at the corner of Harley and Davidson...but that's certainly not their fault.

Made a reservation, sat inside, beautiful lighting and atmosphere. Our waiter was very nice and…read moreexplained meals and ingredients as well as popular items. His Italian accent was just a bonus. The bread was hot warm and simple but very good. We shared a Cesar salad the dressing was so creamy and flavorful. We asked the waiter for popular dishes, he recommended the lasagna bolognese and said his favorite was chicken marsala. We went with lasagna and the chicken parmigiana. Both were good BUT the lasagna was definitely where its at, the sauce, the layers, the cheese, I couldn't stop eating off my husband's plate. We ended the meal with the chocolate lava cake. Also very good, hot chocolate cake with a vanilla gelato on top. I would've licked plate clean but not appropriate but you can tell in the pictures nothing was left.

This place is the best! Food is delicious and our waiter Pavel took very good care of us!read more

Pave and Bouna nails it time and time again! I love going here for the bruna pizza. It's a great…read moreatmosphere too.

Outstanding meal, timely and friendly service, pleasant sidewalk seating to enjoy a lovely summer…read moreevening.

Two words: lobster ravioli…read more It's exactly what I was craving and this dish delivered. The ravioli are handmade and generously filled with sweet lobster tail meat. They're nestled in a saffron cream sauce that glows a deep golden orange and is slightly aromatic. The tomatoes add just enough acidity to brighten each bite. Pair it with a glass of white wine and the soft ocean breeze, and it becomes the kind of evening that feels quietly perfect. This family-run restaurant has been around since 2000, with a cozy and romantic interior that feels like a true trattoria but I always choose to sit outside to soak in that incredible Cali weather most of the year. The food is classic Italian and very comforting. The location is just a few blocks from the beach with plenty of free street parking right out front. Service is warm and flows naturally.

It's the ocean, the beach, the sound of the lovely waves, what's to complain about?!? I like La…read moreCosta Beach because it's usually not too crowded. I park on the right side (looking out at the ocean, closer to Carlsbad side) and there's lots of open beach area. Bring a cooler, a blanket, sunscreen (don't want premature aging now, lovies) and chill out.

This place is a good time. But don't tell everyone about it though. You can park within 50 yards…read moreof your blanket spot, set up a volleyball court with the 3 courts, body board, surf, check out the ocean life from the rocks just a few hundred yards north, & then whatever else, without a thousand meatheads right next to you. The waves were over 7 ft so we had the crap kicked out of us by the water, but that is sure to help a guy get a great night's sleep! Yeah.

For the 2023 event: Unfortunately, due to the weather, the event had to be moved indoors at…read moreBroadway Pier. Thankfully it was still a lot of fun! My friend and I went together and it was soo much fun being able to try brands I had never heard of as well as new flavors from brands I did know. My favorite was the Casa Azul which uses tequila and was actually one of the last brands I tried. They also taught me that most other seltzer brands use malt liquor which can upset your stomach and give you a worse hangover. This makes sense why seltzers are one of the only drinks that give me a hangover. All in all, it was a lot of fun! My friend and I arrived right when the second timeslot started and a lot of the brands had already run out of the shirts and koozees and whatnot that they brought to hand out. It's a bit unfair and they should either order more things or disperse equally between the morning and afternoon timeslot.

Note: for the 2023 event (not sure if there was a separate page)…read more The ticketing process for this event was super easy to do online. There was hardly a line when we arrived for our 11:30-2 block and we were IDed, scanned, and wrist banded very quickly. I liked that upon walking into the venue, we were able to pick up some clear bags courtesy of buzzballs, sunglasses, and water. Our tasting cups also had a helpful card to know what vendors were there. Overall, it was fairly small with about 20 or so booths. Our favorite was probably the Mucho Aloha Lemonade. Thanks to Hannah and Yelp for hooking us up!