This cute little town south of Encinitas and north of San Diego is a nice place to stroll around…read moreand go shopping for house decor items (lots of interior design businesses here), gifts for the ones you love, or just to grab a coffee or a bite to eat. The area on Cedros Avenue is like a walkable business district that has lots of free parking and many varied stores to shop. That business district has about 85 merchants, artisans, one-of-a-kind curators and collectors. Fashion boutiques, fine jewelry, art galleries, outdoor cafes and more, all clustered along a peaceful 2 1/2 blocks in North County's nearby Solana Beach. We loved spending time in this part of San Diego county. Relaxing and cute.

A wonderful small town feel. Since sand has been drudged to the beach, anytime (high tide or low)…read moreis now a great time to go to Solana Beach. We love this beach because there's usually lower crowds. Fletcher Cove is the main beach in Solana with bathrooms. Yet there are smaller less crowded beaches on either side with stairs going down to the water. If the suns out, sunrise or sunset is a perfect time to be there!

Best place to eat before a show at the Belly Up!…read more My go-to has been the filet medallions. Always great! Perfectly cooked each time. Cocktails are on point. Old fashioned was excellent. Wine list is what you need. Not huge, but full of solid wines. Review for the attached restaurant: Kind and efficient service. Joy was stellar!!! Nice welcome upon coming in. Server had it all nailed down. Look forward to coming again! 5/20/26 visit

I have always wanted to attend a concert here, but either I wasn't in Solana Beach at the right…read moretime or I could not make it down. We were looking for a fun evening to bring in the Christmas spirit post Thanksgiving and I saw this advertised concert on the website that I thought our daughter would really enjoy. I went ahead and purchased our tickets which were very reasonable for a show. I love that Belly Up has its own website so people can still afford to attend their shows. We saw Grammy nominated and Father of Contemporary Jazz David Benoit perform all the Peanuts Christmas songs from A Charlie Brown Christmas. WOW! What a terrific show! We sat on the main floor right up close to the stage and we all had such a good time especially our daughter as it was a surprise show for her. The layout is perfect with lots of open space, a bar area, dance floor and a second level. It is quite large inside but you cannot see that from the outside. Acoustics are perfect and David Benoit is still the master of the piano. He had a guest vocalist Courtney Fortune which added to the evening performance. Parking is about the only challenge so we made sure to arrive extra early and grabbed a spot right out front. Also parking was free! I definitely recommend this venue for good service and great music.

Sightseeing in San Diego, California…read more.. I don't remember why I had this place on my List of Things To See, but we stumbled across the Historic Alvarado House when we visited the San Diego County Fair on 6-25-23. The person who actually spotted this exhibit is Emmett T. I thought that the house was a functional structure in a residential area, but no... Not now. It used to be - in 1885 when it was sold for $600 to Don Diego de Jesus. Currently, the house is located near the Garden/landscaping contest displays, the Historic Alvarado House was on the edge of the "Blue Zone" of the Fair. The most recent owner of house donated it to the Del Mar Historical Society. Plans are in the works to move the house somewhere else and present it as a museum. We arrived at the San Diego County Fair around 6pm and the house was closed for tours. Maybe if we return and get there earlier, we would be able to walk through the house and observe the contents? Thanks to Emmett (again) for being a great tour guide!

Another great day at the Sea Part a park with grass and a…read morehuge clean beach. lifeguards and clean restrooms and lots of parking. Kind of a deluxe beach area. But the surf was all walls all day so i didn't put the board in the water. Its cold water has to be worth it. And right next door is Jake's dining. We went there for an early dinner.

I spent a half day in the Del Mar area and very much enjoyed exploring this beach and park. Its…read moregorgeous and wasnt too crazy packed and had something for everyone. I love that the park is raised higher up and some walkways built so it made it accessible to everyone. I sat down on a bench to enjoy the ocean views and was able to share my bench with a family and one person was in a wheelchair. I liked the thoughtfulness of this park. Everyone was just enjoying the beautiful weather, some having a picnic, others sunbathing, some reading. There were also plenty of people on the beach but not crowded. Lots of surfers and just everybody getting their dose of the best medicine in the world: sunshine, nature and water!! Many flowers already in bloom, so saw fields of purples and yellows and it made my heart sing! Also lots of birds here, little ones and big ones too. The gulls are very beautiful and totally not afraid of humans. Parking I could see could be a disaster here but I did find easy free 2 hour parking on the street. There are also lots and metered parking available too. I didnt get in the water today but Im preparing and when it gets just a tad bit warmer, I am definitely headed into the ocean! I loved coming here today and you probably find me here a lot moving forward!

I went with some family members and we all loved it. Highly recommend this experience!read more

So glad we checked this off the bucket list. We had a great experience. Despite the morning being…read morevery foggy from having warm weather the day before, the company did a great job of finding clear skies to take off from. Pilot Denni (the owner of the company with almost 40 years of pilot experience) was great and landed in the same place we took off, which is likened to a hole in one in golf. The whole experience was less than 3hrs. The ride itself lasted about an hour. We were transported to and from the launch and landing sites. They took some pictures for us and provided a balloon ride certificate at the end with discounts for local wineries and businesses. Mimosas and a bag of snacks were provided at the end. It was a great experience and would recommend to anyone willing to wake up before sunrise.

Nice small park with killer ocean views…read more Parking lot is tiny but you might get lucky and get a spot on the street. There is a bathroom And drinking fountain. There are tables to eat on. And some benches to see the ocean views. There is a wooden staircase to walk down to the beach as well. Definitely a good little park to visit if you are looking for a great views of the ocean and in the area. But it is very crowded most of the time.

I stumbled upon this park as I was one a morning walk. I stopped here to rest for a while. I…read morequickly realized that Smami's Seaside Park is a small little treasure in Encinitas. It is a great place to go surfing or to watch surfers. There is parking on the street, in the park, and the park also has public bathrooms. There are a couple of wooden decks, one with steps that lead down to the beach. The deck provides a great view of the beach and surrounding cliffs. This is a great place to hang out for an afternoon, and it is an excellent place to watch the sun set. It is not a very large park, but it has great appeal.

THE KRAKEN @ CARDIFF…read more Parking is available right out front, but you can also walk here if you're nearby. My friends and I tried walking from State Beach in Encinitas, it was about a 13-minute walk, but I wouldn't recommend it. The path smelled pretty bad, likely because of the seals and trash in the area. Once we arrived, we were quickly settled in. The restroom was clean and decent, and we loved how spacious the place felt. There's a nice outdoor area where people can hang out and drink, as well as an indoor section with a pool table. We tried some of their margaritas, which were absolutely delicious, and really enjoyed the ambiance. The staff was friendly, the service was great, and the overall vibe made it a fun spot to visit. Once inside, you don't notice the outdoor smell, so that's a plus. I'd definitely stop by again.

Ok I'm a long time lover of this dive bar…read more I don't expect much and I never leave a bad review unless DESERVED. The long time bartender was fired for unknown reasons .. ( probs for having a drink on duty but whatever.. kinda expected here!!) The new dude thinks he's a GOD and with ZERO!!!Personality! ZERO!!!Sense of humor ZERO knowledge of making basic drinks ( didn't know what a painkiller was and that he could charge $25 for it) and REALLY RUDE. Basically told me to piss off! So I ordered a beer. Later, on my way out...I mentioned the bathroom smelled like sewage and maybe he should call the plumber for Monday.. and told me to shut up and get outta here or he'd be calling the cops?! Over reacting for a simple situation...trying to help a business owner. This guy needs a job NOT in the SERVICE INDUSTRY!!‍‍

Came as a group of 4 before a concert at The Sound. We get ID'ed at the bar (all of us are well…read moreover 30), show our ID's and the bartender starts inspecting my friends Hawaii ID (she lived in Hawaii) he denies us service because he "doesn't feel comfortable" accepting her ID, then threatens to KEEP it?! So, if you're from out of state, be prepared to be asked for a "secondary" ID or they will refuse you service. Insane!

Not quite the same vibe as the old Surf n Saddle Bar but still a decent watering hole / dive bar…read more. they have all the popular beers in draft. Usually there's some good music playing, sometimes live...

Elias is amazing at Coastal e-Bikes! We live in Colorado and rent our bikes from him at least twice…read morea year. His inventory is top-notch, he patiently teaches riders about their specific bikes, and offers very fair rental rates. I highly recommend renting here!

such a fun time and great customer service!!! they have the cutest shop dog as well :)…read more we called and they said even though they had a three hour minimum price, they let us have a discount since we went two hours before close- such beautiful ocean view paths to bike around the shop too