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    Nelson House

    5.0 (1 review)

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    Queen Califia's Magical Circle Garden - Sculpture garden

    Queen Califia's Magical Circle Garden

    4.5(159 reviews)
    7.8 mi

    Tucked away inside the massive 285 acre Kit Carson Park, you'll find Queen Califia's Magical Circle…read moreGarden by renowned artist Niki de Saint Phalle. Completed and opened to the public on October 26, 2003, this whimsical, meaningful, and colorful sculpture garden is surrounded by an incredible 400 foot snake wall. Once you meander through the mosaic & mirrored mini-maze, there are nine freestanding sculptures: Cathead Totem Birdhead Totem Yelling Man Totem Bullhead Totem Untitled Totem (Bird on a Square) Kingfisher Totem Step Totem Snake Totem Each totem is something marvelous to behold, and de Saint Phalle's mosaic work is simply spectacular. There are also 3 freestanding benches faced in travertine marble by Pierre-Marie Lejeune that measure from 13-20 feet in length. In my opinion, the standout feature of the garden is the central structure called Queen Califia and the Eagle Throne. It is so beautifully unique, and the space underneath almost feels sacred with the golden egg (former) fountain and the spectacular celestial ceiling. Queen Califia was a legendary black Amazonian who was believed to rule a terrestial island of gold and riches "to the right of the Indies." It is only fitting that this special garden has been erected in her honor. In fact, this is the only American sculpture garden by Niki de Saint Phalle! The garden is surrounded by a locked fence and is only open on Tuesdays and Thursday from 9am-12pm, and on 2nd & 4th Saturdays from 9am-2pm. Docents were available to answer questions today, and they are usually onsite during the hours when the garden is open. This special space is certainly worth a visit, and it would be lovely to pair it with a hike and a picnic in the park for sure. Keep in mind that there is a short walking trail that you need to traverse to get to the garden after you've parked your car, Additionally, you can hike in from other areas of the park as well. Be sure to take a look at the story boards to the right of the entrance facing the snake wall before you enter to gain more history and context for this special installation that we are lucky to have in Escondido. Entry is free and parking is free. There are bathrooms in the park. I took about 20 minutes to peruse the area, and that was enough time for this visit (it was also 90 degrees), but do plan accordingly depending on your interests and needs. Peace.

    When I knew I'd be spending a few days in Escondido, I started looking into all that this San Diego…read moresuburb comes to offer. After checking out TripAdvisor, Queen Califia's Magical Circle Garden stood out. I'm all about art, especially when the scale is impressive like it is here. We stopped by on a Tuesday morning around 9:30 a.m. Make sure to check out their website to see when they're open because their hours are quite limited (Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. when I was there and every fourth Saturday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.). It's located inside Kit Carson Park. I didn't have any trouble parking in their lot and then walking to the sculpture garden. Once you arrive, take in all the artist, Niki de Saint Phalle, created. It's weird, it's cool, and it's trippy all in one. There's some information you can read to learn more and while we were there, there were some members of the non-profit that is involved with the art installation there that told us more about it. Walk around and take it all in. You can easily do it in 10-15 minutes and it's a free attraction. Saint Phalle has other artwork in San Diego, but the Magical Circle Garden, is by far the most expansive one in terms of scope. And the most interesting in my book.

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    Queen Califia's Magical Circle Garden
    Queen Califia's Magical Circle Garden
    Queen Califia's Magical Circle Garden - Sculpture garden

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    Sculpture garden

    Oceanview Mine - Jeff swanger 2020

    Oceanview Mine

    4.1(141 reviews)
    29.3 mi

    It's All Mine You…read moreever see the meme about how the children yearn for the mines? Yeah, well, turns out it's really true. My son is a rock hound, and the idea of being able to mine your own gems here at Oceanview Mines has been on his lips for a few years now. So, we finally decided that for his Xmas gift last year, we'd make his dreams come true with a trip to SD and a visit to the mines. Most kids want Disneyland, but mine wants to mine, which, oddly enough, sounds about right. :0) The Good: *Reservations are mandatory and made easily thru the website. They'll keep you informed and reminded of your apt both thru email and text message. *Staff is very friendly and helpful. *Store that sells swag as well as gems and other rocks to take home and pretend you mined yourself. They do take CC at the store fyi. *Very clean and hospitable restrooms. *Shaded/covered areas w/ picnic tables to rest and grab a nosh at. *Even if you're not really into it (aka moi), you kinda get the fever of what's next as you sift thru each load. Kinda like playing the slot machines at the casino kinda rush. You could definitely see how someone can get addicted to this. *Fun for the whole family. The Meh: *Must bring cash for your entrance fee to the mine, which is strange considering that they take CC at the store. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ *The drive up to the mine was a bit harry, but nothing too bad. If you're coming after a big rain, it might be better if you had some kinda AWD SuV, tho. The Ugly: *Kinda pricey for what it is imo @$75/ea (12-××) & $60/ea (5-11 yrs old) w/ no option to just come along for the ride and not actively mine. *Their rules about paying ahead of time seem a bit "Soup N@zi"-ish, but it's nowhere near as bad as it sounds. Just make sure you have your waiver printed and signed, and your cash in hand (bring exact change don't assume they're gonna make change). Conclusion: Pricey but fun and 100% worth it if you're into gems and such. My son would do this every day if he could. Tips: *If you arrive early, they you have the opportunity to walk around the property and search for stuff that's laying about. Can't access the pile until it's time, tho. *Definitely bring a hat (wide-brimmed preferable), because even in the winter the sun can be brutal. It is still SoCal, after all. *Bring gloves because you're hands will get tore up sifting thru all that rock. A pair of those nitrile dipped ones (±$3-5) from the hardware store should suffice. *A bucket to carry your haul and any other equipment you bring. Doesn't need to be a huge bucket but at least a 2-gallon. *An umbrella or one of those covered structures you take to the beach would be great, if you have it. They do have umbrellas to rent for $15. *Bring snacks and drinks. They do sell some stuff if you forget or would rather not be bothered, but then you can't complain about what they have. ;) *Bring spare clothes, because you will get wet and dirty. There's just no avoiding it. *Get ready for a workout, as it's pretty hard work doing this for four hours. Disclaimer: This really isn't my thing, as I could care less about rocks, gems, and mining. So the rating would most likely be higher if I did, so take that FWIW.

    Great ppl, outfit museum, don't go when it's hot or raining, can ahead for their schedule. I went…read morebecause my great uncle, discovered Kunzites and Morganites here. We bought the$100 high grade ore bad annex we after not disappointed some amazing raw stones coming out of it, one i found today looks like a shard of calcite but fluoresces bright orange.

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    Oceanview Mine
    Oceanview Mine - ... an 'at home' atmosphere was quite nice

    ... an 'at home' atmosphere was quite nice

    Oceanview Mine - This old Pala chief matrix is a fine example from chief mountian

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    This old Pala chief matrix is a fine example from chief mountian

    Nelson House - historicaltours - Updated September 2026

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