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.

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

There's so much to appreciate about this lovely beachfront neighborhood in Encinitas. I enjoyed the…read morescenic views on a Tuesday afternoon, while strolling along San Elijo State Beach across the highway (cool spot to go surfing too). Visitors can explore Cardiff Town Center and the nearby shops and eateries, including pizza joints, a thrift store, post office, Starbucks, and Cardiff Seaside Market where I tried their famous cardiff crack! It's a cute little town, with enough to keep me busy on a sunny winter afternoon, but I wasn't as charmed by it as I am usually by communities like this. It's peaceful here, and I love that it's right by the water, but the shops and restaurants are pretty standard compared to the many unique eateries you'd find elsewhere. At least it's not as touristy as places like Seaport Village in SD, and hence not as busy and crowded, which allowed me to have a relaxing, laid-back experience during my recent visit.

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

Gosh, everybody... I can't tell you how much joy visiting…read morethis very special rock garden was for me . I've been trying to get here for a couple of years and finally made it and it was worth it. The community that takes care of this large rock garden is amazing. Somebody is raking the ground daily. So many beautiful, heartfelt messages . They've got a military section a college section a pet section. And many many more. I even found an adorable sibling section.. I recommend if you go to leave a donation in their donation box. This little space on earth is amazing.

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.

Oh the Encinitas sign…read more... The sight be pure beauty down the 101 and just blocks away from the most fun bars, shops and boutiques, nice dining restaurants and most importantly, Moonlight Beach. The Encinitas sign is a staple to the beautiful costal town and when you are there in the right moment and right time, you can capture all the beauty of people walking their dogs, surfers with their boards, beach cruisers and even the late night Rocky Horror show at the La Paloma theater! This sign is also the staple for many different costal community events like the Encinitas Holiday Parade and the Encinitas Turkey Trot. Such pure beauty. Many thanks City of Encinitas.

Encinitas is one of the oldest settlements in San Diego County (the original adobe hacienda is in…read moreStage Coach Park), yet one of the newest towns. It was settled in the 1870s, but wasn't incorporated until the 1980s. Downtown Encinitas has old Hollywood flair. Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford&other luminaries once came to the nearby La Paloma Theater, with its beautiful dove mural. Above all (figuratively and literally), is the old Encinitas sign. It's got the Art Deco style, simply ornate. It hearkens back to Encinitas days as a surf city in the early 20th century. For all its changes over the decades, it's still a sleepy surf town. This welcoming sign soars, dove-like, over 101.

The chef's always willing to do scratch recipes and my husband loves the veal parmigianaread more

TRUST THOSE WHO YELP REGULARLY…read more.. A local favorite for the food and the service. It gets busy, so go early. If you get Lucca as a server, you'll be dialed... by all means request his table. Tonight we had Lasagna bolognese, chicken marsala, and gnocchi with a gorganzola sauce. Likely the best Lasagna we've ever found. Even the house red wine was better than expected. Highly recommended

Our team lunch for January was held in Encinitas at Buona Forchetta. It's the last one for me as I…read moream laid off at the end of the week and retiring. There was lots of parking on the other side of the street and we were greeted by a friendly waitress. I tried the gelato. Vanilla gelato was creamy with a rich, sweet vanilla flavor. I loved the smooth texture and bold vanilla notes. Lemon sorbet was icy with tons of sour lemon flavor. Best in small quantities. I'm glad I got one scoop of each. Service was friendly and efficient. I will miss our monthly adventures to places I have not visited before.

i have to say, i was so disappointed in my experience. i used to live in san diego (& work at buona…read moreforchetta, different location) and this was my favorite restaurant, especially for their gluten free offerings. the food used to be so fresh & i don't think you could order anything bad on the menu. i dined in on a monday night & ordered my favorite pasta - the buona forchetta sauce wit chicken - the chicken looked questionable, the sauce was flavorless (the server even brought over additional marinara without me asking because he even thought the color was off...) and i was so sad! all of the gluten free dessert options have also been removed from the menu. i was so disappointed but i did go back to see if the gluten free pizza was still amazing. the crust is still fantastic but the pizza looked like it was created in a rush and the proportions were off, minimal sauce/cheese, a lot of crust.

Absolutely incredibly Delicious! I had the Ravioli Classici-house made ricotta cheese & spinach…read moreravioli in a creamy tomato sauce, Bob had the Filet to Al Gorgonzola (med. Rare), Filet in a Brandy. Mushrooms. & Gorgonzola sauce served with vegetables ...We Love this restaurant, everyone there is wonderful

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!