Carlsbad, CA is known by the locals as the ‘village by the sea’. It’s home to a diverse medley of fun activities and astonishing places to explore. Sure, when most people think about Carlsbad, their minds immediately jump to Legoland, but you’d be surprised how much there is to do in and around town outside of that iconic theme park.
If you’re thinking about taking a trip to Southern California, keep watching to hear our top picks of the best things to do in Carlsbad, California.
LEGOLAND California
We might as well get this one out of the way – seeing as how it’s quite possibly Carlsbad’s most famous attraction. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a child or simply just young at heart; guests of all ages can appreciate this world-famous theme park.
Because, let’s be honest, who hasn’t played with Legos before? These iconic snap-together plastic colored blocks are much more than just children’s playthings. Over the years, they’ve become a full-fledged artist medium equal to resources like paint, clay, and masonry in terms of their artistic merit.
At Legoland, creativity comes alive in the most glorious combination of ways. The park is home to more than 60 rides, attractions, and live shows. While visiting the park, we recommend booking a few nights at the outstanding Legoland hotel – which is quite possibly the best place to stay while in town.
If you’re visiting during the summer, you’ll be pleased to know that the park is also home to a full-featured waterpark! And yes, as you might expect, just about everything in the park either is literally made out of Legos or is cleverly designed to resemble them. There are more than 15,0000 LEGO models made from over 60 million plastic Lego Bricks dispersed around the park that is larger than fifty full-size football pitches.
South Carlsbad Beach
This beach is one of the most beautiful stretches of protected coastline in California. With it’s coastal bluffs, white sand, and warm emerald-blue water, the beach offers numerous activities for visitors to enjoy including fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, swimming, paddle boarding, shelling and sunbathing.
The bluffs above the beach are perfect for camping. Over at the 220-site South Carlsbad State Beach Campground, campers have access to amenities like electricity hook-ups, wifi, water, showers, and bathrooms.
Carlsbad Village
This part of town is the heart and soul of downtown Carlsbad. It’s located right in the middle of the downtown district and is easily accessible on foot, by bike, or via the public transit system. The village is known for offering all of the modern conveniences that you’re accustomed to along with a nice little dose of old-world charm.
One of the most popular attractions in the village is the Carlsbad Village Antique Mall. Here more than 100 vendors sell countless vintage and antique treasures. The remainder of the village is equally charming, as you’ll come upon a wide array of cafes, shops, boutiques, galleries, hotels, and other services – making it one of the best places in town to start your Carlsbad adventure.
Wine lovers flock to Carlsbad as it’s home to the exquisite Witch Creek Wine Tasting Shop. Here you’ll have the chance to sample some of the state’s best vintages. The village is also a fantastic place to go for a bite to eat or to sip on an artisan latte.
If getting pampered is something that you’re into, visit the fabulous Carlsbad Mineral Spa over on Carlsbad Boulevard. Another highly-rated landmark in the village is the Alt Karlsbad Hanse House – the site of the very first mineral water spa, which was built back in the 1880s. If you’re the kind of traveler that appreciates a good massage or mineral spa treatment, you’ll absolutely fall in love with this place.
The Museum of Making Music
Calling all music lovers. This unique museum is dedicated to celebrating and showcasing the innovations that have helped shape the music industry. The museum first opened it’s doors in 2000 and features a broad assortment of specialty exhibits. Aside from all of it’s interactive, hands-on exhibitions, the Museum of Making Music is also frequently the host to innovative concerts, lectures, discussion panels, and educational programs.
New Village Arts Carlsbad
This performing arts theater regularly puts on dramatic and musical productions. It’s a very quaint and intimate theater with just under 100 seats. The theater’s productions are arranged by a local ensemble theater group. That group is comprised of 14 actors, directors, stage managers, and designers. Each and every performance is astounding, but if you’re interested in a specific show, you should consult with the theater’s schedule prior to your visit.
Sea Life Aquarium
If you’re planning a visit to Legoland, don’t forget to add this fantastic interactive facility to your itinerary. This family-friendly hands-on sea aquarium is located on Legoland Drive, right down the road from the theme park. It’s home to more than 5,000 sea critters, such as octopuses, stingrays, sharks, clownfish, and sea horses. Children are even able to touch some of the creatures, including sea stars and crabs, in large touch tanks.
Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park
Leo Carrillo Ranch Park opened it’s doors in 2003. It’s a municipal park that sits on 27 acres of canyonland and is designated a Historic National Landmark.
As it’s name suggests, the park was previously a working ranch that was owned by the famed actor Leo Carrillo. Aside from it’s naturally beautiful landscape, the park also features a large reflecting pool, several old windmills, and a handful of other historic buildings.
The park is home to a wide array of plant and animal species, including peacocks, birds of paradise, agave, and bougainvillea.
Carlsbad Village Farmer’s Market
Open weekly every Wednesday from 3 to 7 pm, this local institution is a staple of the Carlsbad community. Shoppers can find fresh, locally-sourced organic produce, floral arrangement, and prepared foods as well as handmade crafts and artwork. By encouraging the consumer to buy directly from the farmers and artisans, the people of Carlsbad are able to feel like they’re really ‘keeping it local’ in every sense of the phrase. The market additionally regularly hosts free concerts and performances from local musicians and artists.
Pedego Carlsbad
One of the best ways to see Carlsbad is by bike. Pedogo is an electric bicycle company that offers top-of-the-line eBikes for rental or purchase. They also offer customers guided bike tours at affordable rates. So, if you’re trying to explore town but don’t want to have to bother with renting a car or learning the bus schedule, this is one of our most highly recommended ways to get around. They’re open daily from 10am to 6pm.
Flower Fields
For over six decades, Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch has been transforming the rolling countryside of North San Diego County into one of the most alluring and fascinatingly coordinated art displays in the world. By harnessing the beauty and power of Mother Nature, Flower Fields has been creating enormous works of art that are visible quite possibly from space with Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers.
Flower fields is a dazzling fifty-acre tapestry of vibrant flowers. But it’s worth visiting for far more reasons than simply getting a chance to see some pretty flowers. There are tractor-driven wagon rides, a 1500 square foot greenhouse full of their world-famous Paul Ecke Jr. poinsettias, a Christmas-themed playground, a sweet pea maze, an orchid greenhouse, and several other themed gardens to explore and experience.
Throughout the season, Flower Fields hosts special events and festivities that are included with the price of admission. Owing to it’s beauty, this space has long been a much sought-after wedding and event venue.
The fields are the result of over 85 years of floral cultivation that started when a man named Luther Gage, an early settler and farmer who moved in the region in the early ’20s, brought Ranunculus seeds to the area and started growing them in his fields in South Oceanside. Since then, the business that Mr. Gage started has grown into one of the most iconic attractions in the Carlsbad area. The ranch that currently showcases Mr. Gage’s famed Tecolote Ranunculus flowers is open for six to eight weeks, beginning annually in March.
Aviara Golf Club
If you feel like hitting the links, one of the best places in Carlsbad to play a round of 18 holes can be found at the Park Hyatt Hotel. The Aviara Golf Club offers glorious views over the majestic Batiguitos Lagoon nature preserve, and it honestly has one of the best tee layouts we’ve ever seen.
The club was designed by the renowned Arnold Palmer and features a par 72, 18-hole course that occupies a space of more than 7,000 yards of meticulously manicured landscaping. The course showcases rolling hillsides covered with lush grass, vibrant native wildflowers, a great bunker, and several water features.
Batiquitos Lagoon
This 526-acre coastal tidal pool and salt marsh is preserved by the Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation Nature center, an organization that is dedicated to educating the public about the beautiful natural lagoon. The foundation has spent decades carefully preserving the lagoon to ensure that nature lovers will still be able to appreciate it in all of it’s glory for generations to come. Interestingly, its one of the last remaining tidal wetlands that can be found along the southern coast of the state.
Carlsbad Lagoon
This lagoon is a water sports center that is perfect for outdoor lovers looking to go kayaking, paddle boarding, wave running, and canoeing. Rentals are available at affordable rates, and the center also has several trained instructors on-site wiling to teach anyone interested how to do a wide array of fun outdoor water activities including wake boarding and water skiing.
The center also hosts several programs geared toward younger nature lovers. Not only do they offer a summer youth camp called Camp H20, but they also host educational events that teach young ones about topics such as oceanography.
Carlsbad, California, might famously be home to LEGOland, but it’s a city that’s bursting with charm and personality. One could easily spend an entire week just exploring the area’s natural beauty, but when you couple that with the abundance of other activities, attractions, and events that the city plays host to, you start to realize just how amazing Carlsbad really is.
Have you had the pleasure of visiting Carlsbad, California, before? If so, what are some of your favorite attractions in and around the city? If you’ve yet to visit Carlsbad, What are you most excited to see or do on your first visit? Let us know in the comments. And as always, thanks for watching, and happy travels!