A little bit of paradise, right at home. Awaiting you are palm-lined beaches, cozy fireplace inn suites with harbor and ocean views, 950 pleasure boat slips, quaint village shopping at resort-style boutiques, top-name restaurants, cafes al fresco, congenial people, picnicking in park-like greens overlooking the harbor and ocean, strolling or jogging on the 3.5 miles of city beaches.
You can find this idyllic setting just off Interstate 5 at the Harbor Drive and Mission Avenue exits in Oceanside. The Harbor and the beach offer outstanding amenities to recreational boaters, bathers, surfers and much, much more.
For boaters and sportfishers there is a fuel dock, four-lane launch ramp, bait receiver, and slip rentals including electricity, water, restrooms, showers and laundry facilities. Visiting boaters will find 50 guest slips for short-term mooring. The Oceanside Yacht Club promotes many boating activities for both slip renters and visiting boaters. The Yacht Club welcomes your membership, whether you are a boat owner or just a boating enthusiast.
Stroll and shop in the waterfront Harbor Village shops where you'll find nautical gifts, resort wear, tropical giftware, and souvenirs and mementos of your visit to Oceanside. Along with all these delights, you will find Oceanside's wide, sparkling, sandy beach with fire rings, picnic and barbecue areas, children's play area and sand volleyball courts.
In addition, our coastal area is a playground for water sports including beach surfing, personal watercraft, and sea kayaking. For sportfishing or whale watching, Helgren's Sportfishing offers day trips, overnight adventures and boat charters. If sea kayaking or jet skiing intrigues you, Boat Rentals of America rents equipment for this fast-growing sport.
There's so much to enjoy at Oceanside's harbor and beaches, you'll find yourself returning again and again to discover new facets of this gem of Oceanside.
For more information contact the Oceanside Department of Harbor and Beaches at (760) 435-4000 or the California Welcome Center, Oceanside at (760) 721-1101.
Beaches
Harbor (1200 N. Pacific St.)
If a beach is judged by nothing more than the quality of the sand between the breakers and the street, Oceanside's Harbor Beach may be the best beach in the county. Of course, there's more than sand on your mind when choosing a beach, and Harbor Beach scores well in most categories.
It's one of San Diego's widest beaches, nearly a quarter-mile from street to surf. Except for major holidays, Harbor Beach is never a sardine squeeze. You're also likely to share the beach with tourists staying at any of several hotels just to the east. Bodyboarders, bodysurfers, swimmers and surfers enjoy the waves here, with surfers separated into their own zone.
Facilities
There are restrooms, fire rings and beach showers. Lifeguards staff the towers during high-use season. Picnic at several shade structures. Stock up at a mini-market and snack stand adjacent to the parking lot.
Parking
Pay just $5 for an all-day ticket. Extra-long spaces are available for boat trailers. RV travelers pay $15 per night on a first-come, first-served basis. A free two-hour lot is available just to the east of the pay lots along Harbor Drive South.
Buccaneer (1500 South Pacific Street)
Barely 150 feet wide, Buccaneer Beach is more like a sandy break in the monolithic wall of condos that separates Pacific Street from the Oceanside breakers. You’ll find this family beach filled with sun worshipers working on their tans. Buccaneer Park has a great lawn, restroom and a shaded gazebo.
South Oceanside (South Pacific Street)
South Oceanside Beach offers only hard-packed sand, swallowed by the waves at high tide. No amenities here, unless you can convince a condo owner to let you use their restroom.
Oceanside (301 N. The Strand)
The Oceanside Pier is ground zero for beach activities and, in many ways, the heart of the community. Refurbished in 1987, the pier extends about a quarter of a mile into the water. Anglers crowd the edges of the wide deck, experiencing degrees of success and sunburn. Ruby's, a '50s-style diner, sits at the end. Go upstairs for drinks at the casual Surf Lounge - it has a great view. At the opposite end of the pier, a sloping - and wheelchair-unfriendly - ramp takes you down to beach level. A stylish, tiny McDonald's offers typical fare with a few unusual items added to their menu. Chow down at a forest of umbrella tables and grassy spots in the shade of the pier. The main street along the shore is called, simply, The Strand. The concrete strip welcomes cars, bikes and pedestrians. The wide, sandy beach to the west is considerably more appealing. The palm-lined four-mile beach is a multicultural mix of families, teens, bodyboarders and surfers.
Surfing
Oceanside's harvest of beach-break peaks and barrels work year-round, but are cleanest on a south swell at low to medium tide. It's usually bigger than the rest of North County. A good rule of thumb with Oceanside is that it blows out early. To get the glass (and beat the summer blackballs and crowds), get there at the crack of dawn. From Buccaneer Beach in south Oceanside to the pier, peaks break along Pacific Street and The Strand. The best waves follow the migratory sandbars.
When it's cranking, the jetty, at the foot of South Harbor Drive and at the mouth of the San Luis Rey River, serves up torquing barrels. This jetty is usually the last Oceanside wave to close out on a big swell. Find metered parking along south Harbor Drive, and free parking at Cape Cod Village.
Boating
The Oceanside Shoreline is a great place to launch your sailboat for high-sea adventure. Bounded by a large marina and Cape Cod Village on one side and the Camp Pendleton Marine base on the other, this long, sandy beach is a perfect place to get away from the San Diego crowds
Fishing
Fishing from the Oceanside Pier is good for California halibut (spring and summer), sargo, jacksmelt, sculpin, white croaker, Pacific bonito, queenfish, Pacific barracuda (in summer), kelp and sand bass. You also can fish from the Oceanside and Dana Harbor jetties. Best bets are fly-lined anchovies to catch the bonitos. Parking is good along the coast, and restrooms are readily available throughout. If you fish the surf, you'll most likely come up with surfperch, croaker, corbina or grunion.
Facilities
Solid lifeguard coverage. Shaded picnic areas include tables and barbecue grills. East of The Strand are a series of parks - outfitted with restrooms and picnic tables. To the north, the Beach Community Center offers daily basketball games, as well as youth programs. The Pier Amphitheater to the south hosts activities and contests.
Parking
Pay just $5 for a day ticket, until 8:00 p.m., and $10 per night. Extra-long spaces are available for boat trailers. All parking spaces are on a first-come, first-served basis, and there is a five-night limit per 30-day period. A free two-hour lot is available just to the east of the pay lots along Harbor Drive South, and free all day parking just on the east side of Harbor Village and the railroad tracks.
Municipal Pier
Oceanside has always had a pier for its residents and visitors to enjoy. The first pier, built in 1888, was located at what is now Wisconsin Ave. The next five were built on the site where you'll find the current pier - at the end of Pier View Way.
Take the 25-cent shuttle to the restaurant at the far end for a meal or drink. No license is required to fish from the pier. On a clear day, you'll be able to see La Jolla, the Coronado Islands, and Catalina Island.
Fishing Pier
Ideal for family, fishing, fun...small and quaint, located in the very center of the harbor overlooking the harbor entrance. Catch a variety of local species. Excellent for children. Picnic areas immediately adjacent, across the street from restaurants.
California Surf Museum
Until the California Surf Museum was opened, very little had been done in an organized way to preserve the history of surfing, its boards, or its fascinating artifacts.
At a time when the historical roots of many beach communities are rapidly changing and/or disappearing, the California Surf Museum is rising to the challenge of providing a strong link between the ocean, the many ocean sports, and the lifestyles of the community.
The museum is actively locating, collecting, documenting and preserving historic surfing and related artifacts and memorabilia. Through a series of rotating exhibits, the California Surf Museum presents a varied picture of the many facets of surfing.
Workers are busy preparing the new home of the museum at 223 North Coast Highway, adjacent to the new Sea Center and the refurbished Sunshine Brooks Theater. Call (760) 721-6876 for more information
Museum of Art
The Oceanside Cultural Arts Foundation has been working to build a fine arts museum in The Gill Building (formerly City Hall). No more-appropriate place could have been chosen for an art center. Located on Pier View Way, just east of the Civic Center, this historic building will offer nearly 6,000 square feet of exhibit space - a venue perfectly suited for the arts. Hours for the Museum are Tuesday through Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. A modest entrance fee will be charged.
Mission San Luis Rey
Reaching up the coast, located a day's ride apart, were the Spanish missions. Founded on June 13, 1798 as the 18th in California, Mission San Luis Rey de Francia grew to become the largest. Dubbed "King of the Missions" for its size, the current structure was built between 1811 and 1815 by Mission Indians. The sparkling white facility is still an active church and you may attend services, tour the facility and shop the quaint gift shop. Take Mission Avenue east to 4050 Mission Ave. (approximately 10 min. from the coast).
Audubon Society Nature Center
At the absolute southern edge of Oceanside, you'll find the Buena Vista Audubon Society's Nature Center. Sited on the Buena Vista Lagoon, the Center offers a variety of natural history experiences.
In the course of an afternoon, you can walk amid native plants to see views of the lagoon and its bird life, discover tracks along the shore that reveal the night's animal visitors, tour the garden of native plants, find the world's tiniest mammals in one of the exhibits of local habitat, learn what endangered species live in the lagoon and challenge your children with nature games.
The Center was founded to promote its goals of appreciation and conservation of nature and brings the mission to the community through field trips, monthly lectures, tours and programs for children and involvement in community environmental issues.
The Center is open Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Take Coast Highway to 2202 South Coast Highway. Phone (760) 439-BIRD (2473).
Coastal Walks
If you have the inclination, there is no better way to see Coastal Oceanside than on foot. Be sure to take your camera - photo opportunities abound!
Oceanside Harbor/Harbor Beach
Park in one of the many lots (near the beach, you'll have to pay). You'll find about 2 miles of sidewalks which will take you around the entire harbor. There are benches and picnic tables if you want to do a little people, boat and sea bird watching. With a number of places to eat along the way, this walk may not net you a loss of calories! Harbor Beach is a great place to catch some rays before heading out for your next walk.
Harbor Beach to the Pier
Oceanside's broadest beach is Harbor Beach at the northernmost part of town. Start out at the mouth of the San Luis Rey River and make your way south to the Pier. If you need to rest for a bit before making the return trip, check out the views from the end of the 1,600-foot long pier. Take the 25-cent tram to the end (during restaurant operating hours) if you're getting a little tired.
Oceanside Pier to Buccaneer Beach Park
You'll find ample parking around the pier, both metered and pay lots (two blocks away there is free parking - watch the signs for time limits). You can take the high road (on the bluff on the Pacific Street linear park), or the low road (The Strand South, right on the beach). About half way there, The Strand ends at Wisconsin Street and you'll have to switch to the sand on the beach for the remainder of your walk. Just south of Buccaneer Beach is the exclusive St. Malo community.
Downtown Coast Highway
You'll learn a lot about the character of our town by taking the self-guided Downtown History Walk provided by the Oceanside Historical Society. The walk will take you about two hours.
Top Gun House
If you're a fan of Tom Cruise, you'll recognize this home as the beachfront locale where he took R and R in the popular movie Top Gun. To make it look more rural, dirt was spread over Pacific Street.
Golf
Get into the swing at more than 72 golf courses in San Diego County. Within the city limits are El Camino Country Club, Emerald Isle, Oceanside Municipal and Center City Golf Courses. Approximately 30 minutes drive will reward the avid golfer with some of Southern California's most challenging courses.
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