We have a day to "waste" in California. We are staying in Oceanside and are willing to drive an hour or so north. What is not to be missed? We like outdoor activities, cool beach towns to stroll in and restaurants that are not too pricey.

Hi. Did you ever relocate from Raleigh?

You could drive up the coast to Laguna Beach. (cool beach town).

Or you could drive east less than 30 minutes to the Wild Animal Park near Escondido. (outdoor activities).

I don't know about restaurants, but my guess is that there are some that "are not too pricey" right there in Oceanside. It's not an upscale town.

"cool beach towns to stroll in and restaurants that are not too pricey."

http://www.thefishermansrestaurant.com/

"cool beach towns to stroll in and restaurants that are not too pricey."


http://www.lasbrisaslagunabeach.com/

it's a local favorite.

You could visit Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Balboa island. Catch dinner at The Crab Cooker, Newport Beach. It has amazing grilled lobster, shrimp, scallops at a very reasonable price. Its a fun and funky place. (A couple of parking places are behind the restaurant. It is very popular, so get thete early.)
Huntington Beach is near there, too.

Also, if you enjoy the Spanish missions, San Juan Capristrano is nice.

No need to drive far, Carlsbad is a great place to spend the day

I would also recommend the Mission San Juan Capistrano. It's a cute (but very small town). Or maybe drive down to La Jolla Shores which is a fun beach community and has lots to do for families.

www.missionsjc.com

(this is my favorite restaurant in San Juan Capistrano)http://www.sundriedtomatocafe.com/

http://www.sandiegobikeandkayaktours.com/

krowe,
i mentioned La Jolla (which is about 30+ minutes drive from Oceanside) because it is a beautiful world class beach and is a much easier and more relaxing drive south than to drive north into the Orange County area.

Great ideas! I think Friday night we'll head up to Laguna and check out Las Brisas. How about a drive to Palm Springs on Saturday morning. I know it is not a beach town but may be interesting. What is there to do there? We are going to San Diego for a Chargers game on Sunday and we have already been to La Jolla. Thanks for all you suggestions!

Visiting Palm Springs depends on the weather. Summer is very hot - if you are going to be near a pool then it'd be enjoyable, otherwise there is not much to do. The drive to Palm Springs from Laguna is about 2-3 hours each way. The drive is not particularly nice either. It's through LA traffic then east thru the desert.

Palm Springs is a resort town; golf, spa, tennis, sprawling resort hotels, fine dining, R&R etc. It's not really a 'day trip' destination. If you chose to go though, you could do the Palm Springs Aerial tram(bundle up at the top), gamble in Indian casinos, shop/stroll in downtown or just drive drive around. You'll definitely experience a change of scenery if that's what you are looking for.

drive drive
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correction: I meant only one 'drive'

Laguna Beach is probably the best option. Wahoo's is a good option for a cheap restaurant.