5 Best Sights in Del Mar, North County and Around

The team at Boochcraft sells canned hard kombucha juices made from whole, organic fruits at their Boochery in Chula Vista, but serves it by the glass at this Del Mar taproom; you can also take six-packs to go. Local ingredients are essential and come from places like San Diego's Dickinson Family Farms and Santa Barbara's Cuyama Orchard. Look for seasonal releases like passionfruit blood orange or try a core flavor like ginger lime and hibiscus lemonade that are available year-round.

This famously clean 2-mile-long beach is the perfect place for long barefoot walks and sunbathing due to its extremely fine, soft sand and lack of seaweed and other debris. Del Mar Beach is also a great place for families. It has year-round lifeguards and areas clearly marked for swimming and surfing. Depending on the swell, you may see surfers at the 15th Street surf break, right below two coastal parks, Powerhouse and Seagrove; volleyball players love the courts at the beach's far north end. The section of beach south of 15th is lined with cliffs and tends to be less crowded than Main Beach, which extends from 15th north to 29th. Leashed dogs are permitted on most sections of the beach, except Main Beach, where they are prohibited from June 15 through the Tuesday after Labor Day. For the rest of the year, dogs may run off leash at North Beach, just north of the River Mouth, also known locally as Dog Beach. Food, shopping, and hotels including L'Auberge Del Mar, are near Del Mar Beach. Parking costs $4 per hour at meters on Coast Boulevard and along Camino Del Mar. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

The Spanish Mission–style fairground is the home of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club ( www.dmtc.com) and the Del Mar Racetrack. Crooner Bing Crosby and his Hollywood buddies—Pat O'Brien, Gary Cooper, and Oliver Hardy, among others—organized the club in the 1930s, and the racing here (usually July through September, Wednesday through Monday, post time 2 pm) remains a fashionable affair. Del Mar Fairgrounds hosts more than 500 different events each year, including the San Diego County Fair and the Del Mar National Horse Show.

This small exotic-bird aviary near the Del Mar Fairgrounds houses a collection of parrots and other exotic birds—a guaranteed child pleaser. Visits are by reservation only.

Picnics, a playground, and weddings make this coastal park popular on weekends. For free summer evening concerts (Tuesday 6–9 pm) and beach access, head to Powerhouse Park at the north end of this small stretch of grass overlooking the ocean.