7 Best Sights in North County and Around, California

A large collection of surfing memorabilia, going back to the earliest days of the sport, is on display here, along with old black-and-white photos, vintage boards, apparel, and accessories.

This long, straight beach is popular with swimmers, surfers, and U.S. Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton. The impressive wooden Oceanside Pier extends a quarter of a mile into the ocean, and there's a ’50s-style diner called Ruby's at the end. The sand here is a bit coarse, and smaller rocks can be found in some sections, but due to its width (a quarter mile from street to surf near 1200 N. Pacific Street), nice patches can almost always be found. There is surfing around the pier, but the waves are faster and usually better just north at Oceanside Harbor, which gets a south swell in the summer. Pay lots and meters are located around the pier and also in the Oceanside Harbor area. A free two-hour lot can be found east of the pay lots on Harbor Drive South. There are plenty of shops and restaurants along Oceanside Harbor Village. Families love the kid-friendly Buccaneer Beach, just south of the pier across from Buccaneer Beach Park. This area has free parking, a café, restrooms, showers, and lifeguards on duty in summer. Amenities: seasonal lifeguards; food and drink; parking (fee); toilets; showers. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.

With 1,000 slips, this is North County's fishing, sailing, and water-sports center. On the south end of the harbor, the Oceanside Harbor Village has oyster bars, fish-and-chip shops, and an ice-cream parlor where you can linger and watch the boats coming and going. If you fancy a day at sea, Helgren's Sportfishing can arrange whale-watching and harbor tours.

Housed in side-by-side buildings designed by two Southern California modernist architects—Irving Gill and Frederick Fisher—the museum showcases contemporary art exhibitions including paintings, photography, sculptures, furniture, quilts, and architectural glass by SoCal area artists.

At 1,954 feet, this is one of the longest piers on the West Coast. The water surrounding it is known for its surf breaks and good fishing. A restaurant, Ruby's Diner, stands at the end of the wooden pier's long promenade.

Known as the King of the Missions, the 18th, the largest, and the most prosperous of California's missions was built in 1798 by Franciscan friars under the direction of Father Fermin Lasuen to help educate and convert local Native Americans. The sala (parlor), the kitchen, a friar's bedroom, a weaving room, and a collection of religious art and old Spanish vestments convey much about early mission life. A special behind-the-scenes tour starts at 11 am on Saturday, and Mass is held at noon weekdays.

A 3-acre water park in the neighboring city of Vista is one of the few places in the country with a flowrider, a type of standing wave that allows riders on bodyboards to turn, carve, and slash almost as though they were surfing on a real wave. If you haven't learned how to do that, you can tube down the park's own river or slip down the 35-foot waterslide. There's even a lap pool for serious swimmers.