When you stay in Oceanside, there are almost as many ways to have aquatic animal encounters as there are fish in the sea. Visitors can purchase first-come, first-served public guided tours of the Hale Telescope (built by Caltech founder George Ellery Hale and once the largest effective telescope in the world) on weekends between April and October, or take a self-guided tour of the Observatory with a browser-based audio guide. Owned and operated by Caltech, the Palomar Observatory sits atop Palomar Mountain and has been at the forefront of astronomical research since the mid-20 th century. The wooden boardwalks, abundance of antiques shops and late 1800s-era buildings of horseshoe-shaped Old Town Temecula recall the Gold Rush roots of the region, but this quaint city’s craft breweries, championship golf courses, wineries and chef-owned restaurants make it an ideal destination for the modern day-tripper.ĭisneyland or the beach… why choose? With the House of Mouse only about an hour’s drive from The Seabird Resort, you can go surfing at dawn, spend the day exploring Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, and still make it back to the beach in time for sunset. Plan a tasting tour there, then finish your day at Oceanside’s own award-winning Beach House Winery. Photo by photo nic on Unsplash Sample Wines in Ramona Valleyĭid you know that one of the country’s richest wine-producing regions is less than an hour’s drive from The Seabird? The Ramona Valley, designated an American Viticultural Area in 2006 for its distinctive microclimate, soil and elevation attributes, is home to more than 80 commercial vineyards specializing in Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvèdre, Syrah and some Iberian varietals of grape. Less than 20 minutes from The Seabird, Legoland is an everything-is-awesome empire of theme park rides, replicas of the world’s wonders, an aquarium, a new water park (opening this month) and other attractions… all made out of the world’s most beloved colorful bricks. If you can dream it, they can build it out of Lego bricks. Photo courtesy of Legoland California Resort Let’s Lego The park has more than 100 miles of hiking and horse trails, profusions of cactus, yucca, fan palms, wildflowers and ocotillo, and wildlife that includes endangered big-horned sheep, kit foxes, deer, iguanas, roadrunners, eagles and rattlesnakes. Photo by Stephen Leonardi on Unsplash Explore California’s Largest State ParkĪnza-Borrego Desert State Park is less than a two-hour drive from The Seabird Resort but, with its desolate dry lake beds, badlands and mountains that rise above 5,000 feet, it looks like it could be on another planet. To make the most of your wildlife excursion, consider splitting your time between the Zoo and the Safari Park, world-renowned for its California condor breeding program and open range enclosures for Indian rhinos, giraffes, Sumatran tigers, lions, gorillas and other animals of the Asian savannah and African plains. As the crown jewel in the impressive cultural firmament of Balboa Park, the 100-acre Zoo is home to more than 4,000 animals - from prairie dogs to penguins, to polar bears (the Zoo’s famous pandas were repatriated to China in 2019 to serve global panda conservation efforts). Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Hobnob with Hipposįor animal lovers, no trip to Southern California is complete without a visit to the San Diego Zoo - which must be why it’s the most visited zoo in the U.S. Here are some favorite day trip destinations that guests of The Seabird love. But we’re also within a few hours’ drive of nearly all of Southern California’s most popular attractions. As a quintessential California beach town where the charms of an old-fashioned harbor meet laid back surf and skate culture meets California Michelin Guide dining, Oceanside is prized for endless opportunities for relaxation, recreation and memory-making.
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