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Area Info
Oceanside, CA is centrally located in the heart of the beautiful Southern California coastline. Oceanside is among the region's best places to escape the hustle and bustle of the crowded cities. Considered the gateway city between metropolitan San Diego and Los Angeles, our near-perfect climate invites visitors to revel and relax at the 3.5 miles of white sandy beaches Oceanside offers. Step back in time by visiting the historic Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, the "King of the Missions", and Heritage Park. Whatever your preference, recreational opportunities in Oceanside compliment every lifestyle.
Beaches
Over 3.5 miles of white sandy beaches make Oceanside the ideal place for sunning, surfing, and sandcastle building. Take a leisurely stroll along the water or bring your pole for some great surf fishing. With plenty of parking and easy beach access, Oceanside presents one of the finest beach areas on the west coast. Harbor beach alone offers more than 16 acres of clean level sand, and handicap sand" wheel chairs are available for use at each lifeguard tower. Enjoy a day at the beach and don't forget your sunscreen!
Oceanside Harbor
Unlike most ports, all boats are visible from a two-lane asphalt drive encircling its shoreline. Fine restaurants, picnic tables, and a Harbor Village with shops, eateries, and a lighthouse, along with the nearby Harbor Beach combine to offer the seafarer and motor visitor an enchanting experience of color and atmosphere. Oceanside's Harbor is a mecca for sportfishing, whale watching, boating and other water-oriented activities. The Marina inside the harbor has sloops ranging in length from 25-51 feet. Harbor Days is a scheduled annual event held the 3rd weekend in September.
Oceanside Pier
The historic Oceanside Pier is a prized community resource as well as a monument to its citizens' persistence in seeing that a pier remains a part of its oceanfront recreational facilities. At its current 1,942 feet in length, it remains one of the longest wooden construction recreational piers on the West Coast. While a fishing license is required for surf fishing on the beach, no license is needed for fishing off the pier.
Mission San Luis Rey
Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, named in honor of St. Louis, King of France, is located in a secluded valley four miles east of Highway 5 in Oceanside. Founded in June 1798 by Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen, the Mission is one of the most architecturally impressive of all the California missions.
Heritage Park
Heritage Park Village & Museum centers around an idyllic Main Street lined with many of historic Oceanside's original buildings. The first General Store, the Portola Inn, the Blacksmith Shop & Livery Stable, a doctors office, the Old City jail, Libby School and the Blade newspaper building provide an ambient backdrop for education programs, special events and social gatherings of all kinds.
Recreational Activities
Oceanside's recreational opportunities are geared to fit every lifestyle. The city boasts 3 golf courses, numerous tennis courts and over 6 miles of beachfront roadway just perfect for jogging, biking or rollerblading. Known as a mecca for watersports, our 260 slip Harbor has a convenient boat launch area and offers services for boat, kayak and jetski rentals. Helgren's Sportfishing Inc. operates daily sportfishing charters going out of the Harbor, and also offers Whale Watching Tours from December through March. Oceanside also hosts numerous amateur and professional surfing contests through out the year.
Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base
The world's largest U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Training Base is located in North Oceanside. It is considered a "recreational" paradise with its military community of over 36,000 spread over 125,000 acres. The camp is well recognized for its interest and effort toward ecology and the preservation of natural resources. With its three mountain ranges and varied geographical terrain, Camp Pendleton has earned its title as an "Ecological Oasis of Coastal California." Home of the First Marine Division, Camp Pendleton is situated on what was once a Spanish land grant called Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores. The area's natural beauty has been changed as little as possible, making Camp Pendleton a modern military base in the heart of a little piece of history.
Golf
Center City Golf Course - 760-433-8590
Emerald Isle Golf - 760-721-4700
Oceanside Golf Course - 760-433-1360
Guajome Regional Park
Nestled in the serene and historic San Luis Rey valley, Guajome Regional Park is a beautiful ecological preserve featuring native chaparral vegetation. There is a wonderful lake perfect for fishing and trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Quiet, modern campsites are available year round.
Buena Vista Audubon Society Nature Center
At the absolute southern edge of Oceanside, you'll find the Buena Vista Audubon Society's Nature center. 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.
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. The museum is actively locating, collecting, documenting and preserving historic surfing related artifacts and memorabilia. Through a series of rotating exhibits, the California Surf Museum presents a varied picture of the many facet of surfing.
Oceanside Museum of Art
Oceanside Museum of Art is a cultural jewel location in downtown Oceanside with a view of the Pacific Oceans and the historic Oceanside Pier. The museum is housed in a classic Irving Gill designed building that represents the flavor of Southern California in the 1930's.
* Museum hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10-4 and Sunday, 1-4. Admission is $5, seniors, students and military $3.
* Information Provided by Oceanside Chamber of Commerce
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