Oceanside - California
August - 2005
by
Jerry Henderson

Oceanside is about 60 minutes south of Disneyland
and 30 minutes north of Sea World.

If you love the beach but not all the traffic that goes with the beach. If your kids want Disneyland and Sea World on their beach vacation. Then Oceanside is the beach town for you.

Once known only for its famous Marine Base, Camp Pendleton, Oceanside has grown into a family beach town. The beach is one of the safest for swimming in California. There are literally miles of sandy beach with fire pits for evening hot dog roasts.

Golfers enjoy the nearby courses, surfers the fine surfing, and fisherman the fishing from the pier. You can check out the weather at Oceanside Weather and the surf conditions at Oceanside Surf Cam.

My wife and I are bikers. We love road riding as well as mountain biking. Some of the best road riding in California is located in and adjacent to Oceanside. You can ride through a portion of Camp Pendleton and then along a bluff that goes for miles to the north towards San Clemente. For most of the ride you are on little used roads with great views of the ocean. The round trip is about 40 miles.

A great place to stay in Oceanside is the Marina Del Mar. This condominium style resort is quite unique. On one side is the beach and the Pacific Ocean. On the other side of the resort is the marina. The units have furnished kitchens and the heated pool and spa are perfect for enjoying the beach air.

There is something going on most all of the time in the area. For an up to date list of events click on Oceanside Events

We've mentioned that Disneyland and Sea World are easy drives. Even closer is LegoLand, which is about 10 minutes south of Oceanside. If you can visit the area in the spring you'll be treated to a spectacular display of flowers in the vicinty of LegoLand.

I always like to bone up on the history of an area before I visit it. If you click on Oceanside History, you'll be treated to an a lively presentation on Oceanside's history.

When you're calling the Marina Del Mar for reservations, be sure to tell them that On the Beach sent you.

Listing of all the beach hotels in these states: