If you only have a day in … Carlsbad: flower fields, ocean breezes, and California ambience await visitors

Carlsbad is a what's-not-to-like kind of place. First of all, it's on the Pacific Ocean, a real plus in my book. Then there's the weather, which seldom drops below 50 degrees or rises above 80. And, though it has a decidedly small-town feeling, there are plenty of restaurants, places to stay, and things to do.

Carlsbad is about an hour and a half from Los Angeles and 30 minutes from San Diego. There are no high-rises, strip malls, or chain fast food emporiums in the downtown area. The streets are tree-lined, the buildings are sparkling and well maintained, the pace is relaxed, and the longest line on a sunny day is outside of the ice cream parlors.

Luiseno Indians camped on the shores of Carlsbad's three coastal lagoons for centuries. Then, with the coming of the railroad in 1883, homesteaders began settling the area. One of these was retired sea captain John Frazier, who, while drilling a well on his property, struck mineral water. When tests revealed that the water had the same properties as the water of Karlsbad, Bohemia, the town got its name.

In 1887 Frazier sold the well to Gerhard Schutte, who established the California Land and Mineral Water Company. A 100-room hotel was built, and the town became known as "the greatest seaside sanitarium on the Pacific Coast." Today, a lovely European-style building on the site of the original well houses a spa that offers everything from mineral baths to aromatherapy.

Also in 1887, the Arizona Eastern Railway built the Carlsbad Depot. Though the depot building is now the Visitor Information Center, there is a modern depot just down the tracks where a train called the Coaster transports passengers to San Diego. This can make a nice day trip, but there are plenty of reasons to stay in Carlsbad.

For golf nuts there are more than a dozen courses in the area. And for anyone interested in how golf clubs are made, there is a golf equipment manufacturer that oilers a factory tour.

Bargain shoppers can hit the Carlsbad Company Stores. The 60-store outlet center advertises savings of up to 70 percent on merchandise from such tony designers as Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Tommy Hilfiger.

Families with young children won't want to miss Carlsbad's latest attraction, Legoland. Created by a Danish toy manufacturer, it is a 128-acre park decorated with over 1,000 colorful Lego models using 30 million Logo bricks and including everything from dinosaurs to the New York skyline.

As far as places to stay, choices range from cozy bed-and-breakfasts like Pelican Cove to super-elegant resorts like the Four Seasons Resort Aviara. Tamarack Beach Resort, across the street from the ocean and just a short walk from downtown, is particularly family-friendly. Besides a pool, recreation room, and gym, it offers daily summer events such as ping pong tournaments and T-shirt painting classes.

Carlsbad is also big on special events. On Friday evenings in the summer there are open-air jazz concerts. Two Saturdays a year the largest single-day street fair in California features more than 850 arts and crafts booths.

If you're in the area between mid-March and early May, the Carlsbad flower fields are in bloom. Alternating bands of red, yellow, orange, and pink ranunculus stretch along the landscape like a giant quilt, a spectacular sight.

Sound too tame? Well, how about a buzz around the area in a vintage open-cockpit biplane? Barnstorming Adventures offers everything from gentle sightseeing rides to stomach-churning acrobatics. Or, if a military venue is more your thing, there are rides in a WWII Warbird, or even a chance to take the controls yourself and bank, dive, and climb like aerial dog-fight pilots.

And, of course there is always the beach. More than four miles of uncrowded coastline offer plenty of room for swimmers, windsurfers, surfers, and sunbathers. Walkers and joggers can get some exercise with an ocean view on the seawall/walkway along the beach bluff just south of historic downtown.

Contact: Carlsbad Convention and Visitors Bureau, (760) 434-6093; www. carlsbadca.org.

COPYRIGHT 2005 World Publishing, Co. (Illinois)
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