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Encinitas is located about 25-30 miles north of San Diego's main tourist attractions, but usually has lower room rates for travelers and a little less hustle-bustle than the areas nearer San Diego. Encinitas has it's own attractions, namely Quail Botanical Gardens and miles of beaches. A little driving around on the back roads of Encinitas will reveal an amazing amount of greenhouses where a year-round flower growing industry thrives. Further inland is the newer part of Encinitas, largely a suburb of San Diego with many shopping areas and so on along El Camino Real.
The communities of Leucadia (to the north), Olivenhain (to the east), and Cardiff-by-the-Sea (to the south) are all considered to be part of Encinitas. Encinitas itself has two parts; Old Encinitas, along Hwy 101 (west of I-5) and New Encinitas, mostly found along El Camino Real. The total population is about 60,000.
There is plenty of lodging here, mostly west of I-5 and along hwy 101. Hwy 101 is the main drag through the older parts of Encinitas, with many funky little specialty shops and restaurants. Adjacent to the Encinitas train station is the outdoor Seaside Bazaar, where artists sell and trade their crafts from 9AM to 4PM weekends (a great place to buy tye-dye; tell Chris that Jim-the-web-guy sent ya!). RainBows to go, a stained glass specialty shop, is nearby the Bazaar (at Moonlight Plaza), plus they occasionally have a booth at the Bazaar as well.
There's activities for all members of the family in Encinitas, so no one will wind up being bored while you take care of any non-vacation business. If you like to golf, you should check out Encinitas Ranch Golf Course, designed by a local of these parts, Golf Course Architect Cary Bickler.
EVENTS:
April 8 & 9, 2000 Semi-Annual Encinitas Street Fair. Hwy 101 (downtown)
10AM - 5PM
The monthly Classic
Car show takes place every 3rd Thursday.
More Encinitas events will be listed soon.
CLIMATE:
While the overall climate in Encinitas' older areas is very close to
the climate in downtown San Diego, the newer parts of Encinitas experience
noticably warmer temperatures during the day, and cooler temperatures during
the night. These differences are not extreme, and the annual rainfall is
pretty much the same in both areas. Wind is rarely a problem, with cool
ocean breezes that always seem to be timed right.