Oceanside, California Travel Highlights

If you're looking to stay in a California town that's close to everything, your best bet is Oceanside. You can get to San Diego, Los Angeles and Anaheim easily, and Oceanside itself has a special seaside charm.

If you take a 35-mile drive south on Interstate 5 (or "the five" as they say in California, you can visit the San Diego Zoo, the aquarium, the beaches of San Diego and Petco Park (home of the Padres).

You can also go 15 miles north to Orange County (or "the OC" as the kids call it) and check out Disneyland, countless beaches, Knotts Berry Farm amusement park, and Edison Field (home of the Angels).

If you want to take a long vacation, you can stay in Oceanside and make a couple of longer rides (just 85 miles) to Los Angeles. There, you can do just about anything - visit Hollywood, shop in Beverly Hills, swim at even more beaches and of course, visit Dodger Stadium.

If you need a break from all this traveling, you can have a great time hanging out in Oceanside. Instead of playing in the park, you can chill on the beach. You won't get any splinters from wood chips, but you'll probably have to wash off the sand and salt water.

One of the highlights of Oceanside is the Harbor Area. You have a variety of shops to visit, and it's a great place to walk and look at the boats. It's just like the town's tourism slogan - Classic California

When my wife and I go on vacation, we like to reserve the final day of the trip as a "do nothing" day after the frenetic pace we usually keep. Our day in Oceanside was very relaxing.

At night, my wife was able to pick up some gifts at the shopping center down by the harbor. We also had a nice dinner, watched the sunset and listened to a Jimmy Buffet-style singer in the outdoor dining area.

Oceanside is also very close to Legoland, an outstanding amusement park for kids. It's just 10 minutes away. Actually, the five is a very easy highway to navigate. It's not too crowded, and many attractions are located right next to the highway.

Oceanside became a city in 1888, and it boasts 30 city parks, more than 3 miles of public beaches, a huge fishing pier, four recreation centers and two swim centers. So you really don't need to go far from town to have a good time - and you don't need a fishing license either.

In downtown Oceanside, you can find the Oceanside Museum of Art and the California Surf Museum.

One idea that worked for us was the purchase of a Go Card. This card offers access to a variety of attractions for one price. You save money over buying the tickets a la carte. Sea World isn't on the list for San Diego, but just about everything else is, including Legoland.