Over the winter holiday, I spent three nights and four days in Carlsbad with my family. I asked a friend (who happens to be a travel writer) for recommendations for family friendly hotels within two hours of Los Angeles that felt somewhat luxurious but didn’t cost a fortune and she recommend the Park Hyatt Aviara. After finding a stay-two-nights-get-the-third-night-free deal, I decided to book a room and then figure out my itinerary after. I usually like to plan everything ahead of time but it was actually kind of fun just winging it while were there. I did refer to this guide from Almost Makes Perfect which is great especially if you’re in San Diego proper . Overall we really, really loved the laid back vibe of the Carlsbad area and we’re excited to go back and explore more.

Here’s everything we did in the Carlsbad and San Diego area:

Carlsbad:

Eat:

Campfire - This was our first stop and it was delicious! It’s super chic, had delicious food and cocktails and was the perfect way to kick off our long weekend. We had the blistered wax beans, chillquilles (a bit salty but still delish) and the Okay Please mezcal and tequila cocktail.
King’s Fish House - Loved this spot! Super family friendly (and large group friendly as well) and they give out the best kids entertainment ever! They have a coloring book with temporary tattoos and stickers so even if the food was terrible it would have been a hit. Luckily, that wasn’t the case. This seafood spot had an amazing selection of fresh fish and we would have happily eaten here for multiple meals. They also have a huge parking lot which makes it an easy option if you don’t feel like searching downtown for street parking.
Storehouse Kitchen - Great brunch option just down the street from Campfire. They have a nice covered patio and all the breakfast basics you’d expect.
Handle’s Ice Cream - Holy moly this place is amazing!! We went twice because there are dozens of flavors and you can get as many samples as you want.

Do:

Tidepools and beach - We had so much fun playing at the beach and exploring the tide pools. We went to Tamarack State Beach (which had easy parking) just to play in the sand and splash in the ocean and visit the tide pools a bit south of Tamarack. We didn’t see a ton of stuff in the tide pools but still had a great time wading around in the water and jumping waves.
Walk around downtown - Downtown Carlsbad is adorable and full of small shops, restaurants and of course, it’s right by the ocean.

Legoland - see my full review here.

Encinitas:

Buona Forchetta - This Encinitas restaurant is a hot spot and it’s no surprise why. We had a short wait (even after arriving around 5PM) and once seated we ordered some pizzas, calamari and the salmon salad. The customer service was amazing and it felt like a comfortable family owned spot.
Encinitas Community Park - I was really blown away by how amazing this park was. It was clean, has the most amazing sun coverage I’ve ever seen, multiple play structures/climbing nets/slides and even has a practice skateboard. I tried the practice skateboard and it was terrifying and I realized I am far too old to pick up new skills like this. One note - it’s sort of hard to find when you’re following the directions. The directions lead you to a mall parking lot but as soon as you go through the parking lot you see signs for the park.

San Diego:

Great Maple - As we were driving down to the zoo I quickly Googled brunch spots and Great Maple popped up. I figured it would be good but wasn’t expecting it to be AMAZING! Make sure to get an order of the beignets and the maple doughnuts.
San Diego Zoo - see my full review here.