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- San Diego’s North County Coastal region offers “detour destinations” for travelers seeking diverse experiences.
- Del Mar, Solana Beach, and Encinitas provide distinct attractions, from upscale resorts to surfer towns.
“Experience America” is a five-part series showcasing often overlooked destinations and experiences in our backyard. If you’d like to contribute to our future reporting and share your experience as a source, you can click here to fill out this quick form.I woke up to the waves crashing beneath my Airbnb. Stepping onto the porch of the Leucadia house, north of downtown Encinitas in San Diego County, I watched the water lap the sandy shore down the hill in late January, before returning inside to get dressed in a sleepy haze.
I hopped in the car for a short drive down the road to meet my family for breakfast at Atelier Manna, where we sat on the porch and ate croissant breakfast sandwiches with smoked ham and herb cheese. It was the ideal lazy beach town morning, just minutes away from a major metropolitan area and tourist hub.
According to Expedia, 2025 has been the year of “detour destinations,” or places that are off the beaten path to help travelers get a variety of different experiences on the same trip. A detour doesn’t mean a traveler has to skip out on the main destination altogether, but it can open up opportunities to visit new places and unlock new experiences without having to stray too far from tourist hotspots.
“I think this whole North County Coastal area is very quiet and quaint, especially compared to a lot of the energy that you might see around South County San Diego,” Marisol Ortega, a communications coordinator with the San Diego Tourism Authority, told USA TODAY.
The Southern California city features renowned attractions, such as Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo. But the area is also home to many smaller, beachside communities that are destinations in their own right. Here’s what to know about three of them.
Beachside destination #1: Del Mar
Del Mar is the first of the three that travelers will encounter when heading north from San Diego proper. The upscale area has an “old Hollywood, classic San Diego vibe,” Ortega said, with houses built on cliffs.
There are luxury resorts, boutiques and dining, as well as the Del Mar Fairgrounds, which hosts horse racing and the San Diego County Fair. Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, where visitors will find the rare Torrey pine tree and one of Southern California’s last salt marshes and waterfowl refuges, is also located between Del Mar and La Jolla.
“So, that’s a great beachgoing experience (and) it also offers hiking,” said Ortega. To the north, there is also an off-leash dog beach “for the fur babies to go to,” added Amanda Becker, branch manager of AAA’s San Diego and Del Mar offices.
Beachside destination #2: Solana Beach
Solana Beach is “kind of sandwiched in between Del Mar and Encinitas,” according to Becker.
“It’s very walkable, very laid back, but still upscale,” she said. Cedros Avenue, a popular shopping destination, boasts two-and-a-half blocks of clothing stores, art galleries, cafes and more. I spent an afternoon there during my trip and sipped a latte at Lofty Coffee’s indoor-outdoor cafe before ducking into the David Alan Collection to browse antiques.
Belly Up Tavern is also located there, a beloved music venue with upcoming shows by rock band Real Estate; R&B and gospel singer Mavis Staples; and singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly on the calendar, to name a few. Solana Beach overall is “kind of a younger experience,” Ortega added.
Don’t leave without visiting Grange Garden, a European-inspired home decor, garden design and coffee shop where customers can interact with the owner’s pet bunnies. The business will expand into a cottage next door this fall.
Beachside destination #3: Encinitas
Ortega described Encinitas as more of a “sleepy surfer town.” Swami’s Beach fittingly got a shoutout in the Beach Boys song, “Surfin U.S.A.”
There’s still plenty to do, though. Moonlight State Beach is another popular beach, according to Becker, and travelers can camp at San Elijo State Beach. Nature-lovers can also check out the 37-acre San Diego Botanic Garden, which offers four miles of trails.
There are also “a lot of really great local coffee shops, restaurants and boutiques and stores,” Ortega noted. Those include vegetarian and vegan Thai restaurant Plumeria, and Gelato 101 (which has other locations, including one in Solana Beach).
“There’s also whale-watching,” Becker added. “So that’s something I used to do as a kid with my grandma, is go sit on the cliffs and look at whales in the morning.”
How to plan a trip to San Diego’s North County Coastal region
- How to get there: For air travelers, San Diego International Airport is located roughly half an hour away. “The wonderful thing about our airport is that it is in the middle of downtown San Diego, pretty much,” Ortega said. “So, everything is super duper accessible from our airport.” The city is also navigable by car, and Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train travels a 351-mile route between San Diego and San Luis Obispo.
- How to get around: If travelers are “planning on hitting up a lot of different areas of San Diego,” Ortega recommended renting a car. However, she noted there are rideshares and public transit options, including buses, trolleys and the COASTER commuter train, which has stations in Solana Beach and Encinitas.Single rides on the COASTER range from $5 to $13 for adults, depending on the fare type. The Surfliner stops in Solana Beach as well.
- When to go: “Anytime,” said Becker. “There’s really not a bad time.” The area does see more fog during “May gray” and “June gloom,” however.“So that would be just, like, a light jacket would usually be fine,” she added. “The fog burns off in the afternoon, but it just makes for really nice, not extreme, relaxing kind of beach days.”
- Where to stay: The area features a mix of lodging types, according to Ortega. Those include hotels like the L’Auberge Del Mar, right on the coast, along with Airbnbs and Vrbos. Becker said vacation rentals could be especially good options for families or those who want to “really immerse themselves in the culture of living in that area.”
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.