Beach Cruisin So Cal Style-Grab Your Cruiser & Jump On For A California Adventure You Won’t Forget

One of the best things about living in sunny southern California is that while the rest of the country is still trying to thaw out from winter’s freezing temperatures and snow, those of us here in SoCal can venture out for a day of sun, fun, and adventure along the beautiful California coast. Recently, the Jac-walds (Jeff, Cinda, John and Melissa) decided to beach cruise the north county coast highway of the 101 in San Diego.

With not a cloud in the sky and the temperatures in the 80’s, we packed the cruisers on the cars and headed out for the beach.  We ventured north on the 101 and parked at the beautiful coastal city of Carlsbad.  Our intention was to grab a bite and a craft brew at the Board N Brew (http://www.boardnbrewcarlsbad.com)  in Carlsbad and then start biking down the 101. The day was perfect with the salty beach air, warm breeze, tasty libations, and good friends. (Fun Fact: There are move than 60 craft breweries in San Diego County!)

So Cal is a mecca for micro breweries, seaside cafes, beachside bars, fun people watching, and plenty of sunshine.  If you don’t have a beach cruiser, there are plenty of places in San Diego to rent a bike for the day. Depending on how long and where you want to ride, you can pick the right place to rent your cruiser.

Some of the most popular beach cruising routes in San Diego are:

• Carlsbad to Solana Beach: that is the path we took and a glimpse of that path and activities are shown below. We recommend parking in Carlsbad and heading south on the 101.
• Mission Bay is a great area to beach cruise. It is 10 minutes north of downtown off of I-5 and Mission Bay drive.  Beach cruising is easy with 27 miles of paved paths.  If you are looking for other things to do you can kayak on the bay, go sailing, paddle boarding, jet skiing, kite surfing, and there are even bonfires at night (which is not allowed on most beaches in San Diego).
• Pacific Beach (3 mile oceanfront boardwalk).  Great people watching, beach volleyball, surf shops, restaurants and nightclubs.  The boardwalk gets crowded in the summer and on the weekends so make sure to be patient and watch for those that are skateboarding, rollerblading (yes, people still do that) and strolling down the boardwalk.
• Ocean Beach (lots of areas to cruise around the boardwalk and also along Newport Avenue).  They have fun antique shops, vintage stores and artist studios that are mixed in with restaurants.
• Coronado Beach is a locals’ favorite with a true beach town vibe.  There is not a huge oceanfront cruising area,  but if you start out near The Hotel Del Coronado, you can get some biking done oceanside. It is fun to venture into the downtown Coronado area or into the beautiful neighborhoods.

If you are Beach Cruising in North County of San Diego, check out these hot spots below that we visited on our recent adventure:

• Union Kitchen and Tap in Encinitas.  With it’s roll up doors, extensive drink menu, and great food you can’t go wrong.
• Cedros Avenue (http://www.cedrosavenue.com) is a 2 1/2 block long street with over 85 boutique shops, furniture stores, and a great music venue called the Belly Up.
• Pizza Port Tasty Grub and Grog in Solana Beach.  The best Pizza that I have found in my 12 years in California.  Pizza Port is ALWAYS busy so be prepared to wait…but know that it is well worth it!