Carlsbad, California – Things to Do

San Diego Zoo Mineral Spa San Diego Wild Animal Park San Diego SeaWorld Institute of America Biplane Adventures Children's Discovery Museum Botanical Gardens K1 Speed Museum of Making Music Flower Fields Mineral Water Spa Sensational Day Spa Golf Leo Carillo Ranch Temecula Valley Wineries

San Diego Zoo. When you stay at the Surf Motel, you can get tickets to the 100-acre zoo, home to 4,000 rare and endangered animals representing more than 800 species and subspecies.

Peek at the pandas or go absolutely ape at the Absolutely Apes exhibit where arboreal orangutans and siamangs can climb, swing and live in the same terrain as they would in the wild. For more information, visit www.sandiegozoo.org. [Top]

Carlsbad Mineral Spa. Rejuvenate your body and mind just two blocks from the hotel at the Carlsbad Mineral Water Spa, which was voted #1 three years in a row for the Best Massage by Entertainer and Lifestyle Magazine readers.

For more information, visit www.carlsbadmineralspa.com. [Top]

San Diego Wild Animal Park. San Diego Wild Animal Park is home to various species of wild animals and plants—including dozens of nearly-extinct species that have been bred here and re-introduced into the wild. The species mingle just like they do in the wild, as might be seen in their native Asia and Africa. The San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park is located at: 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92027 Telephone: . http://sandiegozoo.org/wap/visitor_info.html. [Top]

San Diego SeaWorld. Go below the surface, above the waves and beyond your expectations at SeaWorld San Diego.
Touch and feed dolphins, count the teeth on a shark and get up-close and inside of R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse 4-D. And ride a mythical rush through uncharted waters on the Journey To Atlantis® water coaster. Plus, meet Shamu, the regal prince of the deep. For more information, visit www.seaworld.com. [Top]

Gemological Institute of Americas. Established in 1931, GIA is the world’s largest and most respected nonprofit institute of gemological research and learning. With nearly 900 employees, the Institute’s scientists, diamond graders, and educators are regarded, collectively, as the world's foremost authority in gemology. For more information, visit www.gia.edu. [Top]

Biplane Air Combat and Warbird Adventures. It’s flying like it used to be at least that’s what the folks at Biplane Air Combat and Warbird Adventures say. Wearing a helmet and goggles, two people sit side-by-side in the front cockpit of a meticulously restored 1920’s biplane while the pilot flies from the rear. Enjoy a low and slow flight over beaches and inland San Diego lakes and hillsides, or make up your own route. For more high-flying information, visit www.barnstorming.com. [Top]

Children’s Discovery Museum of North County. Children will have a field day pretending, exploring and learning at this truly vibrant museum. Exhibits are designed to be touched, prodded, poked, tried on and thoroughly examined. In short, it’s the ultimate hands-on experience for kids aged 2 to 12. For more information, visit www.museumforchildren.org.

Quail Botanical Gardens. Located five miles away in Encinitas (“Flower Capital of the World”), Quail Botanical Gardens features over 35 acres of exhibits, including rare bamboo groves, desert gardens, a tropical rainforest, California native plants, Mediterranean climate landscapes, the Undersea Succulent Garden, Landscaping for Fire Safety and a subtropical fruit garden. For more information, visit www.qbgardens.com. [Top]

K1 Speed. At more than 75,000 square feet, K1 Speed is the largest indoor go-kart facility on the West Coast.

Their Italian karts are electric and fully computerized for total safety. Plus, their K1 Karts have more horsepower and torque than a gas kart without the smell of fumes. For more high-speed information, visit www.k1speed.com. [Top]

Museum of Making Music. Embark on a journey through a century of musical instrument innovations that helped shape American popular music. Discover more than 500 vintage instruments along with hundreds of audio and video examples at the push of a button.

Make your own music in an interactive area that allows you play a variety of instruments. For more information, visit www.museumofmakingmusic.org. [Top]

The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch. Frolic in 50 acres of extraordinary color in bloom on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch features a special nursery, garden, and gift shop by Armstrong Garden Centers, along with festivals throughout the season.

There’s also a must-see miniature rose garden. For more information, visit www.theflowerfields.com. [Top]

Carlsbad Mineral Water Spa. Your body and mind will be rejuvenated at the Carlsbad Mineral Water Spa, voted Best Massage three years in a row by Entertainer and Lifestyle Magazine readers.

All treatments are done in private theme rooms by professionally licensed and highly trained therapists. For more information, visit www.carlsbadmineralspa.com. [Top]

Skinsational Day Spa. Enjoy several types of heavenly massages everything from full body and reflexology to warm stone and sensational body treatments.

Facials run the gamut from aromatherapy to glycolic & fruit enzyme and microdermabrasion to compu-lift. Spa manicures and pedicures also await you at Skinsational. For more information, visit www.skinsationalspa.com. [Top]

Golf. Carlsbad is well known as the golf capital of the world with two world class golf resorts, Aviara Golf Club and La Costa Resort & Spa.

There are also more than 30 golf industry businesses calling Carlsbad home. For more information, visit, www.thegolfcourses.net/golfcourses/CA/Carlsbad.htm. [Top]

Leo Carillo Ranch. Actor, preservationist and conservationist Leo Carrillo) appeared in several play on Broadway and more than 90 motion pictures in which he was featured in supporting or character roles.

His greatest fame came from his portrayal of Pancho, the mischievous sidekick to Duncan Renaldo’s Cisco Kid in a pioneering television series of the early 1950’s. Leo Carrillo Ranch, also known as Rancho de Los Kiotes, is a registered California Historical Landmark. For more information, visit www.carrillo-ranch.org. [Top]

Temecula Valley Wineries. Travel 30 to 35 miles from the hotel and you’ll be in the spectacular Temecula Valley Wine Country. Tour, taste or simply take in the gorgeous views of rolling hills and grapes ripening on the as far as the eye can see.

There are two dozen wineries including Alex’s Red Barn Winery, Baily Vineyard & Winery, Churon Winery and Falkner Winery. For more information, visit www.temeculawines.org. [Top]

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