Spanning almost 4 miles of lovely Pacific shoreline, Oceanside, CA, presents a different collection of seashores, every with its personal distinctive appeal.
To enable you discover the most effective seaside to suit your vibe, I’ve created this checklist of the most effective seashores in Oceanside. Organized from north to south, every seaside contains an summary, issues to notice, and instructions and parking data.
Whether you’re on the lookout for unimaginable surf or a sandy stretch for household enjoyable, Oceanside, CA, has the right seaside for you.
Oceanside Harbor Beach
Why Go: Widest and sandiest of the Oceanside, CA seashores with premier surf.
Oceanside Harbor Beach is a protracted, extensive, sandy seaside located in entrance of Oceanside Harbor and bordered by two rock jetties. The marina is situated behind the seaside, with open ocean entry on the seaside’s northernmost finish.
This seaside is among the finest seashores in Oceanside for lively folks and households. It contains volleyball courts and a children’ play space. Kiteboarding, windsurfing, browsing, sunbathing, and fishing are widespread actions at this seaside. It has lifeguards, lined picnic tables, barbecues, hearth pits, restrooms, and showers.
Noteworthy: Situated adjoining to Oceanside Harbor Village, there are a number of close by facilities, together with a wide range of retailers, eateries, and resorts like Marina Inn Hotel.
Stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking are harbor favorites. You can lease kayaks and different water gear right here, plus ebook crusing or deep-sea fishing journeys.
The seaside has a number of the finest surf, making it an enormous draw for surfers and different watersport fans. You’ll usually see surf competitions right here throughout summer time.
Parking and get right here: Take Harbor Drive exit off I-5, which can convey you proper to the harbor entrance. There are quite a few parking tons on the harbor. Some are free, some free with time restrictions, and the remainder paid.
Even paid tons might have time restrictions. Watch the indicators fastidiously when selecting lots. When you pull into the harbor, in the event you keep left, you’ll come to a tunnel underneath the railway bridge. The tunnel takes you to a big, free parking zone with the least time restrictions (Lot 1). It’s additionally farthest from the seaside.
Breakwater Way Beach
Why Go: Quieter, family-friendly seaside additionally widespread with surfers and volleyball gamers.
Breakwater Way Beach is situated north of Oceanside Pier and south of the San Luis Rey River mouth. One of the most effective seashores in Oceanside for households, it’s a big stretch of sand lined with palm timber.
There are lifeguards, restrooms, showers, barbecue grills, and picnic tables, making it a one-stop seaside for all your loved ones’s wants. Sunbathing, browsing, and volleyball are the principle attracts of Breakwater Way seaside.
However, in the summertime months, browsing is closed in entrance of Lifeguard Tower 8, so surfers should stroll alongside the jetty to get into the water.
Noteworthy: One of the least populated seashores, the river jetty is the place the San Luis Rey River and the Pacific Ocean meet. A sandbar usually varieties right here, creating an epic surf break. For security, keep away from swimming, wading, or enjoying within the water the place the river meets the ocean.
Parking and get right here: Take the Coast Highway exit west off I-5, flip left on Coast Highway and go two blocks to Surfrider Way, flip proper and go to North Pacific Street, flip proper and go three blocks to Breakwater Way. There is a pay lot on the nook of Breakwater Way and North Pacific Street. Metered parking can be out there alongside North Pacific Street.
Pier View North Beach
Why Go: A quiet, native favourite; sunbathing, swimming, and browsing.
Pier View North Beach is located on the north facet of Oceanside Pier with a wider, longer, and sandier stretch of seaside. This is the right seaside to calm down with family and friends whereas having fun with actions like sunbathing, browsing, swimming, fishing, and volleyball.
There are two lifeguard towers at this seaside. During the summer time, a specific space of this seaside, marked by flags, is closed to browsing however open to all different water actions.
Noteworthy: The Oceanside Beach Community Center is simply north of Pier View North Beach. It’s near issues to do in Oceanside, just like the Oceanside Pier and the downtown space.
Parking and get right here: Take the Mission Avenue exit off I-5 and go west to North Pacific Street. There is one small pay parking zone close to this seaside, but it surely fills up quick throughout the summer time. Additional pay parking tons are on the nook of North Myers Street and Mission Avenue and east of North Pacific Street on Surfrider Way. There can be metered parking alongside North Pacific Street.
Oceanside Pier
Why go: Historic coronary heart of the Oceanside seaside group; backdrop for browsing competitions; reside concert events and occasions at out of doors pier amphitheater; pier fishing.
You is perhaps questioning how Oceanside Pier made the checklist of finest oceanside seashores. It’s a pier, in spite of everything.
The reply is straightforward. It’s an iconic fixture that separates Pier View North from Pier View South seashores. It’s a historic landmark initially inbuilt 1888 and one of many longest picket piers (spanning 1,942 toes) on the California coast.
Near the Junior Seau Oceanside Pier Plaza Amphitheater, you’re near the reside performances and occasions which are frequently scheduled there.
Noteworthy: A serious draw is, after all, pier fishing which doesn’t require you to have a fishing license. With its expansive size, there may be ample house for everybody. There is a bait store with rental gear on the pier.
If you don’t fish, it’s all the time enjoyable watching the surfers and marine life play within the water. Grab a espresso or an ice cream and hit the pier to get pleasure from a leisurely stroll and unimaginable views. A Nineteen Fifties diner on the finish of the pier has closed however will likely be changed. Adjacent to the outdated diner, a tiny, new seafood-inspired idea opens in Spring 2023.
Parking and get right here: Take the Mission Avenue exit off I-5 and go west to North Pacific Street. You’ll see the pier to your proper. There are a number of parking choices surrounding the pier on each side. They embody free parking tons, metered parking alongside streets, and free time-restricted spots and plenty.
For your comfort, the City of Oceanside Parking Map gives a whole overview of the parking choices close to the pier. Note the Oceanside Transit Center presents free parking tons three blocks away.
Pier View South Beach
Why Go: Best seaside within the coronary heart of the motion; entry to essentially the most facilities and actions.
The hottest seaside in Oceanside, Pier View South Beach is situated south of the historic Oceanside Pier in downtown Oceanside.
A large and sandy stretch, the seaside has lifeguards, barbecues, picnic tables, and firepits. Swimming, browsing, bodyboarding, bodysurfing, sunbathing, and fishing are the commonest seaside actions.
This seaside additionally hosts browsing contests throughout the summer time, and the close by Junior Seau Oceanside Pier Amphitheater hosts varied cultural and musical occasions all year long. You’ll discover meals and gear rental distributors right here too.
Noteworthy: The home from the film Top Gun is immediately throughout the road from Pier View South. Now a retro pie store, The High Pie homes memorabilia from the film. Pier View South Beach blends seamlessly into Tyson Street Beach and Park, additionally an Oceanside favourite. Guests of The Seabird Resort and Mission Pacific Hotel additionally stroll throughout the road to this seaside.
Parking and get right here: Take the Mission Avenue exit off I-5 and go west to North Pacific Street. There are two pay parking tons located north and south of the pier.
If these tons are full, there may be one other pay parking zone on Myers Street and Mission Avenue, only one block east of South Pacific Street. Metered parking may also be discovered on South Pacific Street. The Oceanside Transit Center presents free parking three blocks away.
Tyson Street Beach and Park
Why Go: People watching; being within the middle of the motion; a grassy park with playground.
Tyson Street Beach and Park is among the hottest Oceanside seashores south of Oceanside Pier. The park and seaside are located on both facet of The Strand, the place automobiles crawl by for a take a look at beachgoers and the ocean past.
Tyson Street Park, immediately behind the seaside, has a youngsters’s playground and loos on a big grassy space. During summer time, there’s a pleasant mixture of younger adults and households blanketing the grassy space and the sandy seaside in entrance of it. The park is a well-liked place to picnic.
Noteworthy: Dramatic stairs lead from South Pacific Street to Tyson Street Park beneath, with a pedestrian crossing to the seaside.
The Aqua Café is a basic seaside shack-style café tucked at the back of the park with a menu of tasty, nutritious, and natural eats – dine in, or take out. The café additionally has native music on Sunday afternoons.
Parking and get right here: Take the Mission Avenue exit off I-5 and go west towards the ocean, flip left on South Pacific Street. The park and seaside are about one-half mile up in your proper.
Parking on South Pacific Street is metered, and there’s a paid lot at Mission Avenue and Meyers Street. About three blocks behind Tyson Park is the Oceanside Transit Center parking zone with free parking and a charging station. There are three handicapped parking areas in Tyson Park, accessed off First Street and S. The Strand.
Wisconsin Street Beach
Why Go: A paid parking zone proper throughout from the seaside; an entry level to the Pier and Pier seashores; summertime low-tide jog or stroll.
Wisconsin Street Beach is oddly named, as its location is on the nook of South Pacific Street and Wisconsin Avenue, not road.
Over the years, the seaside has gotten more and more slim because of erosion. Now, even at low tide, the seaside is little greater than a slim strip of moist, hard-packed sand.
Large boulders line the seaside shoreside and separate it from The Strand and beachfront houses behind it. It’s a “back door” to the extra widespread seashores on both facet of Oceanside Pier.
It’s additionally a gathering spot at sundown when people and {couples} line the boulders to observe the solar’s spectacular descent into the Pacific Ocean. The seaside is open to all actions and is lifeguard-protected (Tower 7). No canine.
Noteworthy: There are restrooms/showers and picnic tables on one facet of the Wisconsin Street parking zone. Even although seaside site visitors alongside The Strand is one-way coming towards you, relaxation assured you may flip into the parking zone from Wisconsin Avenue. Stairs result in South Pacific Street.
Parking and get right here: Take I-5 to Oceanside Boulevard, exit west towards the seashores, flip proper on South Pacific Street to Wisconsin Avenue, flip left, and go down the block-long hill.
A parking zone is on the appropriate with a U-shaped drive-through. The seaside is throughout the road. Paid lot. Street parking is metered or time-restricted north of Wisconsin alongside South Pacific Street. Parking is free alongside South Pacific Street south of Wisconsin however may additionally be time-restricted. Check the indicators.
Oceanside Boulevard Beach
Why Go: An simple entry level for a low-tide seaside stroll; a quiet place to perch atop an enormous boulder at sundown
This small seaside on the finish of Oceanside Boulevard is barely larger than Buccaneer Beach, the smallest of the Oceanside seashores. You’ll discover a sandy space about 200 toes extensive that’s lifeguard protected throughout summer time (Tower 9). It’s an important start line for a stroll alongside the Pacific Ocean.
Like many smaller Oceanside seashores, excessive tides usually depart the seaside with hardpacked, damp sand. But you’ll nonetheless discover just a few solar worshipers getting their tans on right here.
Noteworthy: Oceanside Boulevard Beach is a serene place to take a seat atop the boulders that line the shoreline for a West Coast sundown. Don’t be shocked to see some boulders already occupied with cairns – stacks of stones. This seaside is reserved for swimming, wading, and bodyboarding solely. There aren’t any loos at this seaside, however there’s an out of doors bathe to rinse sandy toes. No canine allowed.
Parking and get right here: Take Oceanside Boulevard from I-5 to South Pacific Street and park there or alongside different close by streets. No parking charges.
Buccaneer Beach
Why Go: A tiny, family-friendly seaside with all the things you want shut by.
Nestled between oceanfront houses and condos on both facet, Buccaneer Beach is the smallest of the lifeguard-protected Oceanside, CA, seashores (Tower 11).
The family-friendly seaside has all of it — handy lot parking, a grassy park with a youngsters’s playground, a small café, and public loos, all situated immediately throughout South Pacific Street. There’s even a marked pedestrian crossing between the facilities and the seaside.
Noteworthy: Buccaneer Park, throughout South Pacific Street from the seaside, has a youngsters’s playground, a big grassy space, basketball courts, charcoal grills, picnic tables, loos, and showers.
You’ll discover Buccaneer Café right here as properly, the place you may get breakfast, lunch, or snacks each day from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Next to the park is a footpath working alongside Loma Alta Creek for a enjoyable nature stroll or birdwatching alternative.
Dogs are usually not allowed on this seaside. Surfing is accessible on both facet of the seaside space however not in entrance of the seaside, the place it’s solely swimming, wading, and physique boarding.
Parking and get right here: To get right here, take I-5 north to Vista Way exit, go west towards the seaside to Coast Highway (101), flip proper and go to Cassidy Street, the place you’ll go left to South Pacific Street, flip proper, and go a half mile. The seaside is on the left, parking is on the appropriate behind Buccaneer Café. No parking charges.
Cassidy Street Beach
Why Go: A neighborhood favourite for a second of Zen; entry level for an energizing seaside stroll.
You’ll wish to watch the tide tables for this seaside, because it’s fully absorbed at excessive tide. The seaside is lengthy and slim and lined with giant boulders shoreside to create an erosion barrier for coastal houses.
This doesn’t depart room for far more than a low-tide seaside stroll. But once more, time it fastidiously.
Although lifeguard tower 15 is situated on the seaside right here, there’s seldom a lifeguard current. There aren’t any loos right here, both. For these causes, there could also be higher seashores for households with children.
Noteworthy: At the top of Cassidy Street, you’ll see a strong picket staircase that takes you right down to the seaside. Don’t be shocked to search out somebody meditating on a bench on the prime of the steps or to see a non-public wedding ceremony ceremony on the seaside beneath. Sometimes folks will take their lunch break up prime, having fun with the sounds of waves crashing on rocks.
Parking and get right here: Cassidy Street Beach is the southernmost public entry seaside in Oceanside. To get right here, take I-5 north to Vista Way exit, go west towards the seaside to Coast Highway (101), flip proper and go to Cassidy Street, the place you’ll flip left and go straight to the lifeless finish.
There’s restricted parking on the Cassidy Street dead-end. More parking is accessible alongside South Pacific Street. No parking charges.
Do you’ve got a favourite Oceanside seaside? See additionally our guides to: