Named for the European spa town of Karlsbad, in Bohemia of what’s now the Czech Republic, Carlsbad (pop. 78,247) was established in the 1880s and had a brief heyday as a spa town until the 1930s. A few remnants of the historic resort area, including the circa-1887 landmark Neiman’s Restaurant (760/729-4131) at 2978 Carlsbad Boulevard, still survive along old US-101 in the center of town. A few flower and strawberry fields surround the town, surviving against the ever-expanding tide of sprawl, but these days Carlsbad is best known as the home of La Costa Resort and Spa ($225 and up; 760/438-9111), a 500-room complex of luxurious rooms, health spas, golf courses and tennis courts covering 400 acres of hills on the inland side of I-5.
Carlsbad’s other main attraction, since its opening in early 1999, is the first American outpost of the popular European children’s theme park Legoland (adults $42, children $35; 760/918-5346). Built out of more than 30 million Lego bricks, and covering 128 acres above the Pacific Ocean, the park is divided up into three main areas, including MiniLand, where miniature landscapes modeled on New York, New Orleans, New England, and the Northern California coast have all been constructed using the trademark plastic bricks.
For information on visiting Carlsbad, contact the visitors bureau (760/434-6093 or 800/227-5722).
South Carlsbad State Park ($6 per car; 760/438-3143) three miles south of town, is one of the nicest and most popular places to camp on the Southern California coast, with its spacious campsites with hot showers ($20–25) spread out along a sandstone bluff above a broad beach. However, swimming can be dangerous because of strong riptides. If you don’t want to camp, or pay the parking fee, leave your car at the park entrance, which is well-marked on a surviving stretch of the old US-101 highway.
