Visiting Carlsbad | CBS 8 Zip Trip
CBS 8 is hitting the road to feature the vibrant areas of San Diego County. On this Zip Trip, we visit Carlsbad and all that makes this community great.
Welcome to Carlsbad Small town charm, major attractions
Welcome to Carlsbad, California
Dive in, or "Lego" in the City of Carlsbad! Founded in 1952, Carlsbad is now home to nearly 115,000 residents, but the small-town feel is what attracts many.
Even with the charm of a small town, several major attractions can be found in Carlsbad, like Legoland and the Flower Fields. The city is just 45 minutes north of San Diego. National Geographic named Carlsbad among the 25 Happiest cities in the country in 2020, a sentiment that many people here agree with.
Home to California's first skate park, the Carlsbad Skate Park opened in 1976. It's no longer open but this city is known as one of the birthplaces of skateboarding. In fact, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk lived here.
The Claud "Bud" Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant was completed in 2015. The iconic plant creates nearly 50 million gallons of safe drinking water every single day for San Diego County. The plant serves a third of San Diego's yearly drinking water.
Carlsbad serves up seven miles of pristine beaches for those of you who prefer surfing, swimming or paddling, what's referred to as the village by the sea. Carlsbad has something for everyone.
Meet the Mayor Carlsbad Mayor, Keith Blackburn
Meet the Mayor of Carlsbad: Keith Blackburn
CBS 8's Eric Kahnert took a walk around Carlsbad with Mayor Keith Blackburn to find out what makes this city great.
When asked what makes Carlsbad so special, Mayor Blackburn said, "When I talked about Carlsbad I brag about it like a brag about my grandchildren."
The mayor is proud of the people that make up the community including the people that keep Carlsbad safe. Touring this Carlsbad Public Safety Training Center, he shows off a Bearcat SWAT vehicle, "We have the best police equipment that we can possibly give our police officers."
8 Great Things To Do Some of the many great activities in Carlsbad
8 great things to do around Carlsbad
From the Flower Fields to the Legoland there are so many fun activities and things to see in Carlsbad. Here are 8 great things to do in Carlsbad (in no particular order):
The 55 acres of Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers bloom for just six to eight weeks each year. The best time to visit is March through early May. The annual burst of color helps announce the arrival of Spring.
Just a few minutes north of the Flower Fields is a field of red at the Carlsbad Strawberry Company. Pick your own strawberries or pumpkins depending on the season, pet and feed sheep, goats and rabbits and visit the five-acre maze of sunflowers.
Legoland is the place where kids can go on brick-themed roller coasters and water rides. Watch life in the sea at the park's Sea Life Aquarium and more check out the world's first mini Lego version of San Diego made out of more than 5 million Lego bricks.
Head to vibrant Carlsbad Village's dozens of shops, restaurants, breweries and more to visit, catch a play at the new Village Art Center or learn more about the history of the city at the Carlsbad Historical Society housed in the oldest building.
There's something for everyone at the 400-acre Agua Hedionda Lagoon if you want to get back into nature, kayak, hike along the trails or just connect with nature.
Tamarack State Beach is great for families and kids for swimming, surfing, scuba diving, kayaking or enjoy the sunset while walking along the 4-mile seawall.
Leo Carrillo Ranch is a 27-acre historic park that was once part of a working rancho and retreat for actor Leo Carrillo who acted in nearly 100 films from 1927-1950.
The Museum of Making Music's mission is to celebrate the people and the products that bring music to our world. Unlike most museums, you can pick up the instruments and learn how to play too.
Carlsbad Flower Fields 55 acres of ranunculus flowers
The Flower Fields
Southern California doesn't just have beautiful weather and gorgeous ocean views. Here in Carlsbad, the Frazee and Ecke families became blooming geniuses when they opened a 55-acre gift for all of us to see, Spring has sprung. And for Carlsbad, that means it's time to immerse yourself into a world of color.
These bright and colorful flowers that cover the fields are called ranunculus flowers. It is hard enough to try and pronounce the name but could you even imagine what it's like to maintain them
One person who knows a lot about these beautiful flowers is Fred Clark, the general manager for the Carlsbad flower fields. And these are his babies.
“The ranunculus is not that easy to grow. These fields are planted by seed every year. And so there's literally millions of seeds to grow in the ground. And they're hard to germinate.” Clark said. “I don't know if you've ever tried to grow carrots before in your garden. When you plant carrots, they almost never come up, right. And then the next year, you put so much seed down that there's way too many.”
So whether you're still deciding to walk the field or take a wagon ride, just remember the bloom lasts only six to eight weeks each year. Plan your trip at TheFlowerFields.com.
Leo Carrillo Ranch A historic park with Hollywood history
Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park
You may not realize when you drive up but we are truly here in Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park. Tucked away in the hills of East Carlsbad, it's pretty apparent why Hollywood star Leo Carrillo picked out this property for his vacation ranch back in 1937.
CBS 8's Chris Gros walked the property to find out why this is such a special place.
Sara Kelly works for the City of Carlsbad and is the supervisor of the ranch. She gave us a tour of the 27-acre property that the city acquired back in 1978.
“When you're out at the ranch, you can kind of forget that there's houses and cars around you. Sometimes you hear them a little bit,” Kelly said. “We hear the airport a little but there are these moments where all you hear are bird calls and it's just the wind blowing.”
Much of the buildings are the original structures from when Carrillo would vacation here, a sign with the message “Welcome Amigos”, also an original. In 2018, the city he was even able to acquire the same bed he and his wife slept in, plus many treasured family photos.
The ranch also hosts a series of events throughout the year, from fourth-grade field trips to summer camps and yes, even weddings, but sometimes it's at its best with a simple serene nature walk and who knows, you may even see a peacock.
Find out more at carrillo-ranch.org.
Agua Hediona Lagoon 400 acres of nature
Agua Hediona Lagoon
There's something for everyone at the 400-acre Agua Hedionda Lagoon if you want to get back into nature, kayak, hike along the trails or just connect with nature.
CBS 8’s Neda Iranpour got a tour with Erin Hardin, Director of Community Relations to see the Discovery Center, the land and also all of the animals that live here.
In 1990, a group of dedicated Carlsbad citizens wanted to get together and protect this beautiful watershed.
“We have a ton of native wildlife that lives here," Hardin said. "Between snakes reptiles, even the beloved state marine fish, the Garibaldi. The fish actually has a higher concentration in the Agua Hedionda Lagoon then, in other places like Catalina Island.”
In the front of the Discovery Center, you'll see the falcons. Celerity is one of those falcons with incredible skills.
“Celerity is a Peregrine Falcon, which is the fastest animal in the world.," Hardin said. "When they dive to catch their prey. They can go up to 210 miles an hour, when they can do the length of a football field on one second.”
For more information, visit the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation website.
Things to do in Carlsbad Places and people that make Carlsbad great
Karl Strauss Brewing
Karl Strauss Chief Experience Officer, Jen Briggs joined CBS 8 live to talk about the craft beer staple in Carlsbad. More at karlstrauss.com
Seaside Ramblers
The Seaside Ramblers joined CBS 8 live from the Flower Fields to play some live music. The band covers Blues and Rock n Roll classics from the late 60's and early 70's. More at seasideramblers.com
Carlsbad Village Music
Carlsbad Village Music, a unique boutique music school and retail shop stopped by our Zip Trip to tell us about all they have to offer (and CBS 8's Eric Kahnert played the sax)! More at carlsbadvillagemusic.com
Lancer Dancers and Pop Warner Football and Cheerleaders
Live from the Carlsbad Flower Field, the Carlsbad Lancer Dancers, Pop Warner Football and Lancer Loyal cheer team joined the CBS 8 Zip Trip.
Barrio Glassworks
Barrio Glassworks is a public glassblowing studio and retail gallery located in Carlsbad Village. Find out more at barrioglasworks.com
Park 101
Park 101 Carlsbad shared their offerings live on CBS 8 and what makes their restaurant unique. More at: park101carlsbad.com
The Plot & Parakeet Cafe
The Plot and Parakeet Cafe showed off their amazing menu live on CBS 8 from the Carlsbad Flower Fields. More at: theplotrestaurant.com and parakeetcafe.com
LEGOLAND
CBS 8 tours Dino Valley, where dinosaurs come to life at LEGOLAND. This NEW land is filled with dino-packed fun designed for dino fans of all ages! More at legoland.com
WATCH RELATED: Celebrating spring at the Carlsbad Flower Fields