OCEANSIDE, Calif. —
Join CBS 8 Mornings Live from Oceanside!
CBS 8 is live from Oceanside all morning on Friday, September 20. Make sure to tune in to CBS 8 and the CW San Diego or stream on CBS8+ from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for live coverage. The CBS 8 team will be out in the community sharing all the things that make Oceanside a great place to live and visit.
8 great things to do in Oceanside
There's so much to do and see in Oceanside. We are highlighting eight great things that you may want to consider visiting the next time you are in Oceanside.
The Beaches & Pier
Oceanside is home to over three miles of shore with spots for swimming, surfing, fishing or just relaxing. Make sure you walk the historic Oceanside pier. That's been an icon since 1888.
You can continue your beach day by renting a boat or booking a whale and dolphin tour or fuel up with food at one of the nine restaurants like family-owned Harbor Fish and Chips.
The very first surf museum in the US opened back in 1986. It preserves and protects southern California's surf history. You can see Bethany Hamilton's shark bite surfboard and even meet local and famous surfers on Wednesdays.
Great Restaurants
Oceanside has no shortage of great food. There's everything from upscale Michelin star restaurants like Valle and Dija Mara and local favorites like Beach Break Cafe or Marys family restaurant.
Oceanside is home to over 20 locally owned coffee shops with a variety of options. Visit Bound Coffee Co. for a salted caramel latte or head to Plantology to drink traditional Mexican coffee and buy a plant.
Catch a sunset at the weekly Sunset Farmers market. Over 200 vendors set up shop every Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. Right on Freeman Street and Pier View Way. There's a kid zone and live music. If you can't make the later time, you could also stock up at the earlier farmers market on Thursday morning from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Historic Theaters
Catch a show or movie downtown support local artists at two historic theaters, Sunshine Brooks and the Star. You can also escape the heat and watch a movie at the massive Regal cinemas on Mission Avenue.
The king of the Missions is a national historic landmark and museum with a complicated history. Learn about the indigenous Luiso people and California's Spanish colonial past.
Oceanside Pier: Rebuilding after the fire
The landmark of Oceanside is the pier. There's no denying it's one of the most recognizable parts of this city. That is why when it burned in April 2024 there were a lot of upset people from Oceanside as well as all over the world. CBS 8's Neda Iranpour spoke with the city engineer to get an update on the pier and when and how it will be repaired.
The Oceanside Pier stretches far out into the ocean at 1954 ft long. It is one of the longest piers on the West coast built in 1987 an architectural and structural feat. This is now Oceanside's Sixth pier. But as you get closer, there's no denying the destruction, a fire tore through what's considered the hammerhead portion of the pier. Back on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
Burning for about three days straight. It was a galant strategic effort by many firefighters and agencies to keep the fire where it started at the very end of the pier. Firefighters created a line and managed to protect 93%.
The city of Oceanside's engineer, Brian Thomas gave us access to the fenced off portion where we got a glimpse of the monumental job at hand.
"Rigt now, there is a sagging portion of the floor," Thomas said.
That's why they first have to build a false floor to catch the debris as they demolish and remove everything off the top deck, including the two buildings. Between the Charred remains of a former Ruby's diner and the smaller to go eatery called the Brine Box, there are subtle hints of what once was a place where memories were made and breathtaking views were captured. There's no doubt this pier is worthy of rebirth.
"There'll be a crane, there'll be dump trucks," Thomas said about the rebuild. "We have a weight limit out here so we can't bring out really big heavy things."
They'll try to limit the amount of interference with the day to day life, allowing fishermen to continue their work, hoping for hardly any closures and the true hope is the pilings are ok. There are an impressive number of 428 pilings, 72 in the hammerhead.
When asked about the cost, Thomas says that it is not known yet. "It depends on what we have to rebuild. At this point, the pier could be anywhere from a $1 million to $20 million."
With insurance coverage, Thomas explained that the city should only be out of pocket for the deductible and if all goes as planned, the old Ruby's will come to life as something new with the owners of the lease planning to reopen once they build the restaurant, as well with the Brine Box. You may also notice people's names engraved in the railings. In 1988, this was a fundraiser for the city's Centennial. Most names were saved and the city's archives will show which ones will need to be replaced.
"We just hope that the community continues to support what we're doing out here and we're looking forward to getting everybody out here as quickly as we can."
The paintings and designs at the Oceanside Museum and Art include pieces that almost feel like they're brought to life for visitors to enjoy.
There’s been a lot of buzz in downtown Oceanside in recent years. New restaurants, resorts, a Michelin star restaurant and businesses are hard to miss along this coast community in North San Diego County. CBS 8's Chris Gros shows how some of the older established restaurants are benefiting and what they think about the change.
Frontwave Arena has a capacity of 7,500 fans and will host the new San Diego Clippers and San Diego Soccers as well as many other concerts, comedy shows and community events in North San Diego County.