Flower Fields to Beach Day in Carlsbad

Carlsbad might be the only place where you can spend the morning surrounded by fifty acres of ranunculus blooms and the afternoon hunting sand dollars on the beach. We did exactly that last weekend and it might be our new favorite day trip.

The Flower Fields sit up on the hillside overlooking the ocean, and on a clear day you can see all the way down the coast. After a couple hours wandering the rows of color, we headed downhill to Carlsbad Village and grabbed fish tacos before hitting the beach.

The afternoon low tide was perfect. The stretch of beach just south of the village has some great spots where the sand dollars collect in the shallows. We found seven between us — not a jackpot by Del Mar standards, but a solid haul for unfamiliar territory.

Carlsbad has its own character. It’s a little quieter than Del Mar, a little more laid back. The water feels different too — maybe it’s just the angle of the coast, but the waves seem gentler here. Good for wading out into the tide pools without getting knocked around.