intellectual attractions in oceanside, california and vission (mission?), california?

Question

my wife is dragging me to a family thing for her in the san diego area of california, i enjoy different things than her and her family, was wondering about museums, memorials, educational and historical attractions in the area. the area is oceanside, ca and vission (mission?) ca.

Answer 1

Oceanside and...Vista?

You are at the very top of North San Diego county and sorry to say but there isn't much for historical attractions. You do have the local mission, San Luis Rey, and the US Marine Corps base which has a couple of very nice historical areas to visit. However out side of that you are in a beach city and old farming areas converted to suburbs. You need to head down into San Diego for what you are looking for. There is a very nice aquarium in La Jolla half way to downtown SD.

Answer 2

I was stationed at Camp Pendleton back in the 80s and lived there for nearly 10 years. It's true it's not big on large city style "intellectual" cultural attractions, it would be best to head south to San Diego for that, but here are a few North County places that focus on local culture that might interest you:

In Oceanside, in addition to the Mission San Luis Rey, there is also the California surfing museum. There's also an an art museum, too. If you're interested in spirituality there's also the Rosicrucian Fellowship. They have some beautiful gardens there.

When you say vission, do you mean Vista? There's also an historic abobe rancho in that town. It's east of Oceanside on Hwy 78....that would be a good place to visit if you're interested in California history.

If you like mechanical things, you might enjoy the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum.

Not sure about seeing the historic sites at Camp Pendleton. Unless you know an active duty or retired Marine, it might be tough to get on base just to look around...but if you can swing it, I recommend it.

Also, you're not too far away from Palomar Observatory if you're interested in astronomy. It's worth the trip up there.

Answer 3

Southern California