Cardiff

Go at low tide to explore the beach and the tide pools at the north end; the nearest NOAA tide station is La Jolla, down the coast. For surf, check the conditions first. The reef gets crowded on good days and is dangerous for beginners when it's big.

Cardiff-by-the-Sea covers only about 1.5 square miles, a beach community in the south of Encinitas, just north of Solana Beach. The Cardiff Kook statue stands beside Highway 101 at Chesterfield Drive.

Surf spots, south to north:

• Seaside Reef — towards Solana Beach. Mellower, for beginners on soft tops and for longboarders.
• Cardiff Reef (The Park) — the main break (see below).
• Tajamar — the northern reef. Less crowded than the main reef, but it can get hollow and technical, so it is for experienced surfers.

Leave the reef to experienced surfers and learn at Seaside; local surf schools give lessons. Cardiff State Beach is the wide sand between the reef and the parking lot, and San Elijo State Beach, just north of the reef, has a campground on the bluffs above the ocean.

The Kook (officially "The Magic Carpet Ride") is bronze. Some locals dress it up in costumes, others mock it, and most visitors stop for a photo. The town is small enough to see on foot along San Elijo Avenue, and Coast Highway 101 is flat for a ride north to Encinitas and Carlsbad or south to Solana Beach. Two places to eat: Pipe's, a coffee shop with breakfast burritos and an outdoor patio, and Village Pizzeria, which is cash-only, takes no reservations and often has a line out the door for the calzone.