Escondido Travel Guide
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The coastal and inland sections of North County are as different as night and day. Inland you'll find beautiful barren hills, citrus groves, and conservative ranching communities where agriculture plays an important role.
Rancho Santa Fe is about 27 miles north of downtown San Diego; from there the scenic Del Dios Highway (S6) leads to Escondido, 32 miles north of San Diego. Nearly 70 miles from the city is Palomar Mountain in the Cleveland National Forest, which spills over the border into Riverside County.
Best known as the home of the San Diego Wild Animal Park, Escondido is also the site of the California Center for the Performing Arts, an attractive 12-acre campus that includes two theaters, an art museum, a conference center, and a cafe. It's worth the 45-minute to 1-hour drive to Escondido (along I-15 north to the Escondido exits) just to see the appealing postmodern architecture of this facility, which opened in 1994. To find out what's playing and for ticket information, call tel. 760/738-4100.
This city of 125,000 is in the heart of a major agricultural area, so it's not surprising that the farmers' market on Tuesday afternoons is one of the county's best. Another attraction is Orfila Vineyards, located near the Wild Animal Park. Grand Avenue, old Escondido's downtown main drag, is experiencing a pleasant renewal. Classy antiques stores and new restaurants are filling historic storefronts.
