Beach Day at Oceanside

Oceanside is a tourist town, so you can spend as much or as little as you want. We gave ourselves a cheap beach day with the family, with just a couple splurges.

Finding the free parking

Everything west of the Coast Highway will be metered except for the Oceanside Transit Center. Here, there is a parking garage with free public parking. You can also take the train here (the Sprinter, Coaster, and Amtrak all stop here), which is what we did; the cost of the fare for the Sprinter for the four of us was comparable to the cost of gas we would have spent if we had driven from its eastern terminus. The transit center is only a few blocks from the beach.

Alternatively, you can look for street parking east of the Coast Highway in the neighborhoods where it is free. You will likely need to walk a little further, but it’s a very pedestrian-friendly area and you shouldn’t have much difficulty.

Kiddos love the beach

There is a playground near the south base of the pier that is great for kids. Make sure they bring sandals and swimsuits or shorts so they can play in the water as well! On pretty much any day, you’ll see surfers in the water no matter the weather. There are public restrooms here too, though their cleanliness often leads much to be desired. You can also walk south to Pacific Park for another playground and more restrooms (also with cleanliness issues).

One thing I will say is to avoid the vendors here. You will find numerous food trucks and carts below the pier. These are some of the most overpriced vendors you will ever encounter. If paying $20 for a hot dog is really your thing, then go for it. Otherwise, I suggest packing a cooler and bringing your own snacks to save money.

We have, in the past, rented bikes from here. They are spendy, but the bike carts can hold all four of us (small kiddos sit in the cart in front) and we went up and down the beach. The kids loved it and it was a good leg workout for the adults, but it’s a few-times-a-year luxury for us.

Pies right into the danger zone

One of my favorite splurges (and it’s definitely a splurge) are the hand pies at High Pies. You’ll find them off Pacific St, right across from the pier. This is the iconic “Top Gun House” from the original film. It’s tucked beneath a Hyatt resort and gives some Edith Macefield house vibes, but they intentionally relocated the house to this lot in 2020, about a block north from its original location (the resort property owners relocated and restored it themselves). I love ordering a flight of pies (a flight, get it?) and a Buzz-the-Tower Vietnamese iced-coffee. The pies are $3.50 a piece or $9 for a flight of three, which is a bit spendy for such small treat, but it’s a fun splurge and you can take photos in front of the house with a Kawasaki GPZ900R (just like in the film, though not the specific one from the film).

If you don’t pack lunch, eat at Brine Box

While the large building at the end of the pier remains vacant (a former restaurant space), Brine Box has a small operation with reasonably priced fish and chips. For $15-20 a person, you can get a decent meal with good portions. It is a reasonable price for what you get, which is a welcome reprieve from the many overpriced vendors in the area. The city would not let them set up tables on the pier unfortunately, citing fire codes, so you will have to stand at a counter or try and grab a bench nearby, or take it to go back to the beach with you.

They do more than just fish and chips. I ordered the “market catch of the day” which was grilled rockfish on this particular day, and it came with rice and veggies. It was absolutely delicious and will definitely be a future order, though I also want to try the sea-animal fries (fries with cheese, sauce, and tuna).

Speaking of fishing, you can fish off the pier without a fishing license, and the bait shop will rent you a pole for only $8 an hour. Just make sure you are in it for the experience and not with the expectation of catching anything. While people can and do catch fish off the pier, it’s only the lucky few who reel one in. On a typical day will see the pier crowded with poles and very few successful catches.

Just keep your eye on the water, though. If you are lucky, you may see porpoises and whales passing by!

What about you? What is your favorite thing to do at the beach in Oceanside?