SoCal Close-Ups: North County San Diego

An arty hallway at the Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort, which opened in June.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Swami’s Beach is a great spot for surfing, strolling or running, reached by a staircase just south of the Self-Realization Fellowship’s temple grounds.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Hamilton Children’s Garden at the San Diego Botanic Garden has a “spell and smell” garden, a treehouse, chalk zone and mud play area.   (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Cedros Avenue has become a go-to place for design. It’s also the location of Lockwood Table Cafe, which serves organic produce from local farms and artisan breads from local bakers.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Antique Warehouse along Cedros Avenue has many items recalling days gone by.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Fletcher Cove, Solana Beach.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The hacienda-style Inn at Rancho Santa Fe dates to the 1920s. Besides 87 rooms, it offers a dining room and veranda with a popular daily brunch. Some rooms rent for as little as $152 (but haven’t had their old TVs replaced yet by flat-screen models). Some of the suites have kitchens.   (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The lobby at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

In the fertile hills a few miles east of Solana Beach, you’ll find the roadside headquarters of Chino Farms, a Japanese American family operation that produces fruit and vegetables beloved by chefs such as Alice Waters and Wolfgang Puck. The stand, officially known as the Vegetable Shop, has been in business since 1969.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

At Les Artistes Inn, you’ll find 12 rooms named and decorated for a dozen painters. There’s no pool, but a lobby fireplace is lighted most nights, the beach is a few minutes away, you’re steps from the main drag and you can often get in for less than $200.   (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Gauguin room at Les Artistes Inn.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Americana Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in comfortable surroundings.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Bartletti, Don ¿¿ ¿ SEPTEMBER 5, 2007. DEL MAR, CA. “Where the surf meets the turf at old Del Mar” is the slogan for the Del Mar horse track. With the Pacific Ocean in the distance, owners and race fans gather in the paddock outside the grandstand before the next race on September 5, 2007.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

At the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, the animals, scattered over 1,800 acres of dry hills in the San Pasqual Valley, are relatively free to roam. Your admission ($42 for adults, $32 for kids) includes a 25-minute narrated ride on a tram that chugs past giraffes, rhino, gazelle and perhaps an ostrich sniffing its eggs (which weigh about 3 pounds each).  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

An armadillo gets a close look at San Diego Zoo Safari Park.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Stone Brewing Company’s World Bistro & Gardens serves craft brews, food and fun.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The novel that inspired California’s name is evoked in the tiled and mirrored wonder of Queen Califia’s Magical Circle in Kit Carson Park. The sculpture garden was created by Niki de Saint Phalle.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)