Touring *

From Interstate 5 in Carlsbad, exit at Tamarack Avenue and head west. Turn right on Carlsbad Boulevard. One block north of Pine Street, as you enter a downtown area, turn left onto Oak Avenue, a side street dipping to the west toward the ocean. Turn left again where Oak meets Ocean Street, into a free (but frequently full) parking lot. Map: The San Diego County Bike Map is available free by calling (619) 231-2453.

The town of Carlsbad is skater-friendly, and its main street, Carlsbad Boulevard, makes for a fun little cruise on in-lines. From the parking lot at Oak and Ocean Streets, go back up Oak and turn left onto Carlsbad Boulevard. Here, you will find a variety of quaint beach town "shoppes" that invite further investigation. If you have already skated the Carlsbad Walkway (see the previous listing), you may have worked up quite an appetite. If so, there are sidewalk cafes where you can indulge in a well-deserved meal. Even though Carlsbad Boulevard has inlaid decorative brickwork, the sidewalks are smooth enough for skating. Where the street traverses downtown Carlsbad, it is a four-laner with a landscaped meridian strip and wide, well-marked bike lanes on both sides. Pausing at Carlsbad Village Drive, you can admire a beautifully restored Victorian home. At the north end of town where Carlsbad Boulevard meets Beech Avenue, the bike lanes become narrower, although the sidewalk continues. The pretty little downtown scenery comes to an unmistakable end with a view of a train yard from an overpass sidewalk. On the way back through town, explore the side streets according to your own inquisitive whims.