Oceanside Tourist Attractions

HistoryThis mission is named after a canonized monarch, Louis IX of France, who was admitted into the band of the saints because of his crusades against the heathens in 1297. It is the last of ten mission stations built by Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen and lies in the far south between the San Diego and San Juan Capistrano missions, some 5mi/8km east of the present town of Oceanside. It was Father Antonio Peyri who in the years 1811-15 supervised the building of this mission church which holds 1000 people. The Moorish style and the tower with its red-painted window-sills, gables and pilasters give this church its very unusual appearance. Adjoining the church is the interior courtyard with a monastery; on one side of the church was the Indian village, on the other stood a military barracks which were found in every mission station. Below these buildings were a garden and a laundry.After the usual neglect of the secularized buildings, a start was made in 1893 on restoring the mission, which had meanwhile become the property of the Catholic church. Today it serves as a seminary.Items of interestThis, the largest and most beautiful mission station, possesses an interesting museum in the former monastery and in the workshops, where some paintings and wood sculptures from Mexico are well worth seeing. In the magnificent garden with its cloister is the first mastix tree (also known as the pepper tree, from Peru) to be planted in North America, as well as an Indian cemetery. The French visitor who had admired the Santa Barbara mission in 1840, considered that from an architectural point of view the mission of San Luis Rey de Francia was the most impressive and symmetrical in the whole of California.Location4050 Mission Avenue, Oceanside, from which place it is 5mi/8km away on the CA 76. From San Diego the distance is 33mi/53km.

The Oceanside Pier is the longest overwater fishing pier in Southern California. There are bait and gift shops and a restaurant and lounge at the "hammerhead" end. No license is required in order to fish from the pier.The Amphitheater hosts a variety of events throughout the year.

The Oceanside Museum of Art is housed in a classic Irving Gill building from the 1930s. Regional and juried art shows, traveling exhibits and locally produced shows are the highlights. Oceanside Museum of Art also presents a wide variety of regional, ethnic and local artists as well as exhibitions loaned from major art museums.

Behind the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside is Heritage Park Village and Museum. It contains many of Oceanside's original buildings including the first General Store, the Portola Inn, the Blacksmith Shop & Livery Stable, a doctors office, the Old City jail, Libby School and the Blade newspaper building.

The Audubon Nature Center in Oceanside is on the Buena Vista Lagoon. Paths allow visitors to see the wildlife and native plants that make this area distinctive. The world's tiniest mammal can be found here.

Oceanside Harbor and Village is a coastal community featuring a lighthouse, beaches, shopping, a recreational pier and a 950 slip recreational harbor. The beach has a children's play area, sand volleyball courts, and picnic spots.

The California Surf Museum in Oceanside is a resource center on surfing. It includes boards that show the history and development of the sport.

Camp Pendleton is a training facility for the United States Marine Corps. The grounds cover 125,000 acres.

The Oceanside Sea Center is an aquarium with displays of local sea life.