Olde Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA

Homes in Olde Carlsbad come one at a time rather than by the tract. This established side of Carlsbad fills the hills east of Interstate 5, from the Buena Vista Lagoon and Highway 78 down to Agua Hedionda Lagoon, with El Camino Real as its eastern edge. Most houses are custom, so a 1930s Spanish Colonial on Highland Drive can sit near a remodeled ranch house and a new contemporary build. Lots in Olde Carlsbad run large by coastal standards, often with mature trees, privacy hedges and fruit trees in the yard, and some have room for a pool, a workshop or a detached guest unit. Highland Drive, Tamarack Avenue, Ratcliff Road and Knowles Avenue are typical streets. Older ranch-style homes cover much of the area, with a few condos and apartments along the bigger roads. Green space comes in pockets. Hosp Grove Park on Jefferson Street keeps a eucalyptus grove with trails, a sandlot play area and picnic tables. Holiday Park on Chestnut Avenue is the go-to for big birthday parties, and Buena Vista Park sits on Buena Vista Way. To the south, the Kelly Trail starts at Park Drive and Kelly Drive near Laguna Riviera Park and runs about a mile and a half out and back along the Agua Hedionda Creek wetlands, through willows, sycamores and salt marsh. The Village Kitchen and Pie Shoppe at 950 Tamarack has been serving all-day comfort food since 1996, and the house-made cream and fruit pies are why people stop in. The Shoppes at Carlsbad, the big mall on El Camino Real, covers chain dining and shopping in one place. Errands are close but mostly by car. The Vons at 985 Tamarack handles groceries on the west side, the main Carlsbad City Library sits on Carlsbad Village Drive, and the mall covers the rest. Interstate 5, Highway 78 and El Camino Real all touch the edges, and the Village and its Coaster station are about half a mile west of the nearest streets. The freeway is the dividing line. Getting to the sand at Tamarack or the restaurants on State Street means crossing Interstate 5, which keeps beach trips a short drive for most streets rather than a stroll. What stands out on a walk through Olde Carlsbad is the variety, with no two houses on a block quite alike and fruit trees leaning over the hedges.