"MISSION BEACH!" Mission Beach by lmkluque

Welcome to my Mission Beach page,

Many visitors to San Diego check-in at a hotel or motel in the Mission Bay/Mission Beach area and I would say that of all the beaches in San Diego, this has the highest tourist population. However, this is a popular community of San Diego and at least fifty percent of the people enjoying the beach--during the summer--are locals. September and October are usually our hottest months, most tourists have gone home and the locals have the place all to themselves.

Mission Beach is about nine miles north of downtown San Diego and the main intersection is West Mission Bay Drive and Mission Boulevard. Next to SeaWorld, both Mission Bay Park and Mission Beach are the great attractions to this community.

Mission Bay Park was created out of bits of land in and around Mission Bay and there are lots of water oriented activities going on all year long. Not only the typical picnic, but windsurfing, sailing, swimming, well you get the picture. There are plenty of hotel and resorts scattered in this area which makes it a haven tourists flock to.

The strip of land that runs along the beach is full of short term and long term apartments and right in the center is the grand attraction of Belmont Park, complete with an original wooden rollercoaster. Over the years the look and focus of this old-time, boardwalk type entertainment center has changed, but what hasn't changed is the holiday spirit that hoovers.

The traffic, getting in and out of Mission Bay or Mission Beach can be a grueling feat, especially on weekends, holidays or during the summer, but for those of you who love crowds, it's all worth the trouble.

I hope you enjoy your visit,
Linda

Kitty watching the world go by.

Most of Mission Beach is a tourist haven, plenty of hotels, motels and cottages to rent for a week at a time. Not many places to rent for permanent living and anything up for sale is priced higher than in other areas because of proximity to the Bay or the Ocean. There are lots of rentals in Mission Beach along the Ocean or off Mission Boulevard, but most are weekly rentals and the price is pretty high.

There are many walkways such as seen on the photo, looking towards Mission Boulevard, that are lined with cottages and lead to the beach, some are without direct beach access, the point being that most of the rentals are crowded along the alley way and though convenient to the beach, are not private pathways. Some, come with garages and expect to pay for the use if you plan to bring a car.

View of The Strand from OB to MB and PB

South of Mission Beach is the San Diego community of Ocean Beach and just north of MB is the community of Pacific Beach.

The strip of coast between these three beaches is called, "The Strand." This is not to be confused with the "Silver Strand State Beach" found between Imperial Beach and Coronado in the southwest end of San Diego County.

• Pros:Popular Beach in San Diego!
• Cons:Too much traffic getting in and out of the area.
• In a nutshell:Beach lovers love Mission Beach!