There’s much more to the Southern Californian coast towns than beautiful beaches. On our recent trip, we made outdoor excursions beyond the sand and surf. Here are five experiences we particularly enjoyed.

Flower Fields

San Diego’s North County was once the home of Paul Ecke’s Poinsettia Ranch, which was single-handedly responsible for popularizing the plant for Christmas. As a result, the area became known as the flower capital of the world. Today, the Flower Fields in Carlsbad keeps up the tradition by cultivating 50 acres of ranunculus, a member of the buttercup family. The flowers blossom for about six to eight weeks each spring, but April is peak season. Visitors can walk the paths between the sea of colorful blooms or hop aboard the antique tractor wagon to get a better view. Besides strolling amid the flowers, we visited the Cymbidium Orchid Greenhouse and made our way to the 2-acre blueberry patch, where guests can pick a pint or two to take with them. Reservations are highly recommended.

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

Early Spanish explorers called this area Punto de Los Arboles, or Point of Trees, for the groves that dotted this area of the coastline. Set within the San Diego city limits, this 1,500-acre expanse is not a park but a reserve that contains wetlands, beaches, maritime chaparral and the endangered Torrey Pine, which is native to only two spots in California (here and Santa Rosa Island). Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is a lovely place for an easy self-guided day hike (the longest trail is 1.3 miles). We took the southernmost South Fork Trail (closest to Torrey Pines Lodge) to the Broken Hill Overlook, which had light foot traffic and offered a scenic view at the end. You can also access the reserve’s six trails from the visitor center, which is housed in the original Torrey Pines Lodge, built in 1922.