More Destination Guides | Search the Destination Guides
Introduction | Attractions and Activities | Travel Basics

If you think "caverns" when you hear "Carlsbad," then you're in the wrong state! This delightful, small Southern California city is named for the famous Karlsbad Spa in Germany because its mineral waters are so closely matched to its namesake's. The area's original name was "Agua Hedionda" (Stinking Water), given to it by the Spaniards who rested here while exploring the area for the King of Spain (they were upwind from an old fishing camp). The Spanish settlers displaced the native Luiseno Indians, who had camped here for centuries.

Mission San Luis Rey was founded ten miles north of the lagoon, and more settlers arrived. In 1883, the Arizona Eastern Railway arrived, opening the area to homesteaders and real estate speculators. John Frazier was first to tap the springs of both artesian and mineral water; the water's apparent healing powers made his station an early destination for tourists.

After World War II ended, Carlsbad's population soared, as servicemen once based at Camp Pendleton returned to the sleepy little beach town they so fondly remembered. Although its population has increased nearly 700 percent and the city's area has tripled, the friendly small-town atmosphere remains today in Carlsbad's historic downtown.