Oceanside CA— Oceanside is getting “Hard Corps” when it comes to family fun this spring and summer. Adjacent to Camp Pendleton, visitors can take advantage of a wide variety of new and revamped amenities on base including an all-new kids theme park, refurbished bowling alley, paintball, picturesque golf, stables and even a world-famous mud run for the entire family.
“Most visitors don’t realize that, unlike other bases, Camp Pendleton is civilian friendly,” says Leslee Gaul, CEO of Visit Oceanside. “Spanning thousands of coastal acres, there is much to experience on base and visitors gain first hand appreciation for where our nation’s heroes live, train and have fun. A visit to Camp Pendleton is a great addition to an Oceanside itinerary.”
Among Camp Pendleton’s visitor friendly recreational offerings are:

New- Camp Pendleton Playland

World Famous Mud Run- June 6-7; June 13-14

For families not afraid to get dirty, the World Famous Mud Run is a must-do event. With races for ages 6 and up, this exciting event on base has participants running for fun, over-coming obstacles and finishing at the muddiest mud pit in the world. Plus, the race helps supports programs for military heroes based at Camp Pendleton. www.mccscp.com/mudrun

Leatherneck Lanes

Camp Pendleton’s Leatherneck Lanes is sporting a spruced up look and ready to welcome bowlers of all ages and abilities. www.mccscp.com/bowl/

Pendleton Paintball Park

The Paintball Park at Camp Pendleton offers endless fun for ages 6 and up and is open Friday-Sunday for walk-in play and seven days a week for groups and private parties. Visitors can choose from four styles of play: Paintball for ages 10 & up, Paintball Lite for ages 8-12, Airsoft for ages 10 & up and Splatmaster for ages 6-9. Paintball Lite and Splatmaster use new types of paintball guns that are specifically built for beginning players. The Paintball Park at Camp Pendleton has eight recreational fields and a four-field tournament park spread across 30 acres. Every field has different bunkers such as military helicopters, king-kong, tanks, airplanes, tiki huts and more all set up for a variety of game scenarios. It’s endless adrenaline pumping fun. www.thepaintballpark.com

Stepp Stables

Boasting some of the best trail riding in San Diego, the Camp Pendleton Stepp Stables offers boarding, training and lessons. Friendly staff and nationally ranked trainers/instructors provide guidance and trail rides for all levels of horsemanship. By appointment only. www.mccscp.com/stables/

Marine Memorial Golf Course

Nestled amongst the rolling foothills and mature trees of Windmill Canyon, Marine Memorial Golf Course is one of Camp Pendleton’s best-kept secrets. Designed by visionary golf course architect William P. “Billy” Bell, the course has been praised for its bunker shaping, ingenuity and innovations in golf course construction. The Marine Memorial Golf Course is Bell’s finest 18-hole PGA championship course, which is a challenge for the seasoned golfer, yet playable for the novice. http://www.mccscp.com/golf/
Entering the Base
All visitors entering Camp Pendleton need current driver’s license, registration, and car insurance. Rental cars are allowed on Camp Pendleton base as well.

Staying in Oceanside

Oceanside is the perfect home base for exploring Camp Pendleton. The city offers a wide variety of accommodation options from luxury 10-bedroom homes on the beach to comfortable hotel rooms with kitchens. Many properties offer travelers convenient amenities including complimentary Wi-Fi, continental breakfast and pools. Popular family-friendly accommodation options include SpringHill Suites Marriott Oceanside, Wyndham Oceanside Pier Resort, Holiday Inn Oceanside Marina, Residence Inn by Marriott Oceanside, Courtyard by Marriott Oceanside, Beach Front Only Vacation Rentals and Best Western Oceanside Palms. For more information on where to stay, visit www.visitoceanside.org.

About Oceanside

Oceanside, San Diego’s North Shore, is located along the beautiful Southern California coastline and considered the gateway city between metropolitan San Diego and Los Angeles. A classic Southern California beach town, Oceanside enjoys a rich history as an ideal place to stay and experience California’s casual spirit. The city boasts a number of important historical and cultural attractions such as Mission San Luis Rey (The King of Missions), California’s longest wooden pier, vintage 101 Café, 1920’s era Robert’s Cottages, Top Gun House, California Surf Museum and the Oceanside Museum of Art. The city has served as a film location for dozens of Hollywood productions and was once the preferred getaway of many of Hollywood’s elite. Bordering Camp Pendleton, Oceanside has long enjoyed a strong relationship with the U.S. military and a deep commitment to the men and women serving the nation. Today, with 3.5 miles of sandy beach, a quaint New England-style harbor and a stellar year-round climate, Oceanside is a highly sought after location for enjoying active pursuits including surfing, stand up paddling, kayaking, boating, fishing, bike-riding, skydiving and more.

About Visit Oceanside

Visit Oceanside Conference and Visitors Bureau is the official tourism marketing organization in Oceanside, Calif; promoting travel to the city for both leisure and group visitors. The organization influences more than $60 million in visitor spending in Oceanside each year, which supports nearly 700 tourism-related jobs. Visit Oceanside also operates one of the state’s official California Welcome Centers. With just one stop, visitors can find local, regional and state maps, purchase discount tickets to major Southern California attractions, make hotel reservations or shop for the perfect California keepsake. The Visit Oceanside CVB and California Welcome Center- Oceanside are conveniently located just off Interstate 5 at 928 North Coast Highway. For more information, please call (800)350-7873 or visit www.visitoceanside.org.