Things to Do in Carlsbad

Guests ride into Surf Bowl under a glowing pink and green sign, and once inside, cast their eyes down freshly polished lanes. As an homage to their name and the local culture, a mural running parallel to the lanes depicts bowling pins engaging in beach activities such as lounging in the sand and testing their own buoyancy in the ocean. Players can stop in for classic games throughout the day, or enjoy Xtreme Glow-in-the-Dark Bowling once night falls. Between games, bowlers can break for a pizza, sandwich, or freshly fried snacks at Blue Wave Café, a casual, diner-style eatery with chrome-accented bar stools. The alley also boasts an arcade, bar, and billiards table.

Renovated in 2011, the Museum of Making Music showcases a permanent display of hundreds of unusual and vintage instruments charting the progression of song-crafting from 1900 to modern times. Five museum galleries present popular music, innovations in instruments and their manufacture, and marketing and distribution techniques in five eras throughout the 20th century. Racks of gleaming instruments line the cases, as well as more eclectic pieces such as double-neck guitars, the crossbreed GuitarViol, and an ancient, forgotten instrument whose name is always whispered: the "clarinet." The museum is dotted with interactive exhibits, giving visitors the chance to craft their own tunes on the exhibit's drum kits or keytar.

Chairs and tables beware: SoCal Pro Wrestling's muscled warriors will soon invade the Boys & Girls Club in Oceanside to battle it out in the ring. The evening's bouts feature a gravity-defying tables and ladders match that pits "Mr. Mega Star" Tommy Wilson and Ricky Mandel against the rough-and-tumble duo known as Anchors Away. Before the dust settles, Big Daddy Destro and Chris Kadillak will charge the ring to determine SoCal Pro Wrestling's heavyweight champion. Champion Andre Machievski then goes uniformed-toe-to-toe with challenger Big Duke to retain his Golden State belt, the only device capable of holding up his golden jeans.

Artist Rae Holton sees energy. The owner of Fire & Mud Studios and lifelong arts and nature enthusiast harnesses her inimitable sight of what she calls "the vein-like serpentine flow of atoms" to create offbeat works of art in a variety of mediums. Raised among artists and craftspeople, Holton has dabbled in jewelry making, photography, cooking, and ceramics, and cultivated a love for teaching after stints as a children's ski instructor and after-school program educator. Helming her pottery-focused studio, Holton helps others unleash their inner artists through classes and workshops as students learn the history of ceramics or how to remove the head off a classical sculpture with a hedge trimmer.

PADI-certified instructors at Rick's Diving Locker teach students through a variety of underwater exploration techniques, opening up an entire world underneath the waves. After earning their PADI certifications, pupils can undertake more intensive coursework, such as wreck diving, underwater photography and search and recovery. Clients suit up with personal snorkeling gear and scuba suits, tanks, and flippers from brands such as SeaQuest, Diving Unlimited International, and Aqua Lung before setting out for undersea adventures or boudoir photo shoots. Chartered boat trips tour the local waters of Wreck Alley and the Los Coronado Islands, whereas faraway excursions to Beqa Lagoon in Fiji introduce travelers to 190 miles of coral, as well as colorful octopi and blue-ribbon eels.

From the peaceful oasis of Camulos Farm—located on an 1,800-acre stretch of North County, San Diego—Sara Crafts dispenses equine knowledge amassed over a 40-year career to students ranging from novices to elite show riders. The facility boasts riding spaces surrounded by palm trees and flower bushes, set against views of rolling hills. During lessons, instructors review horsemanship principles, English and Western riding techniques, and safety measures, such as wearing a helmet and teaching horses not to play with matches. The farm also offers summer camps that provide kids with a comprehensive equine education and teach them about career options in the equestrian field.