About Vista

The City of Vista is a Charter Law city and was incorporated on January 28, 1963. Located just seven miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in northern San Diego County, the City of Vista has a perfect mild Mediterranean climate. Residents enjoy a wide range of year-round outdoor activities in a setting of gentle rolling hills and pleasant rural surroundings.

Vista Amenities

Theatre

Vista is home to two city-owned theaters: the recently updated Moonlight Amphitheatre and the Avo Playhouse. The Moonlight is an open-air theater that specializes in musical productions, performing several Broadway caliber, musical productions during the course of the summer. A winter season concert venue called ClubM hosts shows where the performance and audience areas are on the Moonlight stage, sheltered from the elements. The Avo Playhouse located in historic downtown Vista is rented year round for private performances.

Several popular downtown events include the North County St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival, the Vista Strawberry Festival, the Vista Rod Run (over 25 years running) and the annual Winterfest & Christmas Parade.

Parks & Museums

Two of the best-known parks in the city are Brengle Terrace Park and Guajome County Park. Brengle Terrace Park houses the Moonlight Amphitheatre, Alta Vista Gardens (a city-owned botanical garden), two softball fields, a senior center, a playground, and the city community center, where the main offices of the city’s day camps are held. Guajome County Park has 557 acres (2.25 km2) of land, which is shared between Vista and nearby Oceanside. It features a small lake, willow and oak woodlands, campsites, horse trails, and the Rancho Guajome Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. Buena Vista Park on the south side of Vista is a natural park where users can hike on trails through native chaparral and oak woodland.

The city’s Parks and Recreation Department runs the Wave Waterpark, a small but well-equipped waterpark in the downtown area open from mid-spring to early fall, and the brand new Vista Community Sports Park. Another attraction is the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum, an open-air museum demonstrating agricultural equipment from the 19th and early 20th centuries. A Boomers family fun park is also located in Vista.

Cultural

Vista is also home of a Japanese-American Cultural Center and Buddhist Temple, one of only two in California, a mosque, and over 75 other churches and temples of various denominations.

Breweries

The Hops Highway is a 60-mile stretch of Highway 78 just north of San Diego, where travelers can find some of the country’s best beers being poured in dozens of the country’s most scenic breweries. There are currently 15 breweries in Vista alone, near or on what is affectionately called Hops Highway. Each brewery has their own flavor and host several events throughout the year. For more info visit http://hopshighway.com/