If you’ve followed Out of the House with TLC for a while, you already know that Leucadia has become one of my favorite Southern California escapes. But this Leucadia solo travel experience was going to be different. I’ve written about the restaurants, where I stay, dog-friendly beaches and plenty of things to do around Leucadia, Encinitas and Del Mar, but I’d never experienced my home away from home quite like this before.

For years, though, there was one constant on almost every one of those trips: Cooper.

This was my first trip back to Leucadia, my home away from home, without him.

I knew before I arrived that it wasn’t going to feel the same, and honestly, it didn’t. Instead of trying to recreate the trips Cooper and I took together, I decided to make this one a little different. I revisited some favorite places, but I also tried things I’d never done before, including a few that simply weren’t practical when I was traveling with a dog.

It turned into a week of beaches, gardens, wine, sailing, great food and discovering a new way to enjoy a place I already loved.

Leucadia Solo Travel: Blind Wine Tasting at Caves Wine Bar and Shop

Apparently, even on my Leucadia solo travel adventure, it didn’t take me long to find the wine.

One evening I discovered a blind wine tasting at Caves Wine Bar and Shop. The challenge was to taste the wines without knowing what they were and try to identify the varietal and country.

How did I do?

Four out of eight! And on one, I correctly identified both the varietal AND the country. I’m calling that a pretty respectable showing.

Beyond testing my wine knowledge, this turned out to be a great solo activity. A tasting gives you something to focus on and makes it easy to strike up conversations with the people around you. I met some nice people, talked about wine and had a really fun evening.

If you’re traveling solo and aren’t quite sure about walking into a bar by yourself, look for activities like tastings, trivia or other events. Having something to participate in can make going out alone feel completely natural.

San Diego Botanic Garden

One of my favorite new discoveries of the entire trip was the San Diego Botanic Garden.

I spent about two hours exploring, which felt just right for me. Admission was $20, and I definitely felt like I got my money’s worth. I also managed to log 6,522 steps without ever feeling like I was exercising. That’s my kind of workout.

There is a lot to explore here, with gardens representing plants and landscapes from around the world.

My favorite was the Bamboo Garden. Walking among the towering bamboo was peaceful, beautiful and completely different from the coastal scenery I’d been enjoying during the rest of the week.

The Australian Garden was another favorite because it immediately brought back memories of my trip to Australia last summer, especially my time exploring the Blue Mountains. One of the things I love about travel is how a place can unexpectedly transport you back to another adventure.

There are also interactive children’s gardens that would be especially fun for families. I didn’t spend much time there, but I did climb the very cool tree house. Apparently being 59 does not mean I have to pass up a good tree house.

There are numerous other gardens and plant collections throughout the property, and I think part of the fun is simply wandering and seeing what you discover rather than worrying about checking off every section.

My recommendation is to give yourself about two hours, wear comfortable shoes and take your time.

Leucadia Solo Travel Discovery: Moonlight Beach

I’ve spent a lot of time in this area over the years, but traveling with Cooper meant my beach choices were usually determined by where dogs were allowed.

Moonlight State Beach isn’t dog-friendly, so this was one of those places I’d never really been able to enjoy on our trips together.

Well, I made up for lost time.

I set up my chair, put my feet in the sand and spent about four hours there on my first visit. The time flew by. I liked it so much that I went right back the next day.

Moonlight is a wide, beautiful beach with restrooms and other amenities that make it easy to settle in for several hours. It also has Beach Wolf, a concession stand where you can grab shaved ice and plenty of beach-friendly food.

And I can personally recommend the hot dogs. Sometimes beach food doesn’t need to be complicated.

Another big plus is the free parking. During my weekday visits, I didn’t have any trouble finding a space. I would expect summer weekends to be considerably busier, so that’s something to keep in mind.

For anyone considering Leucadia solo travel, Moonlight Beach checks all my boxes for an easy solo beach day: comfortable, beautiful and no complicated logistics.

Sunset Sailing with Sail San Diego

If I had to pick one of the biggest highlights of this trip, my three-hour sunset cruise with Sail San Diego would be near the top of the list.

I arrived at the marina, found parking without any trouble and was soon out on San Diego Bay for three fabulous hours.

The views were beautiful, the other passengers were fun to spend the evening with, and Captain Dave Hobbs was fantastic. There’s something about seeing San Diego from the water that gives you an entirely different perspective on the city.

Drinks and snacks were also included with the cruise and were complimentary. They had soda, beer, hard seltzers, water and white wine available, along with snacks, so once I boarded there really wasn’t anything else I needed to worry about. I could just settle in and enjoy the sail.

And then, of course, there was the sunset.

Watching the sky change while we sailed through the bay was one of those vacation moments when you really don’t need to be doing anything else. Just being on the water was enough.

There was also an unexpected personal moment. We sailed past the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the aircraft carrier my cousin Tanner serves aboard. Seeing it from the water made an already memorable evening even more special.

Although the cruise takes you beyond Leucadia, it was one of my favorite additions to this Leucadia solo travel itinerary. You’re part of a small group, there’s plenty to see and talk about, and it gives you the opportunity to meet people without ever feeling like you’re attending something alone.

I would absolutely do this one again.

Revisiting Leucadia Favorites as a Solo Traveler

Not everything on this trip needed to be new.

Leucadia has plenty of restaurants and watering holes I already love, and I wasn’t about to abandon them just because I was traveling differently.

I returned to Kai Ola Sushi, one of my favorites, but this time I sat at the sushi bar instead of outside on the patio where Cooper and I used to sit. It was a small change, but it gave a familiar restaurant a different feel and made it easier to chat with people while enjoying some very good sushi.

I also returned to Le Papagayo, which remains one of my Leucadia favorites for its food and lively atmosphere.

And then there was Duck Foot Brewing.

Beer and bingo may not sound like the height of sophisticated solo travel, but I had a great time. Sometimes the best vacation nights aren’t the elaborate ones. They’re the ones where you find something fun happening, grab a drink and join in.

Regal Seagull: An Ale House, Sausage Grill and a New Favorite

Regal Seagull was another place I could experience differently on this trip.

I’d been there before, but when I traveled with Cooper it wasn’t somewhere we could easily hang out. It can get busy, and being inside wasn’t really an option with a dog. Traveling solo meant I could finally walk in, find a spot and stay awhile.

Regal Seagull is an ale house and sausage grill, and although I’m not exactly a craft beer aficionado, I certainly didn’t go thirsty. They had a nice Pinot Noir along with several hard seltzers on the menu, so there were plenty of options for someone like me who isn’t necessarily there for the beer.

Of course, I couldn’t visit a sausage grill without trying the sausage, so I ordered the sampler. It was delicious and a fun way to try several different varieties.

But one of my favorite parts had absolutely nothing to do with the food.

Instead of giving you a boring number to identify your order, they give you a name that gets called out when your food is ready.

Mine?

Xena, Princess Warrior.

I have no idea who decided I was giving off warrior-princess energy that evening, but I’m not arguing with it.

Regal Seagull is casual, lively and the kind of place where it’s easy to hang out for a while. It was another reminder that traveling solo opened up some experiences that I’d passed over when my trips revolved around finding places that worked for Cooper too.

Haggo’s Organic Taco: Come for the Tacos, Stay for the Nachos

One Leucadia spot that definitely deserves more attention from me is Haggo’s Organic Taco.

I’ve grown to love this place, but somehow I haven’t really featured it in my previous posts.

I usually stick to a pescatarian diet, and Haggo’s has plenty of seafood options that make that easy. But I have a confession: sometimes when I travel, I cheat a little.

And Haggo’s queso birria tacos are one of the reasons why.

They are to die for.

I’d already fallen for the tacos on previous visits, so this time I decided to branch out and try the nachos.

Equally as good.

The menu also includes burritos and plenty of seafood choices, so there are lots of options whether you’re sticking with fish or deciding that vacation rules apply.

This is exactly the kind of casual neighborhood place I love finding when I travel. It doesn’t have to be a big night out or a special occasion. You can stop in, order some seriously good food and walk away very happy.

Haggo’s has officially earned a permanent spot on my list of Leucadia favorites.

What I Learned From My First Leucadia Solo Travel Experience

I’ll admit this trip was harder at the beginning than I expected.

Leucadia had become so intertwined with Cooper and our travels together that being there without him felt strange. During those first couple of days, there were moments when I wondered whether I’d come back too soon.

But instead of trying to have the same trip without Cooper, I started having a different one.

I spent hours on a beach we couldn’t visit together. I wandered through a bamboo garden and climbed a tree house. I tried to identify mystery wines. I went sailing at sunset. I sat at sushi bars instead of dog-friendly patios. I spent time inside places I’d previously passed by because I had a dog with me.

And somewhere along the way, I found my rhythm.

That didn’t mean I stopped missing Cooper.

On my final morning, I drove down to Del Mar and had breakfast at The Cottage, the last place Cooper and I had breakfast on our final trip to this area together.

After breakfast, I visited some of our favorite places. I walked from the beach near Powerhouse Park toward Torrey Pines. Later, I bought a new book, ordered an iced matcha and spent almost two hours sitting outside reading and simply enjoying the fact that I had nowhere else I needed to be.

By the time I headed home, I’d logged 12,347 steps.

More importantly, I felt good.

Familiar Places, New Memories

I started this trip knowing Leucadia wasn’t going to feel the same without Cooper.

I was right.

But what I didn’t know yet was that different didn’t have to mean worse.

The memories Cooper and I made here aren’t going anywhere. I’ll probably always think about him when I pass certain patios, walk particular stretches of beach or sit down for breakfast at The Cottage.

But this trip gave me some new memories too.

Moonlight Beach. A blind wine tasting. Bamboo towering overhead. A tree house I was definitely not too old to climb. Beer and bingo. Xena, Princess Warrior. Queso birria nachos. A sushi bar. Three hours sailing San Diego Bay as the sun went down.

Leucadia is still my home away from home.

It just looks a little different now.

And I’m discovering that different can still be pretty wonderful.