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Day Trip

One winter weekend, explore Escondido's Grand Avenue, a hot spot for art, design and home décor

To get there: Exit I-15 at West Valley Parkway, head east and take the right fork to Grand Avenue. Begin at the Mingei International Museum —North County (155 West Grand, 760-735-3355; mingei.org), where the main gallery hosts “Crowning Glory: Contemporary Paper Bag Hats by Moses of Hawaii,” opening in February.

Across the street, at the Escondido Arts Partnership’s Municipal Gallery (142 West Grand, 760-480-4101; escondidoarts.org), view original craftworks and ask about street events. After a break for coffee and pastries at A Delight of France (126 West Grand, 760-746-2644), say hello to Lois Eck, manager of the Escondido Antique Mall (135 West Grand, 760-743-3210), and browse 63 booths for design ideas and antiques.

At Shiva Artistic Collections (115 West Grand, 760-745-7835; shivacollections.com), most of the 60-plus artists represented are North County locals. February features photography, art quilts and mixed-media paintings.

Known for vintage and antique architectural elements—doors, windows, corbels—and its lovely interior, Architectural Relics (158 East Grand, 760-746-5969; architecturalrelics.com) also offers statuary, fountains, iron wall décor and seasonal gifts.

Making an evening of it? Everyone raves about Vincent’s Sirinos (113 West Grand; 760-745-3835; vincentsongrand.com) and chef/owner Vincent Grumel’s French-California cuisine. Or catch Valentine, a musical revue by Stephen Storc at Theatrx (155 East Grand; Theatrx.com), a repertory theater. “It’s lots of fun,” Storc says, “and really crazy.” You’ll leave eager for a return trip.