Solana Beach

Solana Beach: Wine, design and the beach divine (and maybe some coffee)

In 1922, Colonel Ed Fletcher, an early community leader and developer, purchased 201 acres at $200 per acre from farmer George H. Jones to develop the town we now know as Solana Beach. The community was named by Fletcher’s brother-in-law, E.C. Batchelder, after Fletcher subdivided his land. Batchelder was asked to come up with options for naming the community, and “Solana Beach” was selected after some debate with the locals. The name translates to “sunny spot”.

Back then, there was no way to get to the beach unless you wanted to climb down a cliff or walk around the bluffs from one of the two lagoons flanking the community. To create beach access, a fire hose was used for three months to create a notch in the bluffs above the beach, now known as Fletcher Cove (call it “Pillbox” if you want to sound like a local; the surfers nicknamed it for its concrete walls). The beach was opened with great fanfare, including horse races on July 4th, 1924.

This is the walk that started it all! After we stumbled upon the Carruth Cellars Urban Winery on Cedros and decided to walk to the beach, we realized that we discovered a fun way to get some exercise. Our walk will take you to Fletcher Cove, up a beautiful beach (sorry, no dogs allowed on this one), up a staircase to the neighborhood, along the 101 to check out some surf shops and restaurants, across a little-known railway bridge, and back again through the Cedros Design District.