This post contains affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you if you click on one of the product links, we may earn a commission. A special thanks to Visit Oceanside for hosting many of the activities on our itinerary.

Oceanside is quite the hidden gem in Southern California and it’s the perfect city for a day trip or to spend the weekend with your fur baby. If you’re looking for things to do with your dog in one day, we have the perfect itinerary for you.

9 AM Breakfast at Piper

@piperoceanside
105 Mission Ave, Oceanside, CA 92054

Start your day with an outstanding breakfast spread at Piper. Located inside The Seabird Resort, it’s just off the gorgeous Oceanside City Beach.

The space has a soft palette with natural textures and a warm natural light that creates the perfect beach-inspired atmosphere. The menu offered an array of dishes that sounded so appetizing that we couldn’t settle on just one dish each.

Candy ordered the Carmelized French Toast and the Avocado Toast. The presentation of the French Toast was absolutely exquisite and the flavors did not disappoint. The outside was crispy and the creamy inside had a rich custard flavor. The lightly drizzled date syrup added the perfect amount of sweetness.

The Avocado Toast was presented in bite-size slices and each was topped with garden-fresh beets, pickled cucumber, and alfalfa sprouts. Candy added poached eggs which were cooked to perfection.

Crystal ordered the Hasselback Croque Monsieur and made it a “Madam” by adding an over medium egg on top. The artisan ham was sliced in between the bread with gruyere cheese melted on top with mornay sauce and it was so delicious.

Crystal also ordered the Malted Pancakes and they give you a very generous portion, so you can easily share this dish with others. The pancakes were light and fluffy and the cultured butter was creamy with a wonderful rich flavor.

11 AM Visit The Iconic Top Gun House

#topgunhouse
250 N Pacific St, Oceanside, CA 92054

The Top Gun House is a historic Victorian-style home that was featured in the iconic Top Gun film as Charlie’s (Tom Cruise’s love interest in the movie) beachfront home.

The exterior of the building has been beautifully restored; however, the interior is still getting a makeover. We had a little chat with the property manager at the Mission Pacific Hotel (they manage the building) and we were informed that it will soon be a Dessert Shop named Charlie’s. It’s a $180 million beachfront hotel project and we can’t wait to see it once completed.

12 PM Local Shopping at The Ozone

102 Mission Ave, Oceanside, CA 92054
@theozoneshop

Located inside the Mission Pacific Hotel, The Ozone is a great place to shop for one-of-kind goods. The retail space focuses on community collaborations and holds various trunk shows throughout the year.

We found a cute section of dog goods and the staff also treated the pups to some tasty dog treats. At the time of our visit, there was a trunk show for Andine’s loungewear and fragrance from Loa James Harper. There were various gourmet treats and rosé available for everyone that walked into the store.

1 PM Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth at Parlor Doughnuts

@parlordoughnut
331 N Cleveland St, Oceanside, CA 92054

Parlor Doughnuts is very popular in Oceanside. They have the most amazing layered donuts that is a hybrid of a croissant and a donut. But what got us most excited about this place was that they served dog donuts! So obviously, we had to get some for Zooey and Kuma.

We were also pleasantly surprised that the pups were allowed in the store with us which we really appreciated since it’s nice to be able to all order together and not separately.

For the humans, they have many fun flavors to choose from like Campfire, Churro, Strawberry Shortcake, and more. They even have keto and gluten-friendly/vegan donuts. We decided to go with the Maple Pecan and Carnival.

These donuts are made fresh daily throughout the day and you can taste the freshness when you first bite into that soft and flaky donut. Crystal could have easily eaten a few more and instantly regretted not ordering more.

For the fur babies, we ordered the all natural house made dog doughnuts. The size of the donut was very generous and it was topped with white glaze and cute sprinkles. Both of the dogs devoured the donuts in seconds.

2:30 PM Go on a Fun Bike Ride with Wheel Fun Rentals

@wheelfunrentalsofficial
300 The Strand N, Oceanside, CA 92054

A fun way to enjoy the ocean views with your pups is by renting a bike and riding it along the coast. Dogs are prohibited on the beach, so this is a great alternative. Plus, we were visiting in December so it was too cold to go into the water anyway.

Kuma really enjoyed the ride since there was a basket in the front of the bike where she fit perfectly. It’s like it was made for her. We brought along a PupLounge Topper so she looked like royalty and everyone that walked by commented on how cute she looked.

Zooey was too big to fit in the basket, so she sat with us in the front seat. She was a little bit nervous at first but as we got going, she started to really enjoy it. It was also really nice that parts of the Strand were closed off to normal traffic.

4 PM Enjoy sunset views at The Rooftop Bar

@rooftopbaroside
201 N Myers St, Oceanside, CA 92054

If you want the best ocean sunset views, definitely make reservations at the Rooftop Bar. We sat in huge comfy lounge chairs and had a gorgeous view of the Oceanside Pier.

And when we say “we” that also means the pups were welcomed on the lounge with us. They took full advantage of this and were also getting so much attention from the staff.

We also ordered a couple of drinks and some light bites while we enjoyed the views. We can’t thank the staff enough for being so kind and providing our pups with treats and so much love.

6 PM Have the Best Dinner at Carte Blanche

@eatcarteblanche
339 N Cleveland St, Oceanside, CA 92054

We had no idea what kind of cuisine Carte Blanche served so when we learned that it was a French-inspired Mexican Bistro, we were intrigued. They use fresh and locally sourced ingredients and create rustic-style dishes.

We ordered a variety of items as the bistro-style dishes are meant to be shared. We shared the Caesar Salad, Mexican Hot Pot, and Bistec & Frites. The adobada broth was rich, buttery, and had a sweet and mild spiciness to it. The chicken was braised to perfection and had a hint of smokiness to it. All the flavors were beautifully blended.

The Prime New York was seared in a rosemary garlic butter and the medium temperature was spot on. Crystal kept saying that the steak was cooked just the way she would cook it at home. If you have room for dessert, give the beignets a try. It’s a deep-fried pastry that is generously sprinkled with confectioner's sugar.

One thing we wanted to point out was their fabulous Margarita Oh Là Là. Crystal loved it so much that she couldn’t stop talking about it. She especially enjoyed the lilikoi foam and black sea salt, which is something she has never had in a margarita.

More Fun Things To Do

If you have some extra time, here are a couple of other activities you can enjoy with your pups:

• Self-Guided Mural Walk

• Tremont Collective

Where To Stay

If you are planning on spending the weekend in Oceanside, we recommend staying at the Mission Pacific. It is a gorgeous hotel that is very pet-friendly and it is located within walking distance to all of the activities mentioned in our itinerary.

Oceanside is a fantastic dog-friendly city and the great thing about this itinerary is that all of our suggestions are within walking distance of each other. There is street parking, but we suggest parking at Oceanside Pier Beaches Lot 24B. It’s open 24 hours and it’s only $5 to park all day.