Lake San Marcos, California

San Marcos High School is a high school in the North County city of San Marcos, California. San Marcos High School is a member of the San Marcos Unified School District and serves students from San Marcos, Vista, and Carlsbad. Out of the 4 high schools in the district, it the largest in San Marcos Unified by student enrollment at more than 3000 in 2021. San Marcos High School also has a joint program with LCC High School nearby to serve students in the area.

High Tech High North County, also known as HTHNC, is a charter school located in San Marcos, California. It is a part of the High Tech High organization. Opening in 2007, with its initial class consisting of only 150 freshmen, the school has since expanded, with more than five hundred and fifty students attending. Each year, there had been a new class added. In the 2008–2009 school year, it was sophomores, in the 2009–2010 school year it was juniors, and in the 2010–2011 school year it became seniors. It is one of only two High Tech High schools to be built from the ground up with the other being High Tech High Chula Vista. The school follows the same type of personalized, college preparatory, project-based learning characterized at other High Tech High schools.

The Elephant Bar was a scratch-kitchen restaurant in the United States that specialized in globally-based dishes and traditional American fare. The corporate office is located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their first restaurant opened in Lubbock, TX in 1980. In 2015, the chain comprised 25 restaurants throughout the United States, with the majority in California. Elephant Bar Restaurants are also located in New Mexico and Nevada. The restaurants are decorated around an African safari theme, with wildlife motifs. Many of the dishes offered are pan-Asian fusion in design.In 2014, Elephant Bar filed for bankruptcy and closed 16 stores. In 2017, Elephant Bar closed a number of sites with no explanation. In March 2018, Gen3 Hospitality purchased the Elephant Bar chain out of bankruptcy. By 2021, there was only 1 remaining location in Albuquerque, New Mexico which has now closed as of April 2023.

St. Joseph Academy is a traditional Roman Catholic K–12 school located in San Marcos, CA. Its stated mission is "to transform human society through the most effective means possible, namely through training the youth in faith, reason, and virtue". The school is operated independent of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego and offers a complete K-12 education. St. Joseph Academy has been named by the Catholic High School Honor Roll as one of the top 50 Catholic High Schools in the United States for three consecutive years and carries a 99% college matriculation rate. The school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges accredited school and formally approved by the Diocese of San Diego.

Rancho de los Quiotes, today known as the Leo Carrillo Historic Park, is a historic estate near Carlsbad, California. The rancho was built as a weekend retreat for actor Leo Carrillo, who designed the property in the style of Spanish hacienda estates. Situated on land once inhabited by the Luiseño people, the original 2,538 acres (1,027 ha) were located on an old Spanish land grant. Carrillo purchased 1,700 acres (690 ha) for $17 an acre in 1937, adding additional acreage two years later. Over the next few years he designed and built a working rancho (Spanish style ranch) in tribute to his family, the Carrillo family of California, who arrived in California in the 1700s.In 1976, the city of Carlsbad acquired the 10.5 acres (4.2 ha) of the ranch that had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and added an additional 16.4 acres (6.6 ha) to create the Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park. There are 17 contributing properties on the ranch, including the main adobe house and "Deedie's house", a smaller adobe artist studio built especially for his wife Edith

The Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum (MECM) also known as the Craftmanship Museum is an American museum located in Carlsbad, California, USA that collects and displays unique carefully crafted objects of metal and wood. The museum is sponsored by The Joe Martin Foundation for Exceptional Craftsmanship.

The Aztec Brewing Company (also known as the Aztec Brewery) was a regional brewery founded in Mexicali, Mexico in 1921, which moved to San Diego, California in 1933. It closed in 1953, and was revived as a brand in 2011. It is the only brewing company ever to move from Mexico to the United States.

Palomar College Transit Center (or Palomar College) is a North County Transit District transit hub in San Marcos, California. It consists of a bus station and a train station. The bus station (signed Palomar College Transit Center on site) serves as a terminus for all BREEZE bus lines that pass through San Marcos, and is located at the main entrance at Palomar College. Across the street from the bus depot is the two-platform SPRINTER Palomar College station.

Double Peak is located south of San Marcos, California. The elevation at the summit is 1,646 ft (502 m), and approximately 1,000 feet (305 m) above the north foot of the mountain. Most trails leading to the summit of Double Peak are classified as "moderately strenuous." Double Peak is a popular hiking and biking area due to its many trails and convenient access points. On the north side, the mountain can be accessed by hikers and bikers through Discovery Lake Park, but this trailhead is closed to motorized vehicles. On the south side, the mountain can be accessed by vehicles through Double Peak Drive, extending from the neighborhood of San Elijo Hills. Both the North and the South access trails offer wide, partially paved surfaces. There is also a less-accessible rock and dirt trail which allows summiting the mountain from the East side. The Eastern trail has a steep incline, with rugged, staircase-like rock extrusions and at some points, loosely packed shale. The Eastern trail can only be accessed by following other trails along either the north or south face of the mountain, around to the eastern face of the mountain. Accessing the mountain from the north side, at Discovery Lake Park, a City of San Marcos information sign states that the length of the trail is 2.5 mi (4 km) from the park to the summit. On a clear day, the peak offers views of distant places such as Mexico, Downtown San Diego, San Clemente Island, Catalina Island, the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the Santa Ana Mountains, and the San Bernardino Mountains. A telescope is located at the peak for use by visitors.

San Elijo Hills is a master-planned community in the southwest of San Marcos, California, built by San Elijo Hills Development Company, and managed by HomeFed Corporation. San Elijo is home to three of the largest schools in San Marcos Unified School District. Unlike the rest of San Marcos, San Elijo Hills has its own town center, featuring a public park (including a stage and seating for community events), a clock tower, a fountain, and rows of shops and restaurants.

Palomar College is a public community college in San Diego County, California. The main campus is in San Marcos and three centers and four education sites are located elsewhere throughout north San Diego County. The largest of these by student population is the education center located in Escondido. In 2018, education centers in Rancho Bernardo and Fallbrook opened. The Rancho Bernardo Education Center is located on 27 acres at 11111 Rancho Bernardo Road, and the Fallbrook Education Center is located on 81 acres at 35090 Horse Ranch Creek Road. Other education sites are located at Camp Pendleton and at Ramona High School.

Pacific Ridge School, which is referred to as Pacific Ridge or PRS, is an independent co-educational college preparatory school for students in grades 6–12. The private school is located in the Bressi Ranch community of Carlsbad, a coastal resort town located in North San Diego County, California. The school educates 685 students enrolled during the 2022–2023 school year. Pacific Ridge's main academic and athletic rivals are The Bishop's School located in La Jolla, La Jolla Country Day School located in University City and Francis Parker School in Linda Vista. Surrounded on three sides by open space, the 14.5-acre campus is referred to as "the nest" by the PRS community.