When you cruise along the easy streets of Encinitas in the North San Diego County, you may come across a pair of Boathouses on 3rd Street not far from Coast Highway. The two homes look like someone took boats and planted them on a hill as affordable places to live. However, these boat-shaped homes were never seaworthy, and never will be.

Struggling just to stay afloat in an economic sea of rising land values, the dual Boathouses could easily have disappeared in one fell swoop. But there's one thing you can count on in Encinitas, which contains communities such as the surf-loving Leucadia and Moonlight Beach. There are residents who care about the past, and they seek to preserve the beach community's heritage in a way that few other California beach towns have.

As a result of the efforts of locals, the Boathouses and their land has been purchased by a nonprofit preservation group that seeks to assure the Boathouses (located on 726 & 732 Third Street) will continue to be part of the quirky city's landscape. And maybe one day you'll get to step inside one of the homes if plans to turn one into a museum succeed.

Other noteworthy attractions in funky Encinitas include Swami's Beach, The Self Realization Fellowship Meditation Garden & Hermitage, and Moonlight Beach, a throw back to the good old days with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello who appeared in the Beach Party movies — Muscle Beach Party, Bikini Beach, Beach Blanket Bingo, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini and Pajama Party.