San Marcos's Holiday Season Gets Decided Before the First Week of November Ends

"I'm excited to see the next generation enjoy a new restaurant row area," Mayor Rebecca Jones told the San Diego Union-Tribune in February, describing the project on the old Old California Restaurant Row site along West San Marcos Boulevard.

That next generation will have to wait a few more holiday seasons. Restaurant Row opened in 1978 and spent decades as the place San Marcos went for birthdays, graduations and anniversaries. This year it's a construction site, and the holidays are happening on other calendars. Those calendars run on a schedule with early deadlines. Two of them fall within a week of this post going up, and the busiest day of the season packs three city events into one Saturday in December.

What's on San Marcos Boulevard This Winter

The Union-Tribune reported in February 2026 that the old Restaurant Row buildings had been torn down and crews were grading the land and installing utilities. The developer expected building construction to start that spring, with the whole project finished in mid-2028. The plan combines the old Restaurant Row land with the former Sears site. It adds townhomes, about 10,400 square feet of commercial space and another 17,000 square feet set aside for outdoor dining.

The city has already named the public space. The Coast News reported in July 2025 that it will be called Old California Row Park and that the park was expected to open in 2027. According to the Union-Tribune, the plan came out of public workshops held in 2022 and 2023. It includes pickleball courts, a skate park, a playground, public art, a concert area and restrooms. Wooden beams saved from the original buildings will be built into the new design.

One of the district's longest-running tables is already gone. The Union-Tribune reported in June 2025 that Fish House Vera Cruz on Via Vera Cruz was closing after more than four decades. With the gathering spot out of service, the 2026 holiday season runs on two calendars. One is the city's, centered on the Community Center at 3 Civic Center Drive. The other belongs to Lakehouse Resort on Lake San Marcos.

Two Deadlines Before the First Hike

Both calendars ask for decisions early. Counting from Thursday, October 29:

1. Saturday, October 31, is the last day for Winter Wonderland early-bird pricing. Lakehouse Resort's event page says tickets bought before November 1 get early-bird pricing and exclusive bonus packages on the private igloos.
2. Wednesday, November 4, at 10 a.m., registration opens for Breakfast with Santa. The city's Fall 2026 Recreation Guide says seating is limited.

The events themselves don't start until late November and early December. The decisions come due four days apart, before most households have bought a turkey.

The Lakeside Lawn, Night by Night

Lakehouse Resort calls Winter Wonderland "North County's original," and this year it runs from 4 to 9 p.m. on specific dates between November 27 and December 24, 2026. It's held on the Lakeside Lawn at the resort, 1750 San Pablo Drive. Attractions include the Frozen Fun Zone, the Lakehouse Express train, make-your-own s'mores and Build-a-Buddy. Holiday boat rides go out on Lake San Marcos, and private igloos and firepits are available.

Here's how the pricing works. Entry is $10 for guests 10 and older. Attraction tickets, food and drinks cost extra, and hotel guests get in free. The event runs on selected dates rather than every night, so check the ticket calendar before promising a December evening to visiting relatives. The igloos carry the early-bird bonus, so groups who want one have a reason to book before Halloween.

November Belongs to the City Calendar

Before the lights go up at the lake, November has two city dates worth putting on the fridge.

Saturday, November 7, 9 a.m. The Borderlands Hike Series heads from Las Posas Park to the Highlands. It's a moderate 4-mile loop with about 655 feet of elevation gain, passing Las Posas, Santa Fe Hills, Foothills, Las Abejas and Quail Valley parks. Sign-in starts at 8:30 a.m. at Cerro de Las Posas Park, 1387 West Borden Road.

Wednesday, November 11, 11 a.m. The city's Veterans Day Ceremony begins at Helen Bougher Memorial Park, 1243 Borden Road, with a reception following at noon.

Both are on the north side of the city along Borden Road. In practice, early November's public calendar is a few miles from San Marcos Boulevard.

December 5, Hour by Hour

Then everything lands on one Saturday. Three separate city events fall on December 5, and between them they run from 7:30 in the morning until after dark.

The High Trek Classic is the hard one. The route climbs from Lakeview Park to the Ridgeline Trail, heads west to the microwave towers, comes down through Lake San Marcos and returns on the Cima and Discovery Creek trails. It starts while Breakfast with Santa is still serving pancakes across town, so a household can do one or the other that morning, not both.

The afternoon is easier to fit in. The Tree Lighting & Merry Market runs six hours, and the Santa photos are free from 1 to 5 p.m. That makes them an alternative for anyone who misses Breakfast with Santa when registration opens November 4. Someone who finishes the hike by late morning still has the whole afternoon before the 6 p.m. tree lighting. December 5 also falls during Winter Wonderland's run, but the resort sells specific dates, so check its calendar before planning a three-stop Saturday.

Breakfast Moved Two Miles West

For years, the obvious breakfast before a morning like this was Mama Kat's on San Marcos Boulevard. It moved this summer. The Coast News reported in late August that the restaurant had reopened in a much larger space two miles west of its original spot. The new address is 288 Rancheros Drive, in the building that was most recently the My Yard Live brewpub and, before that, a Hometown Buffet for 18 years.

According to the same Coast News story, the family that runs Mama Kat's grew the old location over the years by taking over neighboring units as they opened up. That added seats but never added parking. The Coast News found the new lot full at 9:45 a.m. on the Monday it visited, so an early arrival makes sense on a December weekend morning.

As of the Union-Tribune's September report, the hours were 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Signs at the reopening said the restaurant planned to extend its hours and was working on a lunch menu, so check the current hours before you go. December 5 is a Saturday, so the doors open at 7 a.m. under the hours reported in September. That's half an hour before Breakfast with Santa starts at the Community Center.

For coffee to carry to Lakeview Park, Steady State Roasting opened a second café next to its roastery at 1320 Grand Avenue, Suite 9. San Diego Magazine reported it open by mid-June.

The Season at a Glance

• By October 31: Buy Winter Wonderland tickets to get early-bird pricing and the igloo bonus packages
• November 4, 10 a.m.: Breakfast with Santa registration opens
• November 7, 9 a.m.: Las Posas Park to Highlands hike
• November 11, 11 a.m.: Veterans Day Ceremony, Helen Bougher Memorial Park
• November 27: Winter Wonderland's first scheduled night
• December 5: Breakfast with Santa, High Trek Classic and Tree Lighting & Merry Market
• December 24: Winter Wonderland's last scheduled night

None of these dates are on San Marcos Boulevard. Under the Union-Tribune's February timeline, the Restaurant Row project isn't expected to be finished until mid-2028.

Over the holidays, a lot of homeowners start wondering what their place is worth before the new year. If that's you, The Malkiewicz Team is happy to help between the tree lighting and the last night at the lake. Start with Get Your Instant Home Valuation, and we'll follow up with a conversation about your corner of San Marcos.