- - How an Old Hollywood Beach Town Loved by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Continues to Attract Big Name Celebrities

Colson ThayerNovember 7, 2025 at 10:12 PM

0

Vivien Killilea/Getty; Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty

L: Gavin Casalegno wife Cheyanne at the Breeder's Cup World Championships; R: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz at the Del Mar Racetrack. -

On Nov. 1, celebrities like Curtis Stone, Dale Moss, Peter Weber, Elizabeth Banks and Gavin Casalegno traveled to Del Mar, Calif. for the Breeder's Cup horse race

Decades before, the region was loved by stars like Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Durante, Cary Grant and more

Today, Del Mar combines its quaint village charm with high-profile events that continue to draw in big names

On Saturday, Nov. 1, a number of Hollywood’s A-listers decamped to Del Mar, Calif., to attend the internationally renowned Breeder’s Cup horse race.

The weekend-long event saw the likes of chef Curtis Stone, Bachelor nation members Dale Moss and Peter Weber, a return appearance by actress Elizabeth Banks and The Summer I Turned Pretty star Gavin Casalegno and his wife Cheyanne.

Vivien Killilea/Getty (3)

L: Curtis Stone; C: Dale Moss and Peter Weber; R: Elizabeth Banks

The coastal town is home to the Del Mar Fairgrounds, which brings in big names with events like the racetrack’s Opening Day festivities. But even when the cameras are gone, celebrities continue to visit Del Mar for a quiet beachside escape — and it’s been that way for decades.

Legendary singer and actor Bing Crosby took an interest in the region around the 1930s, later putting down roots with the purchase of an estate in nearby Rancho Santa Fe. About the same time, Crosby started becoming a horse racing enthusiast.

According to the Del Mar Historical Society, the “White Christmas” singer took a leading role in the development of the Del Mar Racetrack alongside his famous friend, actor Pat O’Brien. In 1937, Crosby was there at the track to personally welcome guests to the region’s newest attraction.

Courtesy of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

Bing Crosby welcomes fans to the Del Mar racetrack.

Over the years the community began to attract Tinseltown’s biggest stars including Lucy and Desi Arnaz, Bob Hope, Cary Grant, Mickey Rooney and Jimmy and Marge Durante. Some of them purchased their own homes in the area, and many of them stayed at the historic Stratford Inn, later renamed the Hotel Del Mar.“The fair became popular because it gave all the celebrities a new place to go, do the horse races and get out of town, but be close enough to go back if they had to be on set [in Los Angeles],” Sharin Kinsey, the leisure travel coordinator for the L’Auberge Del Mar, the modern resort that sits on the former site of the Stratford Inn, tells PEOPLE.

Courtesy of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

Desi Arnaz, jockey Willie Shoemaker and Lucille Ball at the Del Mar Racetrack

Del Mar was, and still is, an escape from the paparazzi commonly found in Los Angeles. Kinsey says the “hidden gem” of a town had nothing besides “gas stations and the pool,” so it was often overlooked and driven straight through. This allowed stars like Desi Arnaz to quietly enjoy his beachfront property there until his death in 1986.

Things began to change for Del Mar around the 1960s. In 1963, a fire ravaged the Hotel Del Mar and forced its permanent closure. Not to mention, the recent opening of Interstate 5 directed most of the traffic off the Pacific Coast Highway and out of Del Mar. But things once again took a turn when Jim Watkins came to town in 1967.

“As a developer, I saw the opportunity and rebuilding the old Del Mar Hotel became my dream,” the investment analyst tells PEOPLE. “I knew when my wife Carol and I arrived that all Del Mar needed was to embrace and enhance its unique charm.”

Watkins’ dream became a reality in 1989 when The Inn L’Auberge opened to the public. The redevelopment brought in a new era for the town and reinvigorated its celebrity appeal.

Stratford Square Del Mar

Jim Watkins (C) helps cut the ribbon at The Inn L'Auberge in Del Mar, Calif. in 1989.

According to Watkins, since the opening of the new hotel, the L’Auberge has seen entertainers like Farrah Fawcett, Charlton Heston, Angie Dickenson and athletes like Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees.

— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Today, guests staying at the L’Auberge Del Mar shouldn’t be surprised to see a Real Housewife of Orange County or Beverly Hills stopping in for lunch. They might even catch the crews of The Bachelorette filming a date on the property. But the real star-power comes out at the Opening Day After Party in July.

L'Auberge Del Mar

The L'Auberge Del Mar

“Del Mar is known for great beaches, great food, fun activities…and the great variety of events at the Del Mar Fairgrounds,” Watkins says. “The charm of the village itself, with L’Auberge Del Mar at its heart, is what appeals to so many people from all over the world."

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”