Things to do in Orange County Beaches
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Laguna Beach Brewing Company
For pub grub and microbrews head to Laguna Beach Brewing Company, which has live music Thursday to Sunday.
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Laguna Art Museum
With its back to the Pacific Ocean, the Laguna Art Museum is a great example of a local gallery - dedicated to supporting and exhibiting the work of local artists, past and present. It also plays a significant role in Californian art conservation and scholarship.
Laguna has an enduring reputation as an artists' haven, despite the ineluctable creep of real estate (and Republican) values. While the heady days of the 20s (in which it was estimated that artists made up half the town's population) are long-gone, this little museum keeps the flame burning. The permanent collection holds more than 5000 works by over 800 different artists, documenting Californian art since the ea…
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Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
You'd be forgiven for overlooking Bolsa Chica, at least on first glance. Against a backdrop of nodding oil derricks, this flat expanse of wetlands doesn't exactly promise the unspoilt splendors of nature. However, more than 200 bird species aren't so aesthetically prejudiced, either making the wetlands their home throughout the year, or dropping by mid-migration.
Other than two circular embedded gun batteries (a legacy of WWII fears of Japanese invasion) this 'Little Pocket' of estuarine tidal saltwater marsh - home to loons, ducks, terns, sandpipers and rare species such as the white pelican - is largely untouched. This preservation hasn't come easily, however: decades o…
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Balboa Island
In the middle of the harbor sits the island that time forgot. Its streets are still largely lined with tightly clustered cottages built in the 1920s and '30s when this was a summer getaway from LA. That said, from the promenade that circles the island (and makes a terrific car-free stroll or jog), you can see right into the marble-and-glass monsters that have gone up along the waterfront. The whole place is like a rich, conservative, Midwestern suburb, but with much better weather.
The island is connected to the Fun Zone via a tiny car and passenger ferry (car & driver around US$2, per person around US$1; h05:30-02:30). It lands at Agate Ave, about 11 blocks west of Marin…
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Newport Harbor Nautical Museum
If you've had your fill of the through-the-looking-glass excesses of Disneyland, and are ready for slightly less giddy amusement, the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum may be for you.
Located on Balboa Peninsula (the sandy spit that encloses the Harbor and supports some of the most outrageously expensive real estate in the OC) the Museum aims to preserve and showcase the area's nautical heritage. Occupying much of the former site of the Balboa Fun Zone (a 1930s amusement complex, of which only the ferris wheel and carousel remain), it also promotes awareness of marine environmental issues. As a good museum should, the NHNM manages to strike the right balance between educatio…
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Muth Interpretive Center
Inland from the harbor, where run-off from the San Bernardino Mountains meets the sea, the brackish water of the Newport Bay Ecological Reserve supports more than 200 species of birds. This is one of the few estuaries in Southern California that has been preserved, and it's an important stopover on the Pacific Flyway. The Muth Interpretive Center, near Irvine Ave, has displays and information about the 752-acre reserve; call for hours.
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Crystal Cove State Park
The 3.5 miles of open beach and 2000 acres of undeveloped woodland at this state beach let you forget you're in a crowded metropolitan area, at least once you get past the parking lots and stake out a place on the sand. Everyone thought the hilltops were part of the state park until the Irvine Company, the actual landowner, bulldozed them to make room for McMansions that are the dream of many an OC resident.
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Corona del Mar State Beach
Just south of Balboa Peninsula is Corona del Mar, a ritzy bedroom community on the privileged eastern flanks of the Newport Channel with plenty of upscale stores and restaurants. Corona del Mar State Beach lies at the foot of the cliffs. Locals enjoy impromptu, not quite legal, cocktail parties at Lookout Point, perched above the beach.
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Las Brisas
Come here for one of Laguna's best views. Sip margaritas while you stare at the crashing waves from the glassed-in patio on the bluff, or book a table in the dining room. You won't long remember your Mexican-seafood meal, but the image of the coast will leave an indelible impression. Cocktail hour gets packed; make reservations.
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Balboa Fun Zone
Get your kicks on the Ferris wheel at the Balboa Fun Zone, here since 1936. A five-minute ferry ride drops visitors on cottage- and shop-filled Balboa Island. For sun-dappled fun, stroll the 1½-mile promenade encircling the island. Sunsets are amazing.
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Fashion Island
Fashion Island - sometimes referred to as 'Fascist Island' - is the draw for serious shopping. It's an indoor-outdoor mall with more than 200 midrange to upper-end retail stores, among them Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus, Macy's Women and Robinsons-May. And it's got a good food court.
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Laguna Art Museum
The breezy Laguna Art Museum has changing exhibits usually featuring one or two California artists, plus a permanent collection heavy on California landscapes, vintage photographs and works by early Laguna artists. The museum also makes an effort to support new artists.
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Lovell House
For a striking architectural specimen, stroll past the 1926 Lovell House, designed by seminal modernist architect Rudolf Schindler. Restaurants and bars cluster near the two piers – Newport Pier to the west and Balboa Pier to the south-east.
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Zinc Café
Locals say Zinc is the thing they miss most when they leave Laguna. Maybe it's the happy-making tomato-colored walls inside or the serene terrace outside. The vegetarian menu - including egg dishes, pizzas and sandwiches - emphasizes fresh ingredients.
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Tentation Ultra Lounge
Newport's current hotspot aims to please with multistory waterfalls, onyx bar, chill alcoves and cigar patio. But what makes this place oh-so OC is the pride with which members of both sexes proudly show off their gym-sculpted bodies.
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Laguna Culinary Arts
If you plan to cook for yourself in Laguna, consider a class at the Laguna Culinary Arts, which has both introductory three-hour classes as well as daylong and multi-day options. Call for schedule and price information.
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Splashes
Perched at the bottom of a dramatic cliff right above the sand this is, hands down, the most dramatic beachside bar in the state. Come with your wallet, because prices are as breathless as the beauteous ocean views.
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La Sirena
Hole-in-the-wall La Sirena shines for its bargain-basement prices and knockout contemporary Mexican specialties (think crunchy jicama and zingy salsa, not fat-laden refries with melted yellow cheese).
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Coach House
Coach House is worth a visit if you're around in the evening. Check the line-up at the a legendary live entertainment venue featuring a roster of local and regional rock and alternative bands.
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Mission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano, about 10 miles south and inland from Laguna, is one of California's most beautiful missions, featuring lush gardens and the charming Serra Chapel.
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Crab Cooker
Expect a wait at this always-busy fish joint, which serves great seafood and fresh crab on paper plates to an always-appreciative crowd in flip-flops and jeans. Good chowder too.
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Sherman Library & Gardens
Corona del Mar’s prize attraction is the Sherman Library & Gardens, where a variety of lush gardens awaits those needing a quick dose of floral therapy.
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Hush
Laguna's favorite for hipsters with cash to burn, and their parents. Macaroni and cheese comes with lobster and crayfish while pork chops are wrapped delightfully in sage.
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Pacific Whey Cafe
Lauded as Newport's best bakery, this place has pricey but excellent baked goods as well as breakfast platters and Provençale-inspired salads and sandwiches.
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Aubergine
Regularly rated OC's best, the French-inspired menu changes daily to accommodate the freshest ingredients. There's also a stunning selection of wine and cheese.
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