Coastal Orange County
This hipster gourmet eatery does dishes like rib-eye Thai beef salads, grilled salmon tacos with curry slaw, and bodacious burgers like the Chow BBQ burger with homemade barbecue sauce, smoked Gouda and crispy onions. The interior is minimalist and modernist (wood slats and a concrete floor), perhaps so as not to distract from the food.
The entrance is on 18th St. Another location in Newport Beach has a similar menu.
14.78 MILES
What started as a simple berry farm is now a sprawling 160-acre operation with rides, live shows and lovable Peanuts characters roaming the grounds. Knott…
17.58 MILES
Famous for its swallows that fly back to town every year on March 19 (though sometimes they’re just a bit early), San Juan Capistrano is home to the …
8.96 MILES
From its stately, Spanish Colonial–style shell, the Bowers Museum explodes onto the scene every year or so with remarkable exhibits that remind LA-centric…
27.7 MILES
The three 'Gothic' spires of the fabulous Watts Towers rank among the world’s greatest monuments of folk art. In 1921 Italian immigrant Simon Rodia set…
9.62 MILES
Follow the giant 10-story cube – balanced on one of its points – to the county's best educational kiddie attraction. About 100 hands-on displays await,…
27.3 MILES
The best place to hunt for starfish, anemones and other tide-pool critters is in and around this rock-strewn eco-preserve. The walk down to the beach gets…
21.82 MILES
This WWII to Cold War–era battleship is now permanently moored in San Pedro Bay and open to visitors as a museum. It's massive – 887ft long (that's 5ft…
27.36 MILES
The most stunning non-natural attraction on Palos Verdes was built by Lloyd Wright (son of Frank) in 1951, and no matter where you stand among the great…
2.12 MILES
This 10,000 sq ft center in the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Preserve is made from sustainable materials. Inside, you’ll find displays and information…
2. Upper Newport Bay Ecological Preserve
2.16 MILES
The brackish water of this 752-acre reserve, where runoff from the San Bernardino Mountains meets the sea, supports more than 200 species of birds. This…
2.21 MILES
This calm beach, known as Mothers Beach for its kid-friendly currents, has a lifeguard, restrooms and a shower.
2.37 MILES
For a striking architectural specimen, stroll past the 1926 Lovell House, designed by seminal modernist architect Rudolf Schindler, a student of Frank…
2.65 MILES
Four miles long but less than a half-mile wide, the Balboa Peninsula has a white-sand beach on its ocean side and countless stylish homes, including the…
6. Orange County Museum of Art
2.65 MILES
This engaging museum highlights California art and cutting-edge contemporary artists, with exhibitions rotating through two large spaces. Recent…
7. Discovery Cube's Ocean Quest
2.77 MILES
In the Balboa Fun Zone, this newly refurbished museum was recently taken over by Santa Ana's Discovery Cube and runs educational programs for local…
2.78 MILES
On the harbor side of Balboa Peninsula, the Fun Zone has delighted locals and visitors since 1936. There’s a small Ferris wheel (where Ryan and Marissa…