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Beaches of Orange County

April 14, 2013 By Cheryl
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Last month we had the opportunity to visit Disneyland and the Anaheim/Orange County area. Did you know that you can do Disneyland and the beaches of Orange County in one vacation? With beautiful beaches only 30 minutes from Disneyland, it makes perfect sense to combine the two! With 42 miles of coastline in Orange County, you’re sure to find the perfect beach experience for your family. There are plenty of beaches to choose from, here I’ll tell you more about three that we visited.

Beaches of Orange County – Huntington Beach:

Our first beach stop was Huntington Beach, also known as Surf City USA. This is Southern California’s largest beach (8 1/2 miles). There is something for everyone at this beach! There are walking paths with a beach view that can’t be beat, unique shopping experiences, delicious restaurants and snack bars, plenty of beach volleyball nets for an afternoon of play, and a large boardwalk to take a stroll on. Not only do surfers love to come here to catch a wave but it’s also where you’ll find the Surfing Walk of Fame, International Surfing Museum and Surfer’s Hall of Fame.

Beaches of Orange County

Beaches of Orange County

My little guy couldn’t get enough of the ocean. This was his first time seeing the ocean and he loved it. It’s a good thing I brought along an extra pair of pants because he kept running into the water to feel the waves on his toes.

Beaches of Orange County

Here are some pictures of my little guy & husband taking a stroll on the boardwalk. You can get a great view of the surfers from up here!

Beaches of Orange County

Right on the beach is a large shop (Zack’s Surf Shop) where you can order food, rent beach equipment, rent bikes to ride down the paths (even an adorable basket on the front for your little ones!), even take surfing lessons. You can even have them cater a party for you on the beach! I’m going to tell my husband that this is where I want my 40th birthday party! I can dream, right?Beaches of Orange County

Beaches of Orange County – Salt Creek Beach:

While in the area, we stayed at the beautiful Ritz-Cartlon, Laguna Niguel (you can read more about our stay here). With direct access to Salt Creek Beach, we enjoyed a morning at the beach with fabulous service from our Beach Butler. The resort has such beautiful views of the beach area and we couldn’t wait for our chance to go down and experience the all it had to offer. For a fun afternoon with the family, you can enjoy a picnic in Bluff Park which has picnic tables, barbeques, a basketball court, restrooms and a snack bar.

Beaches of Orange County

Beaches of Orange County – Laguna Beach:

We made a couple of trips to Lagnua Beach during our visit in the Orange County area. On our first night there, I enjoyed a delicious meal at Las Brisas. They serve a delicious combination of authentic Mexican and fresh seafood dishes and they are one of the most popular restaurants in Southern California. Las Brisas serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. It’s also a great place to stop and have a drink on their patio while enjoying the gorgeous view. To finish our meal, the staff brought out a large platter of delicious desserts. I wish you could see the way my eyes lit up when I saw them leave this huge platter of sweets on our table! Seriously, look at this tray and tell me that your jaw wouldn’t drop as well! No…I won’t admit to how many treats I ate off the tray.

Beaches of Orange County

The next day, we enjoyed a delicious family picnic overlooking Laguna Beach and then had a couple of hours to enjoy the beach and the local shops. There really is something for everyone in Laguna Beach. Here is a list of just some of the places you can check out or activities you can try during your visit:

  • swimming
  • surfing
  • walk along the seven miles of beach
  • wine & cheese tasting venues
  • antique shopping
  • art galleries
  • art festivals
  • art classes
  • live theater
  • spas
  • golfing
  • Heritage Walk & Tours
  • Historical Bungalow Tour
  • garden tours
  • Pacific Marine Mammal Center
  • over 20,000 acres of coastal wilderness, parks and marine preserves surrounding Laguna Beach
  • hiking
  • cycling
  • bird-watching
  • and so much more!

With so many things to see & do in Laguna Beach, it may be difficult to know where to start. The Laguna Beach Visitors Bureau wants to make it easy for you by providing an official Laguna Beach Travel Info app. This app will give information on local hotels, restaurants, shopping, an updated events calendar and more.

My son can’t get enough of the ocean. Even though it was still quite chilly, he kept trying to run into the water as my husband chased him. He was soaked by the time we were ready to leave so we had to pop into a local clothing boutique to buy a dry t-shirt to go with the striped pajama pants that I had in the diaper bag. Next time I’ll remember to pack along an extra pair of pants for him!

Have you been to any of the beaches of Orange County? If so, do you have a favourite?

There is so much to see and do in Orange County – so much more than I have room to list here! To learn more about the Anaheim/Orange County area and to stay updates on exciting news, you can follow them on Facebook & Twitter.

You can read more about our Disneyland and Anaheim/Orange County adventures here on our special Disney Fun page.

Read more about our adventures by following along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Bloglovin’.

*Disclosure: My family was invited on a magical vacation to the Disneyland Parks and the beaches of Orange County. My flight, our hotel, park passes, meal vouchers and other various perks were provided to me as part of this adventure. All opinions expressed here are 100% my own.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: disney, family fun, kids activities, travel

Comments

  1. Nancy @ Whispered Inspirations says

    April 14, 2013 at 11:37 pm

    Awwww, looks like it was so fun and your son is gorgeous! We are going to be in San Fran soon but, definitely going back to Cali with the kids. 🙂 The beach looks amazing!

    Reply
    • Cheryl Kirkness says

      April 16, 2013 at 9:26 am

      Aww, thanks Nancy! Yes, your kids will love it!

      Reply
  2. Kristy - Savvy and Sassy says

    April 15, 2013 at 7:26 am

    Huntington Beach looks beautiful! Can’t wait for my next trip to California, I hope we get to visit further South now this time!

    Reply
    • Cheryl Kirkness says

      April 16, 2013 at 9:25 am

      Yes, it was so much fun! Next time we’ll be trying one of those family bikes for sure!

      Reply
  3. Erinn S says

    April 15, 2013 at 7:37 am

    Ho wfun! I love little beach towns. We have beautiful beaches here in the NW but it is so cold all the time!

    Reply
    • Cheryl Kirkness says

      April 16, 2013 at 9:25 am

      You’re lucky to live by beaches! Hopefully it warms up soon so you can enjoy them. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Deborah / Mom2Michael says

    April 15, 2013 at 7:39 am

    Oh that looks like a wonderful vacation! I love the feel of sand between my toes and salt water on my face. California seems so far away, but we hope to visit one day. (I’ve been once – to San Fran and Palo Alto – NOT a beach vacation 🙂

    Reply
    • Cheryl Kirkness says

      April 16, 2013 at 9:24 am

      Oh, you’ll love it when you get there one day. Then you’ll be like me – dreaming of going back or just moving there! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Kristyn says

    April 15, 2013 at 8:15 am

    Such beautiful beaches and wonderful places to go on family vacations!

    Reply
    • Cheryl Kirkness says

      April 16, 2013 at 9:24 am

      My son absolutely loved it! Family vacations are the best!

      Reply
  6. maria @ close to home says

    April 15, 2013 at 8:17 am

    this looks like an amazing trip for your family. Looks like there was something for everyone there too.

    Reply
    • Cheryl Kirkness says

      April 16, 2013 at 9:23 am

      There really is something for everyone! There are so many places that we didn’t have a chance to see so we’re already dreaming of our next trip.

      Reply
  7. Alisha Kostiuk says

    April 15, 2013 at 10:28 am

    Love all of the pics! Would love to be at the beach.

    Reply
    • Cheryl Kirkness says

      April 16, 2013 at 9:20 am

      I’d love to be soaking up some sun & listening to the waves on the beach again today too. Oh how I miss California!

      Reply
    • Cheryl Kirkness says

      April 16, 2013 at 9:22 am

      Now that we’ve seen a little of what California has to offer, we can’t wait to go back to see more!

      Reply
  8. Jenna Em says

    April 15, 2013 at 11:06 am

    Ahh, how beautiful is that! I love your photos of the beaches and of your family! I would love to go there some day soon!

    Reply
    • Cheryl Kirkness says

      April 16, 2013 at 9:19 am

      It was so much fun, Jenna! We hope to go back again sometime soon.

      Reply
  9. Aeryn Lynne says

    April 15, 2013 at 11:32 am

    Oh gosh! LOOK at that gorgeous beach!! 😀 Your family obviously had a great time! Would love to be sitting in that sand right now!

    Reply
    • Cheryl Kirkness says

      April 16, 2013 at 9:19 am

      Oh, it was so much fun! Yes, I’d love to be sitting in the sand today too!

      Reply
  10. Krystle(Baking Beauty) says

    April 15, 2013 at 9:16 pm

    These all look so relaxing! Would love to visit someday!

    Reply
  11. Christina says

    April 20, 2015 at 10:56 pm

    We are doing the same trip in September. Thanks for the tips! Did you take your little guy to Las Brisas? Is it an appropriate place to take a little one?

    Reply
    • Cheryl says

      April 22, 2015 at 11:58 pm

      Hi Christina! Sorry, we didn’t take our little guy to Las Brisas so I’m not sure of their kids menu or arrangements for kids. Everyone in the area seemed very welcoming for families though so I’m sure you’d have a wonderful experience.

      Reply

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