This Orange County coastal oasis is more than magical beaches. 17 reasons to visit right now
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For the uninitiated, Laguna Beach is Southern California at its most postcard-worthy, a stretch of the Orange County coastline filled with frothy waves, winding canyons and afternoon beachgoers. Yet it doesn’t take long to realize that it’s not just Laguna Beach’s sand that’s worth digging into.
Laguna Beach, for instance, is art.
The modern history of the beachside community often zeroes in on its artistic legacy. And for good reason. Plein air artists — that is, those dedicated to painting outdoors and capturing the beauty of a landscape or a moment — are believed to have begun descending upon the region in the late 1880s. In the early 1900s, it was plein air artists who established the Laguna Beach Art Assn., which ultimately led to the founding of the Laguna Art Museum.
And today, Laguna Beach stages two of Southern California’s most cherished art events. The Festival of the Arts, home to the summer tradition that is the Pageant of the Masters, and the Sawdust Art Festival continue to define Laguna Beach as an art-forward haven for free thinking.
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Laguna Beach is also history.
The aforementioned Laguna Art Museum is one of the oldest artistic institutions in Southern California, its current location dating to 1929. The city’s Marine Room Tavern, established in 1934, is one of the oldest bars in Orange County, the site of the second liquor license ever approved in Laguna Beach. Its Catholic church, St. Francis by the Sea, was built in 1933 and once held the mantle of the smallest cathedral in the world. And the Laguna Playhouse is said to be one of the oldest not-for-profit continuously operating theaters on the West Coast, with a history dating to the 1920s.
And yet Laguna Beach is tension.
Summer crowds, a tourism necessity for the area, also bring with them a host of nuisances for locals — traffic, trash, public drunkenness and the risk of dirtying up the city’s pristine beaches, five of which ranked among The Times’ list of the best in the state. It’s a privileged party atmosphere that no doubt once contributed to the area’s spotlight for trashy reality television.
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Yet that wasn’t the real Laguna, as Laguna Beach is a community.
Today, it’s a place one can find a magical wonderland dedicated to the joy of fairy tales, and to walk its Coast Highway — or take in its sights via one of the city’s free trolleys — is to find a host of quirky surf shops, chocolatiers, wine and snack outposts, and a bounty of galleries. And, yes, those magnificent beaches.
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Find enchantment at the Museum of Make Believe
Laguna Beach Art Gallery
(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
With a playful spirit and a childlike sense of curiosity, the Museum of Make Believe is a 1,000-square-foot love letter to fairy tales — a fantastical, mystical wonderland where fables of lost love, ghostly pets and irresistible avarice are told via miniature installations and ornate storybook art. Think of it as something akin to an art gallery, a pocket-sized space dedicated to peculiarities and the power of storytelling. You feel like you’re stepping into an antique playground, though the creations are modern. Calming and handcrafted, it’s a fantasy forest sprung to life, complete with a centerpiece tree and felt and ceramic sculptures of dapperly dressed felines and canines.
While designed to be family-friendly, the narratives tap into the approach of fairy tales of yore — that is, they can be dark and decidedly heartbreaking, despite a welcoming dragon with piercing emerald eyes that’s among the first items guests encounter. The creation of the husband-and-wife team of Amy and Geoff Mitchell, the Museum of Make Believe houses a mini quest with a light puzzle to solve, one that encourages guests to carefully read each of the five core fairy tales and look intently into its dioramas.
Each installation is filled with details — mini vintage radios, tiny artwork on the walls and cases full of scaled-down tools of spirituality. Some of the fables, such as “The Locket,” are told in multiple parts, its story of a humble sea trader and the allure and dangers of wealth spread among multiple displays and a lighthouse.
“Fairy tales are kind of like poems,” Amy Mitchell says. “Both ghost stories and fairy tales also have a moral to them. I like that idea. I like that there’s a little lesson, if you want to take it.”
While designed to be family-friendly, the narratives tap into the approach of fairy tales of yore — that is, they can be dark and decidedly heartbreaking, despite a welcoming dragon with piercing emerald eyes that’s among the first items guests encounter. The creation of the husband-and-wife team of Amy and Geoff Mitchell, the Museum of Make Believe houses a mini quest with a light puzzle to solve, one that encourages guests to carefully read each of the five core fairy tales and look intently into its dioramas.
Each installation is filled with details — mini vintage radios, tiny artwork on the walls and cases full of scaled-down tools of spirituality. Some of the fables, such as “The Locket,” are told in multiple parts, its story of a humble sea trader and the allure and dangers of wealth spread among multiple displays and a lighthouse.
“Fairy tales are kind of like poems,” Amy Mitchell says. “Both ghost stories and fairy tales also have a moral to them. I like that idea. I like that there’s a little lesson, if you want to take it.”
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See art come alive at the Pageant of the Masters
Laguna Beach Show
(Christopher Wayne Allwine / Pageant of the Masters)
So-called living pictures date to Laguna Beach’s Festival of the Arts since 1932. What are living pictures? Think portraits and sculptures reenacted with expertise by a group of art-loving volunteers. At first a niche part of the festival, the living pictures segment would become a proper theatrical show in 1935, when the Pageant of the Masters was officially born.
Since then, the Pageant of the Masters has become a unique SoCal tradition, a heavily volunteer-based production dedicated to the exploration of art. Today, it’s a marvel of stagecraft and lighting, as dreadfully complex works — for instance, Bradford J. Salamon’s 2016 painting “Monday at the Crab Cooker,” pictured, with patrons caught mid-drink and mid-conversation at a casual eatery — are painstakingly re-created with good ol’ fashioned theater tricks. The illusions — a “tableaux vivant,” for those who want to call the static mixture of models, actors, costumes, makeup and backgrounds by its official name — are delightfully effective, with many an audience member renting binoculars to try and pick apart what and who is “real” and what is a backdrop in each painting that is presented.
Every summer the Pageant of the Masters chooses a new theme. For 2025, the show “Gold Coast” centers on art housed in California museums. Staged as a road trip through San Diego, Pasadena, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and more, the production serves as a love letter to West Coast art institutions. Each painting is presented with live orchestra accompaniment, and interstitial scenes feature non-static actors expressing their excitement at touring California.
There’s a historical and educational aspect to the Pageant of the Masters, but it’s light, as the show isn’t afraid to be a little corny in its effusiveness. In turn, no matter what year you visit, expect a jovial 90 minutes designed to inspire curiosity in art.
Since then, the Pageant of the Masters has become a unique SoCal tradition, a heavily volunteer-based production dedicated to the exploration of art. Today, it’s a marvel of stagecraft and lighting, as dreadfully complex works — for instance, Bradford J. Salamon’s 2016 painting “Monday at the Crab Cooker,” pictured, with patrons caught mid-drink and mid-conversation at a casual eatery — are painstakingly re-created with good ol’ fashioned theater tricks. The illusions — a “tableaux vivant,” for those who want to call the static mixture of models, actors, costumes, makeup and backgrounds by its official name — are delightfully effective, with many an audience member renting binoculars to try and pick apart what and who is “real” and what is a backdrop in each painting that is presented.
Every summer the Pageant of the Masters chooses a new theme. For 2025, the show “Gold Coast” centers on art housed in California museums. Staged as a road trip through San Diego, Pasadena, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and more, the production serves as a love letter to West Coast art institutions. Each painting is presented with live orchestra accompaniment, and interstitial scenes feature non-static actors expressing their excitement at touring California.
There’s a historical and educational aspect to the Pageant of the Masters, but it’s light, as the show isn’t afraid to be a little corny in its effusiveness. In turn, no matter what year you visit, expect a jovial 90 minutes designed to inspire curiosity in art.
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Escape to a tiny fairy wonderland on the grounds of the Laguna Beach Library
Laguna Beach Garden
(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
To stroll along Laguna Beach’s main drag, the Coast Highway, is to encounter a scene that feels lifted from the opening credits of a documentary about Southern California life. Yet take a turn up the slight incline of Laguna Avenue and in moments one will stumble upon a more mystical outdoor scene.
Nestled on the southeast side of the Laguna Beach Library is the delightfully charming Laguna Beach Fairy Garden. It’s an 1,800-square-foot fantasy land of tiny sculptures, toylike contraptions and drought-tolerant plant life, all of it designed with whimsy to serve as a reminder that our surroundings are filled with wonders. Duck and crouch under tree branches and come face-to-face with a mini Ferris wheel — even creatures blessed with the gift of flight can apparently appreciate a good carnival ride — and crouch under nooks to find hidden, sleeping fairies enjoying the shade of garden life.
The garden dates to 2014 and was the idea of local artist Jessica DeStefano. Today, it’s maintained by nonprofit Friends of the Laguna Beach Library, and it’s home to more than 30 fairy houses and tiny installations. Though tucked on a strip between a sidewalk and the walls of the library, one can get lost in little winding paths, all of them begging visitors to lean in and get close to the plant life to enjoy the artwork.
The Friends of the Laguna Beach Library keep it active year-round, with seasonal themes and the “fairy mall,” where visitors can leave or receive letters from the creatures who call the grounds home. In an average month, the Fairy Garden is said to receive between 150 and 300 letters.
Nestled on the southeast side of the Laguna Beach Library is the delightfully charming Laguna Beach Fairy Garden. It’s an 1,800-square-foot fantasy land of tiny sculptures, toylike contraptions and drought-tolerant plant life, all of it designed with whimsy to serve as a reminder that our surroundings are filled with wonders. Duck and crouch under tree branches and come face-to-face with a mini Ferris wheel — even creatures blessed with the gift of flight can apparently appreciate a good carnival ride — and crouch under nooks to find hidden, sleeping fairies enjoying the shade of garden life.
The garden dates to 2014 and was the idea of local artist Jessica DeStefano. Today, it’s maintained by nonprofit Friends of the Laguna Beach Library, and it’s home to more than 30 fairy houses and tiny installations. Though tucked on a strip between a sidewalk and the walls of the library, one can get lost in little winding paths, all of them begging visitors to lean in and get close to the plant life to enjoy the artwork.
The Friends of the Laguna Beach Library keep it active year-round, with seasonal themes and the “fairy mall,” where visitors can leave or receive letters from the creatures who call the grounds home. In an average month, the Fairy Garden is said to receive between 150 and 300 letters.
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Don't miss the Pirate Tower at Victoria Beach
Laguna Beach Beach
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Victoria Beach is famous for the Pirate Tower, an Orange County historical landmark. The 60-foot tower was originally built as an enclosed staircase in 1926 by William E. Brown, a state senator from Los Angeles. Harold Kendrick, the cliffside home’s next owner, dressed up the whimsical tower in pirate decor and would hide coins and candy in cracks and crevices for kids to find.
Parking is limited to open space along Pacific Coast Highway, but Laguna Beach offers a free Summer Breeze trolley service that stops along the highway.
Dogs are allowed but must be leashed. No dogs are allowed between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. from June 15 through Sept. 10.
Parking is limited to open space along Pacific Coast Highway, but Laguna Beach offers a free Summer Breeze trolley service that stops along the highway.
Dogs are allowed but must be leashed. No dogs are allowed between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. from June 15 through Sept. 10.
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Wander through the Laguna Art Museum, which holds more than 100 years of history
Laguna Beach Art Museum
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)
With a history going back more than 100 years, the Laguna Art Museum is one of the oldest art institutions in the state. The museum’s roots date to the 1918 formation of the Laguna Beach Art Assn., and over the decades the space has placed a premium on local and Southwestern art. An ongoing exhibit at the time of writing is dedicated to recently acquired California works, pushing the museum’s collection to around 4,000 pieces of art, with many recent additions created after the year 2000.
Its core galleries will start rotating in new exhibitions in September, including one dedicated to famed Southern California landscape artist Conrad Buff. When I visited, I lingered heavily in a hall dedicated to Marnie Weber’s “The Dollhouse,” pictured above, on display until Sept. 1.
The storybook-like sculpture is dedicated to the power of imagination and the occasional absurdity and weirdness of our dream states. From the front, the building looks lifted from an ancient fairy tale. But walk around to its back and there’s an assortment of mini dioramas cut into the structure. Here, ice palaces, treasure coves and even an autumnal forest spring to life. Each mini room feels dedicated to ghosts — of our pasts, our futures or our subconscious. For a region often associated with dreamers and storytellers, Weber’s work ricocheted between the fantastical and the natural, conveying both the importance and outlandishness of our own inventiveness.
It all felt particularly fitting for a museum that prides itself on showcasing the art of Southern California, a place where our environments are majestic and the stories we manufacture endless.
Its core galleries will start rotating in new exhibitions in September, including one dedicated to famed Southern California landscape artist Conrad Buff. When I visited, I lingered heavily in a hall dedicated to Marnie Weber’s “The Dollhouse,” pictured above, on display until Sept. 1.
The storybook-like sculpture is dedicated to the power of imagination and the occasional absurdity and weirdness of our dream states. From the front, the building looks lifted from an ancient fairy tale. But walk around to its back and there’s an assortment of mini dioramas cut into the structure. Here, ice palaces, treasure coves and even an autumnal forest spring to life. Each mini room feels dedicated to ghosts — of our pasts, our futures or our subconscious. For a region often associated with dreamers and storytellers, Weber’s work ricocheted between the fantastical and the natural, conveying both the importance and outlandishness of our own inventiveness.
It all felt particularly fitting for a museum that prides itself on showcasing the art of Southern California, a place where our environments are majestic and the stories we manufacture endless.
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Get lost in the winding paths at Sawdust Art Festival
Laguna Beach Festival
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)
When the Sawdust Art Festival began in the mid-’60s, it was a feisty little upstart, in part a response to the more traditional Festival of the Arts, home today to the Pageant of the Masters. The Sawdust event grew fast, winning a reputation for diverse, anything-goes art, and moved into its current location in the mid-’70s. To walk the grounds today is to explore a theme park-like setting dedicated to winding paths of artist booths, pop-up bars, and fountains and wishing ponds.
There are areas dedicated to glassblowing and ceramics — check the daily class schedule if you want to catch a demonstration or hone your skills — and even Wednesday afternoon wine tours that stop at a handful of booths. I took part in the last. I watched a metal wrist cuff melted and hammered into shape, learned from a photographer on how he scores his perfect sub-Saharan Africa shots and received a crash course in bringing a plein air painting to life.
I would have stayed all day if I wasn’t worried on blowing my monthly budget on art, for at Sawdust one can find everything from handmade belts, artisan jewelry, exquisite watercolors, sports photography, toe rings, mushroom sculptures, glass panels and more. Whether your tastes lean irreverent, contemporary or more traditional, somewhere at Sawdust you’ll feel at home.
This year’s festival runs June 26-Sept. 6, but don’t stress if you miss it this summer. A holiday-themed Winter Fantasy edition returns for five weekends beginning Nov. 20 with an emphasis on handmade gifts.
There are areas dedicated to glassblowing and ceramics — check the daily class schedule if you want to catch a demonstration or hone your skills — and even Wednesday afternoon wine tours that stop at a handful of booths. I took part in the last. I watched a metal wrist cuff melted and hammered into shape, learned from a photographer on how he scores his perfect sub-Saharan Africa shots and received a crash course in bringing a plein air painting to life.
I would have stayed all day if I wasn’t worried on blowing my monthly budget on art, for at Sawdust one can find everything from handmade belts, artisan jewelry, exquisite watercolors, sports photography, toe rings, mushroom sculptures, glass panels and more. Whether your tastes lean irreverent, contemporary or more traditional, somewhere at Sawdust you’ll feel at home.
This year’s festival runs June 26-Sept. 6, but don’t stress if you miss it this summer. A holiday-themed Winter Fantasy edition returns for five weekends beginning Nov. 20 with an emphasis on handmade gifts.
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Enjoy rooftop vibes at the historic La Casa del Camino
Laguna Beach Historic Hotel
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)
There are multiple ways to enjoy a beach. Some of us want to be on the ground and in the sand. Others, prefer to admire it from a perch — perhaps a rooftop lounge. I tend to lean toward the latter, so La Casa del Camino, which opened in 1929, was a must-visit during my time in Laguna Beach.
The top floor of the hotel offers views north and south of the coast. My day was a bit cloudy and little windy, so I could enjoy relatively brisk waves constantly cascading into the beach while I sipped on a drink and enjoyed a shrimp cocktail. Walk-ins are easy in the afternoons, but reservations are recommended for brunch or dinner, especially on the weekends.
Looking for a bit of history as well as a room that fit a specific budget, I opted to stay at the hotel, its lobby full of wood in a vintage Spanish Revival style. My cottage-like room was priced at about $300, and while I had to strain my neck to see the ocean, I appreciated the Old World charm, large wooden dressers and generally cozy feel. Worth noting, the air conditioning is provided by portable in-room devices, but it had no problem cooling my comfortable space.
For those looking for something a little fancier, La Casa del Camino has 10 artist or branded suites, some of which reference surf culture while others nod to various artistic movements.
The top floor of the hotel offers views north and south of the coast. My day was a bit cloudy and little windy, so I could enjoy relatively brisk waves constantly cascading into the beach while I sipped on a drink and enjoyed a shrimp cocktail. Walk-ins are easy in the afternoons, but reservations are recommended for brunch or dinner, especially on the weekends.
Looking for a bit of history as well as a room that fit a specific budget, I opted to stay at the hotel, its lobby full of wood in a vintage Spanish Revival style. My cottage-like room was priced at about $300, and while I had to strain my neck to see the ocean, I appreciated the Old World charm, large wooden dressers and generally cozy feel. Worth noting, the air conditioning is provided by portable in-room devices, but it had no problem cooling my comfortable space.
For those looking for something a little fancier, La Casa del Camino has 10 artist or branded suites, some of which reference surf culture while others nod to various artistic movements.
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Relax among the coves of Treasure Island Beach
Laguna Beach Beach
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
True to its name, this beach is a treasure trove of beauty. Co-managed by the Montage Resort and the city of Laguna Beach, Treasure Island features pristine beaches, a protected cove with calmer waters and some of the clearest water in Laguna Beach. Expect to see kelp forests, garibaldi and rock outcroppings.
“While, like other cities, we do have large sandy areas, our coves and smaller beaches make our city special,” said Kai Bond, city of Laguna Beach marine safety captain.
A walking path that traces the outskirts of the Montage Resort takes you from the parking garage located off Wesley Drive to Christmas Beach, where you can access more coves via a ramp.
An hourly parking lot is located off Wesley Drive for $2.75 per hour with a maximum of three hours, in addition to metered parking along Pacific Coast Highway across the street from the Montage Resort.
Dogs must be on a leash at all times. Through Sept. 10, dogs are allowed before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
“While, like other cities, we do have large sandy areas, our coves and smaller beaches make our city special,” said Kai Bond, city of Laguna Beach marine safety captain.
A walking path that traces the outskirts of the Montage Resort takes you from the parking garage located off Wesley Drive to Christmas Beach, where you can access more coves via a ramp.
An hourly parking lot is located off Wesley Drive for $2.75 per hour with a maximum of three hours, in addition to metered parking along Pacific Coast Highway across the street from the Montage Resort.
Dogs must be on a leash at all times. Through Sept. 10, dogs are allowed before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
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Watch the ocean from your bathtub at Surf & Sand
Laguna Beach Hotel
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(Surf & Sand Laguna Beach)
Surf & Sand has undergone multiple transformations since it opened in 1948 as the Surf & Sand Motor Hotel, its latest a full-scale reinvention as a modern luxury oceanfront hotel. Each of its 165 redesigned rooms features a private balcony with views of the Pacific, the glass doors and porcelain tiles creating a seamless integration between indoor and outdoor spaces.
Even if you’re not staying at the sandy-toned resort — rooms during peak season can regularly approach or top $1,000 per night — its spa, its restaurant Splashes and the adjacent bar each offer a taste of grandeur. Bar seating, for instance, can be alternately relaxing and interactive, as in don’t be surprised if on windy days a brief light spritz or two of the ocean makes its way to your window stool and your plate of oysters or crab dip. Such is the closeness of the hotel to the waves. That’s perhaps why it’s long been a favorite of celebrities and dignitaries, as the hotel in the 1970s was the go-to resort for the White House Press Corps when President Nixon stayed at his nearby San Clemente home.
If you do opt for a night or two at Surf & Sand, ask, perhaps, for a room that features a bathtub with ocean views, allowing you to admire one body of water while basking in another. When it comes time to retire, its blackout drapes and soundproof interiors can fully block out the outside world. Before the remodel, says Monique Paige, a sales manger at the resort, some guests reported that the ocean’s waves crashing on the shore kept them up at night, making Surf & Sand the rare spot that allows you to sleep next to the Pacific and also tune it out if needed.
Even if you’re not staying at the sandy-toned resort — rooms during peak season can regularly approach or top $1,000 per night — its spa, its restaurant Splashes and the adjacent bar each offer a taste of grandeur. Bar seating, for instance, can be alternately relaxing and interactive, as in don’t be surprised if on windy days a brief light spritz or two of the ocean makes its way to your window stool and your plate of oysters or crab dip. Such is the closeness of the hotel to the waves. That’s perhaps why it’s long been a favorite of celebrities and dignitaries, as the hotel in the 1970s was the go-to resort for the White House Press Corps when President Nixon stayed at his nearby San Clemente home.
If you do opt for a night or two at Surf & Sand, ask, perhaps, for a room that features a bathtub with ocean views, allowing you to admire one body of water while basking in another. When it comes time to retire, its blackout drapes and soundproof interiors can fully block out the outside world. Before the remodel, says Monique Paige, a sales manger at the resort, some guests reported that the ocean’s waves crashing on the shore kept them up at night, making Surf & Sand the rare spot that allows you to sleep next to the Pacific and also tune it out if needed.
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Visit St. Francis by the Sea, one of the world's tiniest cathedrals
Laguna Beach Church
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(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
At just 1,008 square feet, St. Francis by the Sea, which was built in 1933, is one of the world’s smallest churches. In fact, it was once listed in Guinness Book of World Records as the planet’s tiniest cathedral, a designation that it no longer holds. But this mini place of worship joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
It has more than one unique characteristic beyond its 60-foot-by-17-foot structure, which allows for just around 48 parishioners to sit inside the church at a time (its benches are two to a row and seat about three adults). Although St. Francis by the Sea’s pastor, Bishop Brian Delvaux, says about 60 people can be crammed in there if need be.
If it’s not open, you can still peer inside and admire its decorative windows, as myself and a handful of other visitors were doing. It’s architecture, The Times has noted, reflects a combination of Christianity and theosophy, even including elements of Eastern religions. The church was built with rubble from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, and it invokes a statuesque yet slightly Mediterranean look.
Worth spying is a zodiac, which today rests in an alcove that used to be the church’s baptistery. Beams have long been decorated with spiritual phrases by an artist who exchanged his work for lodging in the choir loft in the 1930s. Look up and see references, for instance, to Buddhism.
Idiosyncratic touches for a Catholic church, perhaps, but ones that make the space uniquely fit for an art-driven beach community. The church is open to the public for Sunday Mass at 9:30 a.m. although Delvaux says visitors may be able to catch him at various random times throughout the week.
It has more than one unique characteristic beyond its 60-foot-by-17-foot structure, which allows for just around 48 parishioners to sit inside the church at a time (its benches are two to a row and seat about three adults). Although St. Francis by the Sea’s pastor, Bishop Brian Delvaux, says about 60 people can be crammed in there if need be.
If it’s not open, you can still peer inside and admire its decorative windows, as myself and a handful of other visitors were doing. It’s architecture, The Times has noted, reflects a combination of Christianity and theosophy, even including elements of Eastern religions. The church was built with rubble from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, and it invokes a statuesque yet slightly Mediterranean look.
Worth spying is a zodiac, which today rests in an alcove that used to be the church’s baptistery. Beams have long been decorated with spiritual phrases by an artist who exchanged his work for lodging in the choir loft in the 1930s. Look up and see references, for instance, to Buddhism.
Idiosyncratic touches for a Catholic church, perhaps, but ones that make the space uniquely fit for an art-driven beach community. The church is open to the public for Sunday Mass at 9:30 a.m. although Delvaux says visitors may be able to catch him at various random times throughout the week.
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Dive into the city's landscape-painting history at a Laguna Beach Art Assn. show
Laguna Beach Art Gallery
(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
To discuss Laguna Beach’s artistic legacy is to explore the plein air tradition. The act of painting outdoors is so intertwined with Laguna Beach’s past that it was plen air artists who founded Laguna Beach Art Assn. in 1918, which would gradually evolve into the development of the Laguna Art Museum.
Just a short stroll from the latter is the home of Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn., which typically hosts new plein air shows monthly and continues to explore and advance the style. This summer, the gallery’s “From Dusk to Dawn” exhibition has showcased twilight scenes, illustrating how various artists deal with challenging light, color and shading.
“Our mission is to promote and preserve the plein air tradition and Laguna’s plein air legacy,” says Toni Kellenberg, president of the nonprofit. “Back in the late 1880s and early 1900s, there were no galleries here. The artists who came were outdoor painters, capturing our seascapes and canyons.”
Each October, the group hosts the the Laguna Plein Air Painting Invitational, in which the organization invites top artists from around the world to compete and showcase their work during a series of weeklong events. It’s an opportunity to not just meet an assortment of artists but watch them work outdoors at various Laguna Beach locations.
Just a short stroll from the latter is the home of Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn., which typically hosts new plein air shows monthly and continues to explore and advance the style. This summer, the gallery’s “From Dusk to Dawn” exhibition has showcased twilight scenes, illustrating how various artists deal with challenging light, color and shading.
“Our mission is to promote and preserve the plein air tradition and Laguna’s plein air legacy,” says Toni Kellenberg, president of the nonprofit. “Back in the late 1880s and early 1900s, there were no galleries here. The artists who came were outdoor painters, capturing our seascapes and canyons.”
Each October, the group hosts the the Laguna Plein Air Painting Invitational, in which the organization invites top artists from around the world to compete and showcase their work during a series of weeklong events. It’s an opportunity to not just meet an assortment of artists but watch them work outdoors at various Laguna Beach locations.
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Witness marine life at Aliso Beach's tide pools
Laguna Beach Beach
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Located directly off Pacific Coast Highway, Aliso Beach is hard to miss. The relaxing beach features a playground, tide pools and beautiful views of a stretch of coves to the north.
Aliso Beach is also a premier skimboarding spot with sand that slopes toward the shore break, which can be dangerous for swimmers during a swell. Considered a marine protected area, its tide pools offer an up-close opportunity to observe ocean life.
For parking, Aliso Beach West is an hourly lot at the beachside. Aliso Beach East is an hourly lot connected by a tunnel under Pacific Coast Highway on the inland side. Parking is $3 per hour.
Through Sept. 10, dogs are allowed before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m. Dogs must be on a leash at all times.
Aliso Beach is also a premier skimboarding spot with sand that slopes toward the shore break, which can be dangerous for swimmers during a swell. Considered a marine protected area, its tide pools offer an up-close opportunity to observe ocean life.
For parking, Aliso Beach West is an hourly lot at the beachside. Aliso Beach East is an hourly lot connected by a tunnel under Pacific Coast Highway on the inland side. Parking is $3 per hour.
Through Sept. 10, dogs are allowed before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m. Dogs must be on a leash at all times.
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Explore OC wilderness with a moderate hike
Laguna Beach Mountain Trail
4.7-mile loop
Moderate
810 feet
(Elaine Murphy)
Perhaps best known for the Pageant of the Masters and its eclectic mix of shops and art festivals, Laguna Canyon has always had an offbeat, earthy vibe. It’s no surprise that the canyon’s very own wilderness park, characterized by coastal sage and home to coyotes, mule deer and red-tailed hawks, fits right in. Originally home to the Tongva people, who used the canyon as a trail to the ocean, the area was permanently preserved and established as park land in the 1990s after locals successfully protested the construction of a housing development.
This 4.7-mile loop hike, best traversed counterclockwise, combines some of the park’s best scenery with seasonal wildflowers and heart-pumping inclines. Start (and end) your journey at Nix Nature Center, where you can learn more about the park’s wildlife. Follow the nature trail to Little Sycamore Canyon, keeping your eyes open for lizards on the ground and birds of prey up above. Climb up Little Sycamore to reach Serrano Ridge, which will reward you — and the mountain bikers likely to share the trail — with picturesque inland vistas. Then, descend among the trees through the Camarillo Canyon and Stagecoach South trails before ending up back at the nature center.
Park in the dirt lot at Nix Nature Center ($3 a day) off of Laguna Canyon Road.
This 4.7-mile loop hike, best traversed counterclockwise, combines some of the park’s best scenery with seasonal wildflowers and heart-pumping inclines. Start (and end) your journey at Nix Nature Center, where you can learn more about the park’s wildlife. Follow the nature trail to Little Sycamore Canyon, keeping your eyes open for lizards on the ground and birds of prey up above. Climb up Little Sycamore to reach Serrano Ridge, which will reward you — and the mountain bikers likely to share the trail — with picturesque inland vistas. Then, descend among the trees through the Camarillo Canyon and Stagecoach South trails before ending up back at the nature center.
Park in the dirt lot at Nix Nature Center ($3 a day) off of Laguna Canyon Road.
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Cool off with a date shake at the Orange Inn
Laguna Beach Cafe
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)
I landed at the Orange Inn on the advice of a local retail worker. Asked for some must-see tips, the young woman initially hesitated, confessing that as a student at the nearby University of California, Irvine, much of Laguna Beach was outside her budget (it’s true; a day at the beachfront town can quickly become pricey).
Yet on my way out she stopped me with a recommendation: a date shake at Orange Inn.
The small cafe — mostly wall and window counter seating, with just four tables — was on my route to the Laguna Art Museum, so I added it to my itinerary. The charming space, full of black-and-white pictures of Laguna Beach history, was busy, with many a patron stopping at its walk-up window picking up to-go orders on their way, no doubt, to a nearby beach (the bathing suits gave them away).
I was glad I did, as the $7.25 shake was a thickly sweet thing of beauty, with just enough of itty-bitty chopped-up bits of date to make you feel like you’re indulging in something moderately healthy. It was hearty, filling me up enough for lunch, even if I rushed through it so quickly that the shake only lasted about a block of my walk.
Yet on my way out she stopped me with a recommendation: a date shake at Orange Inn.
The small cafe — mostly wall and window counter seating, with just four tables — was on my route to the Laguna Art Museum, so I added it to my itinerary. The charming space, full of black-and-white pictures of Laguna Beach history, was busy, with many a patron stopping at its walk-up window picking up to-go orders on their way, no doubt, to a nearby beach (the bathing suits gave them away).
I was glad I did, as the $7.25 shake was a thickly sweet thing of beauty, with just enough of itty-bitty chopped-up bits of date to make you feel like you’re indulging in something moderately healthy. It was hearty, filling me up enough for lunch, even if I rushed through it so quickly that the shake only lasted about a block of my walk.
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Visit the tiki palace that is the Royal Hawaiian
Laguna Beach Tiki Bar
(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
Step into the Royal Hawaiian and you’ll immediately be greeted by an oversized, blue-lit seashell and neighboring saltwater fish tank, instantly evoking a seaside atmosphere. Round a bend, however, and things get more mystical. Look up and spy a large wooden ship’s steering wheel. Glance behind the bar and hanging from the wall is an otherworldy sculpture — a dangling art piece in the shape of a nonexistent sea creature.
Bamboo and thistle surrounds patrons. Lighting fixtures are transfixing. One, in the back of the bar area, is a hanging chandelier that looks as if it could swim away, its glowing white threads abstractly recalling an octopus. In the back, a glass tank hints at scenes of fallen seafarers. And that says nothing of the tropical drinks and food. Come for the happy hour specials ($10 appetizers), or linger and nibble on crab rangoon dips and chips.
The Royal Hawaiian dates to 1947, and today it’s a handcrafted tropical paradise, as everywhere one turns there’s new details to spot — a hidden starfish, tiki-like totems and translucent multicolored lamps that give the place a soft luminescence designed to make guests dawdle. Or maybe that’s just the mai tai.
Bamboo and thistle surrounds patrons. Lighting fixtures are transfixing. One, in the back of the bar area, is a hanging chandelier that looks as if it could swim away, its glowing white threads abstractly recalling an octopus. In the back, a glass tank hints at scenes of fallen seafarers. And that says nothing of the tropical drinks and food. Come for the happy hour specials ($10 appetizers), or linger and nibble on crab rangoon dips and chips.
The Royal Hawaiian dates to 1947, and today it’s a handcrafted tropical paradise, as everywhere one turns there’s new details to spot — a hidden starfish, tiki-like totems and translucent multicolored lamps that give the place a soft luminescence designed to make guests dawdle. Or maybe that’s just the mai tai.
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Play — or people watch — at Main Beach
Laguna Beach Beach
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Main Beach, arguably the heart of Laguna Beach, runs between the Heisler Park Gazebo to the north and Hotel Laguna to the south. Along this half-mile sandy beach, you’ll find beachgoers sunbathing and swimming, a crowd playing basketball on a small court and, if it’s low tide, people observing the tide pool creatures. Stroll to the south end of the wooden boardwalk and you’ll see a few volleyball courts that host nonstop games during the summer.
Metered parking is available along Pacific Coast Highway and in lots at 234 Broadway St., 322 Forest Ave., 243 Ocean Ave. and 225 Ocean Ave. Consider the free Summer Breeze trolley service, which offers transportation to and from offsite parking.
Leashed dogs allowed, but no dogs are allowed between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. through Sept. 10.
Metered parking is available along Pacific Coast Highway and in lots at 234 Broadway St., 322 Forest Ave., 243 Ocean Ave. and 225 Ocean Ave. Consider the free Summer Breeze trolley service, which offers transportation to and from offsite parking.
Leashed dogs allowed, but no dogs are allowed between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. through Sept. 10.
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Stay in a cottage at Crystal Cove State Park
Laguna Beach Beach
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Crystal Cove State Park features over three miles of coastal bluffs and paved and unpaved trails that wind down to a long stretch of beach and tide pools. The marine conservation area offers snorkeling and tide pools, with the most ideal spots between Reef and Pelican points. You might get a glimpse of garibaldi, rockfish, sea stars and bat rays, but take care to avoid disturbing this habitat.
Crystal Cove’s Historic District is home to 46 rustic beach cottages built in the 1930s near the Los Trancos Creek area. They are available for overnight rentals and range from $320 per night for a six-person cottage to $50 per night for dorm-style rooms with shared living spaces (discounted due to California Coastal Commission funding). The cottages require reservations, which open seven months in advance. You might get lucky with same-day cancellations if you have flexibility and a persistent spirit.
Nearby, the Beachcomber Cafe, a remodeled beachside bungalow, is a great way to experience historic California while fine dining on the beach. For more casual fare, visit the Shake Shack for shakes, burgers and fries.
Crystal Cove’s Historic District is home to 46 rustic beach cottages built in the 1930s near the Los Trancos Creek area. They are available for overnight rentals and range from $320 per night for a six-person cottage to $50 per night for dorm-style rooms with shared living spaces (discounted due to California Coastal Commission funding). The cottages require reservations, which open seven months in advance. You might get lucky with same-day cancellations if you have flexibility and a persistent spirit.
Nearby, the Beachcomber Cafe, a remodeled beachside bungalow, is a great way to experience historic California while fine dining on the beach. For more casual fare, visit the Shake Shack for shakes, burgers and fries.
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