Hello sweet friends! As fall arrives in Canada, with winter not far behind, it’s that time of year again when many Canadian families will be thinking of a vacation to Disneyland to enjoy quality family fun while getting away from the tough cold of the Canadian winter. However, what do you do when your family is craving a little adventure outside of Disneyland?
Explore the surrounding area…that’s what you do! My daughter and I have been lucky enough to travel to the Orange County area of California three times in the last year and we have had the opportunity to experience so many things! I cannot wait to share with you everything that we have experienced on our travels to that area of California! We have been lucky enough to visit Dana Point & Salt Creek Beach and now I’m going to share with you the fun we had at Laguna Beach!
Our visit to Laguna Beach could not have happened on a more beautiful beach day. It was the perfect weather for beach lounging and a picnic, which we enjoyed upon our arrival. However, Laguna Beach has so much to offer beside beaches… restaurants, shopping, wine-tasting, arts and culture, night life and a myriad of outdoor activities!
And although we were only there for a very short time,we found it very pedestrian friendly with the beach and shopping only steps away from each other. I headed off for some sight-seeing on my own and I was able to cover a lot of ground in a very short time and I saw so much that I loved!
Laguna Beach boasts nearly 8 miles of beautiful pristine beach within city limits that spans in front of many hotels and restaurants. As I walked past the north end of the beach, I thought of my teenage son {who was at home in Alberta} when I saw a few beach basketball courts with teen boys shooting some hoops. Laguna Beach is the only beach in Orange County with beach basketball courts…how cool is that? You will also find a full range of activities including wakeboard rentals, surf lessons, stand-up paddle board lessons, snorkel and diving adventures, as well as tide pool tours and smash ball equipment!
In essence, you will find so many fun things for your family to enjoy…no matter what their age!
The main beach also has a lovely meandering boardwalk so that you can enjoy a relaxing walk along shoreline.
While I spent some time at the beach, I also took some time to wander in the trendy downtown shopping area. I discovered so many interesting shops, cafes, a bakery, along with a few art galleries.
I really enjoyed poking around the shops and I even found a fabulous home decor store that I could have spent a small fortune in!
Laguna Beach is also a well-known artist colony with 4 different arts districts including a gallery row, along with several art festivals, a walking art tour, free live music,
dance festival, craft shows and much more.
Laguna Beach is also home to Southern California’s most popular summer arts festival…Sawdust Art Festival. This 9 week-long festival draws more than 200,000 visitors from all over the world each year, while promoting and featuring the work and talents of both veteran and new artists in Laguna Beach.
Each summer, the festival is different as it is open to any artist who is a resident of Laguna Beach, with exhibits being built from the ground up each summer which gives it a truly unique flair.
If you are planning to a visit to Disneyland, I highly recommend allowing some time to enjoy some of the local beaches…with Laguna Beach being one of my favourites. However, each beach has so much to offer in terms of scenery, activities and shopping, you really can’t go wrong no matter what destination you choose.
The one aspect of Laguna Beach that I really marveled at was how the beach and the downtown shopping & restaurants were only steps away from each other. Since I arrived by bus, I was free to explore wherever my feet could carry me and I found it so relaxing to be able to just wonder around.
So, whether you are returning to Disneyland or planning a first-time visit, consider renting a car for a day trip to explore some of the local beaches such as Laguna Beach. It’s a wonderful way to expand your family’s vacation experience to include a bit of exploring and adventure to make unforgettable beach-side memories, to go along with the magical ones made at Disneyland!
{Pictures 2, 5, 6, 7 & 8 were taken by me. All other photos were provided courtesy of Laguna Beach Travel & Tourism. }
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Looks like an amazing trip! I had only seen Laguna Beach in the movies up until your trip. I do not think I would want to leave 🙂
I've heard about Laguna beach but didn't really know anything about what it's like. Looks like a beautiful place!
What a beautiful place! I am not sure I will ever get to Laguana Beach, but I like the Disney part 😉
What a beautiful trip you took together! Yes, I will absolutely consider Laguna Beach in my future travels, thanks for the reco.
Wow this place looks absolutely beautiful! I would love to visit there one day.
Looks so beautiful. Such a contrast to the cold weather here in Toronto… I could use a beach getaway. Will definitely consider Laguna Beach as our next destination.
I never knew that Laguna had such culture. It looks like a beautiful place to visit. I would like to head down there with the family for the shopping. I also admire how it seems like the city promotes health and wellness by putting those bball courts out on the beach.
Beautiful photos.