Favorite Places? (San Diego, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach: rentals, amusement park, lawyers)

[positivespirit]

I am very unfamiliar with the area, and interested in getting to know Orange County better. For those of you who live here, where are your favorite places? Thanks!

[bhcompy]

Main Street, Seal Beach is my favorite to hang out on a warm Saturday afternoon. Nice ocean breeze, quaint atmosphere, pier to walk on, etc.

[Coldjensens]

Old Town orange for just walking around, looking at antiques and having a very nice meal. The Army/Navy store is really neat too.

Balboa Villiage (Newport Beach) for cheesy fun with kids. Nice beaches, an amusement area called the fun zone, boat rentals, bike, skate and board rentals, Rubys on the end of the Balboa Pier is a great place for a burger and a malt.

Catalina Island can be a blast if you go snorkling or diving. It is a great place for Dining and drinking too. Otherwise it can be a bit dull for some people. The boat ride out there is awesome.

The hike to Holy Jim falls is easy, pleasant and beautiful. It is a very short hike, but getting to the trial is a bit of a challenge. The so called roads are nearly impassible at times. I had to stop and get out and move rocks out of the way to get accross some gullies in my small sports car. You really need a truck, van or SUV to go out there. I am nto sure whether that is still in Orange County or not.

Do you like mueseums? The Bower Museum in Santa Ana is Execellent. The discovery science center is pretty neat too, especially for kids.

Fancy Shopping, probably Fashion Island in Newport Beach. south Coast PLaza is a huge mall with all of the standard stores. The Block in Orange and (brain pffft - I cannot remember the name of the simlar place in Irvine) are popular with teens, but nice for all ages. My personal favorite is Main PLace mall, but that is because I hate shopping, it is small and very roomy. I do not like to be crammed into malls where people are bumping off each other.

Laguna Beach is another nice town for a day visit. it has a picturesque beach, a quaint town and dozens of art galleries and other neat shops.

I always loved hiking in the Cleveland Nation Forest (do not be misled by "forest," there are few trees) out near Silverado Canyon. It is foothill hiking with lots of neat gullys and canyons to explore. Sometimes you will see wildlife and once in a while even a mountain lion in the distance. Some beautiful views at the tops of the hills.

For fancy dining I like the Hobbit in Orange. Orange Hill resturaunt is very nice too.

My favorite resturaunt of all time is Pappa Hassan's in Orange. The Shawarma plate is the best food ever made.

Seal Beach is really nice as well.

Go see a movie at the gian theater in Fashion Island (Newport Beach). It is a neat experience if you go to the big theater. It seta a ton of people has a huge huge screen and an incredible sound system. BE sure that you see whatever is showing in the BIG theater. If oyu get stuck in one of the small theaters, it is just an expensive place to see a movie. there is a really neat Irish Pub next door. Good food and great beer.

There is another hiking spot called red rock Canyon. I think that the park is called Whiting Ranch or something like that. Once you get on the foot trails (away from discourteous mountain bikers), it is very pleasant and beautiful.


Do not hike alone in OC wilderness areas. It is very very rare, but a few people have been killed by mountain lions. Even being in a group does not make you totally safe, but I am only aware of one incident of someone being attacked while with other people. One out of the millions of hikers and bikers in the wilderness areas every year, it not a high risk in my opinion. It is far far more dangerous to drive on Orange County roads and freeways than it is to go hiking.


Dog Beach in Huntington Beach. Even if you do not bring a dog, it is fun to watch the dogs frolic. Some people will even allow you to play fetch in the surf with their dog.

San Clemente is a quiet beach town. You can get there by train. It is nice to not have to deal with parking. Look at the train schedule carefully, you do not want to get stranded. You can also get off the train in San Juan Capistrano and visit the historic mission.

Angel Games at Angel Stadium are fun.

Personally I do not recommend Disneyland. If you must go, go during the week, not on a weekend. Bring a book to read while you are standing in line. Antoher ok option is to get a long term pass and go at night for an hour or two each night. Lines are shorter and you do not have to stand in the sun and fry.

Knotts Berry Farm is a smaller and less exciting, but generally less crowded amusement park. There is a water park in Irvine (at least there was, have not been there in years). However if you go to a water park, get everyone on antibiotics before you go. Someone in our family always picked up an illness or infection every time we went there. When you share water with thousands of other people, you are bound to get exposed to lots of germs and other yuck in the water.



I am liminting suggestions to things actually in Orange County. There are more touristy things to do in LA and San Diego, but Orange County makes a very pleasant base from which to venture to other destinations. If you want suggestions outside of OC. I made a list in the thread where someone was asking if Santa Ana is a good place for a vacation. That may be helpful to you.

Have fun and bring a lot of money.

[ScooterMama]

Any Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf... free wi-fi!!!
I 2nd San Clemente... fun little shops, nice beaches. The San Clemente SB campground even has ocean views & hookups. Pizza Port is also a microbrewery & has good pizza (I should know; I'm from Chi-town!)
I like San Onofre! The trails to the beach are a little steep but I love all the cool rocks there. And I have met some of the nudists---they're fine, normal people & you'll never even see 'em (if they're still there) unless you go way, way south on the beach.
All the libraries.
Portobello Road Thrift Shop in Lake Forest, which benefits Laura's House (for victims of domestic abuse). Lots of good buys on gently used designer purses & stuff.
All of the libraries.
Dana Point for wave runner rental, dining, & whale watching cruises.
Hornblower in Newport Beach... take a dinner cruise on John Wayne's boat!
Irvine Spectrum... shopping, dining, The Improv for comedy.
Salvatore's in Mission Viejo for GOOOOD Italian food, very reasonably priced.
Ortega Highway up to Hell's Kitchen (kind of a biker bar/restaurant). I like their "Crack in a Cup": 5 shots of espresso! I get it on ice. Condiments are self-serve... from a coffin!
Cook's Corner, another biker bar... fun to just look at all the bikes, food is just OK. OOH! And go down Live Oak Canyon Road (carefully & at the posted limit!)... check out Rose Canyon Cantina, really nice at night out on the patio. Or take a scenic ride up Santiago Canyon Road. You'll see horses & cattle & beautiful mountain vistas. OOH! And turn off & go down Silverado Canyon Road, very cool... Silverado Cafe, nothing to write home about but decent food & a real small town vibe. Sometimes there are even horses hitched up outside.
If an artist/band you like is playing at The Coachhouse in San Juan Capistrano (visit the mission, too), GO! Get the dinner package, you'll get a better seat. I saw Robin Trower there and OMG!!! He was like 7 feet away, it ROCKED!
The Shops at Mission Viejo.
At Laguna Beach, I like going as far north on the beach as you can, less people & you can climb on the rocks.
CRYSTAL COVE!!! That is a GORGEOUS beach & you can eat right on the beach at (forgot the name of the restaurant?)
Hope this helps... I'm a transplant from Chicago 5 yrs. ago & I'm still in awe of this beautiful, beautiful place.

[Forever Blue]

I'm not an OC native, but for shopping, I think Fashion Island in Newport Beach is one of the best in Southern CA (not familiar w/ N. CA). I went to CSU Fullerton for a 1/2 year. It was OK, about as good as the other colleges I assume.

[Reivax]

Good recommendations! I also recommend Holy Jim falls, one of the few places in Orange County where you forget, just for a minute, that you are in such a densely populated place.

I chuckle thinking about Cook's Corner. that place was scary when I was a kid. Nowadays, I'd take my 85 year old grandmother with no worries. O'Neill used to be "the wilderness" when i was a kid, nowadays it's like a city park for Rancho Santa Margarita. haha.

ColdJensen regarding Holy Jim, did it in a sports car? I salute you
I used to go up there in my Silverado 4x4, one time I bumped so bad, an ice chest in the bed flew out, it was actually pretty funny.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Reivax

Good recommendations! I also recommend Holy Jim falls, one of the few places in Orange County where you forget, just for a minute, that you are in such a densely populated place.

I chuckle thinking about Cook's Corner. that place was scary when I was a kid. Nowadays, I'd take my 85 year old grandmother with no worries. O'Neill used to be "the wilderness" when i was a kid, nowadays it's like a city park for Rancho Santa Margarita. haha.

ColdJensen regarding Holy Jim, did it in a sports car? I salute you
I used to go up there in my Silverado 4x4, one time I bumped so bad, an ice chest in the bed flew out, it was actually pretty funny.

We never went into Cooks Corner, but we used to laugh about it. When did all of the bikers become accountants and lawyers?

OUr first visit to Holy JIm was in a Camaro Z-28 loaded with kids and snacks. It was a long trip. Often I had some of the kids get out and direct me inch by inch. Othertimes we ahd to get out and move big rocks or fill in a giant hole with smaller rocks so we could get through. It was an adventure. When we went back, wwe took the van with much higher clearance, but it was still difficult. We had to check to make sure that we still had our teeth when we finally got there. Worth the trip though.

We used to camp at that campground (Santiago Oaks?) near Cooks Corner. I always though that it was funny because you sit by the camp fire and if you forgot marshmellows, you stand up and walk a few hunderd feet to wall mart or Super K mart or something. Further down that road, there is a steak house where they cut your tie off and hang it on the wall. They had very good steaks (which are very hard to find in California)_ There was a huge tree growing up through the middle of the building. They just built around the tree, but I think that the tree died eventually. I have not been back there in years. Is that place still there? I used to love bringing people with a good sense of humor and not tell them about the tie thing. It was fun.

Now the kids are bigger and any camping that i can get them to do needs to be a bit more wild.

[OC Investor2]

Corona Del Mar State Beach. Nice gentle waves for kids and lots of Beach Volleyball courts!

Balboa Fun Zone & Balboa Island, Balboa & Newport Peirs

Huntington Beach around downtown and the beach. Good body surfing/ Boogie Boarding waves!

Downtown Disney, Disneyland & CA Adventure - but only on a weekday and never in the summer

Laguna Beach

Shopping at Fashion Island, South Coast Plaza, the Shops at Mission Viejo or Irvine Spectrum

Taking in a show at the Orange County Performing Arts Center or seeing the Paegent of the Masters

Taking the Kids to Bill Barber park in Irvine

[AKgirlinCA]

Take a drive through Trabuco, Silverado, and Modjeska Canyon. In Trabuco Canyon, have dinner at the Live Oaks steakhouse.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by AKgirlinCA

In Trabuco Canyon, have dinner at the Live Oaks steakhouse.

Trabuco Oaks Steakhouse...