Beaches

Laguna Beach’s shining stars are, of course, its beaches. The 30 beaches and coves offer endless opportunities, from surfing and skimboarding to sunbathing and picnicking. Some favorites include Main Beach, Aliso Beach, and Victoria Beach—all located off the scenic Highway 1.

Crystal Cove State Park

A popular Orange County destination, Crystal Cove State Park features 3.2 miles of shoreline and 2,400 acres of wilderness. With campgrounds, pristine views of the ocean, and tide pools to explore, the park offers plenty of adventure. After an afternoon of hiking and swimming, finish the day at The Beachcomber restaurant.

Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters

The nonprofit organization Festival of Arts was founded in 1932 to showcase theatrical performances and local artwork to the community. For the past 80 years, the org has presented the Pageant of the Masters, an event that brings famous works of art to life onstage. Additionally, each summer, the Festival of the Arts Fine Art Show features multiple mediums of artwork for sale from hometown artists, including oil painting, sketches, photography, and everything in between.

Heisler Park

A Laguna Beach highlight, Heisler Park offers oceanfront scenery and plenty of walking trails. The park is sprinkled with sculptures and affords access to beaches and tide pools ideal for exploring coastal wildlife. It’s the perfect place to picnic, walk your dog, and snap pictures of the coastline.

Hortense Miller Home and Garden

Up in the hills is the tranquil Hortense Miller Home and Garden. On a public or private tour of the estate’s two-and-a-half acres, catch stunning views of the ocean while surrounded by native and exotic plants. Donated by writer and renowned gardener Hortense Miller to the city of Laguna Beach in 1973, the mid-century modern house and thoughtfully cultivated garden is an example of horticultural greatness.

Laguna Art Museum

Laguna Beach is an artists’ community, with multiple galleries and festivals showing off the town’s creativity. The Laguna Art Museum displays a permanent collection of work from California artists, as well as many rotating exhibitions, such as Joseph Kleitsch: Abroad and At Home in Old Laguna, which is on view until September 24th, 2023. The museum also hosts weekly public programs and special events throughout the year.

Laguna Beach Historical Society

The Laguna Beach Historical Society works to preserve the city’s fascinating history. (Did you know it was the heart of SoCal’s hippie culture in the 1960s and ’70s?) Housed in the picturesque, 100-year-old Murphy Smith Bungalow, the museum exhibits a plethora of local memorabilia, artifacts, and documents.

Laguna Beach Trolley

Parking spots are a hot commodity in Laguna Beach. To combat this issue, the Laguna Beach Trolley transports tourists and locals around with ease and comfort. The free, open-air trolley service provides convenient stops near the town’s beaches, shops, and restaurants.

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park

With forty miles of trails, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is a great place to connect with nature. Visitors can hike, mountain bike, and ride horseback through multiple coastal canyons and paths.

Laguna Playhouse

Founded in 1920, the Laguna Playhouse is one of the oldest continuously operating theaters on the West Coast. The regional not-for-profit theater offers a year-round lineup of dramas, musicals, comedies, and more.

Pacific Marine Mammal Center

The Pacific Marine Mammal Center is a must-visit. As the first marine mammal rehabilitation facility in California, the organization works to inspire ocean conservation and assist critters in need. Guests can visit any day of the week to see and support a variety of aquatic animals, including California sea lions and northern elephant seals.

Pirate Tower

Laguna Beach is full of hidden gems, including the Pirate Tower at Victoria Beach, which resembles a Game of Thrones set piece. A single tower connected to the cliffside, the swashbuckling attraction was built in 1926 with an enclosed staircase for the original owner. During low tide, beachcombers are able to reach the base of the tower for a photo-op.

The Cliff Restaurant

Enjoy a bite to eat with unmatched views at The Cliff Restaurant, where you can grab classic brunch dishes, seafood, and burgers. Located just off the Coast Highway, the popular open-air restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner on their multi-level patio. The eatery is also dog-friendly—they even have a full menu dedicated to pups.

Top of the World

If you’re looking for an active escape in the beachside town, trek up to Top of the World at sunset. The moderate, 2.4-mile trail is ideal for trail runners and hikers, and the peak treats visitors to unparalleled panoramic tableaus.

Whale-Watching Cruises

Venture out onto the water for a whale-watching cruise. Laguna Beach offers multiple options for those hoping for a peek of these marine giants. Check out Newport Landing Whale Watching, Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching, and Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari.

The post Road Trip: 15 Must-Visit Spots in Laguna Beach appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Azure Sky Hotel

Courtesy of Azure Sky Hotel

Toward the middle of my pregnancy, I had a sneaky suspicion that mine would get difficult (spoiler alert: it did), so I wanted to log as much movement as possible while I still could. Midwinter, I decided we needed to skip town for a couple of days, but it had to be cushy, so my husband and I found ourselves hoofing it over the San Jacinto Mountains to Palm Springs.

Our destination, the recently overhauled Azure Sky, a mid-century modern desert outpost, was exactly what I had in mind. Chic but not overbearing. Boutique but spread out enough that you weren’t on top of other guests. Vintage in concept but obviously updated. Things were so new, in fact, that it had just gotten its liquor license the day we arrived.

“Would you like a mezcal cocktail from our new bar?” the bartender-slash-front-desk-manager asked. I declined, but my husband accepted; within minutes, we were installed in our suite-like room, he with a spicy, mezcal-spiked tepache in hand.

Azure Sky Hotel, room

Courtesy of Azure Sky Hotel

Lurking just outside our room was the communal pool area. By this point, it was about 8 p.m., and the sun was long gone. We donned our branded hotel robes and sauntered through the gates, checking out the patio with its cute striped umbrellas and long outdoor gas fire pit that sits next to the pool and jacuzzi.

One of the great tragedies of pregnancy is that the person with child is not allowed to use a hot tub. I know. It’s ridiculous! I can’t think of another time in life when one would want to use a hot tub more, save for after running a marathon or something equally physically strenuous. That’s not one of the things “they” tell you before you get knocked up, at least not in my experience, and after sharing that fact with a lot of other people, it seems to be, at best, variably known.

Nonetheless, I was out of luck as far as luxuriating in an ultra-hot bath with jets was concerned. Too bad, because Azure Sky’s jacuzzi is really nice, and Palm Springs, with a much more visible starscape than we have in San Diego and cooler nighttime temperatures, is the perfect place to marinate in a bubbly human broth.

The pool at the Azure Sky Hotel in Palm Springs

Courtesy of: Azure Sky Hotel

Not one to make others around me suffer needlessly, I told my husband it was fine for him to use it; I’d just stick my feet in. And then I remembered something we were told as we were checking in: The pool is heated. Which, whatever, so is every hotel pool. But to what temperature? I glanced 10 feet to the right, watching steam rise off the pool’s glowing surface, and decided to test the water with my hand. Piss-warm. I squealed. “VICTORY!” I shouted in the general direction of my husband, who looked at me as if I was insane. I felt it. I was deliriously happy.

I fired off a quick DM to the hotel’s marketing manager, who confirmed, yes, it’s kept in the mid-90s range so that people can go in all year long. A Google search assured me that the danger zone for fetuses is above 102 degrees, sealing my fate. I disrobed and jumped in, letting the bath-like-but-not-TOO-bath-like(!) water ensconce my swollen, lumpy, and tired body.

Desert mission: accomplished.

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