Beaches

[GusGus77]

We are planning on spending a day at a beach in our upcoming trip to Disneyland. It will end up being on a Saturday (September 12 if that makes a difference.) What beach would you recommend? We know we are looking at a minimum of an hour drive. We prefer not to drive more than two hours as it will be a day trip. Kids are 4 and 7. We really prefer something not too rocky (the closest beaches to us in the Midwest have very rocky entries that hurt your feet when you go in the water.) I did not find a thread on this (minus questions about a bus tour to a beach) so please feel free to direct me if I missed one. Thanks!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Huntington Beach should suit your needs (www.huntingtonbeachca.gov for info on parking, etc.). It is about 30 minutes or so from DLR, so well under your hour drive. There are lots of surfers to watch and fun fishing off the pier. It is interesting to see what the fisherman catch -- sometimes it can be really surprising! There is a Ruby's Diner on the end of the pier. Your kids may enjoy eating there. Our little ones loved it (and still do).

 

[kalynn]

I went to Disneyland every year as a teenager between 1985 and 1989. We would always drive to Huntington Beach and spend a few days there. As a teen, it was great... we would boogie board for hours.

I was in LA last month and drive by Huntington. It's still the same. Very vast, wide, and lots of sand. Thing is, your kids might get bored quickly as there really isn't much to do. The waves are too big for your kids age, so swimming is not the best. Not a lot of places to climb or explore. No trees or shelter either, so bring a beach umbrella.