best beach for kids? disney relax day

[bluegrizzlies1]

What's a good beach to take the kids to after being at disneyland?

 

[iLUVdisneyLAND]

I took our DD2 to Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach. She LOVED it! It is about a 15-20 drive. It was great...not too crowded if you find the right parking lot towards the exit. We actually went back for a 2nd day. Bring a picnic with you, because unless you park next to one of the restaurants, it is a LONG walk to get to on of the restaurants.

 

[deejdigsdis]

On our rest day back in Nov. we went to Newport Beach. There are a couple of pics in my TR linked below -- pg. 2. In one pic you can see some beach houses. There was parking on the far right, at the end of the row of houses. There was a little place to eat w/ a few tables on the sand -- one of those "order at the window" type places. There was a little shop with bike rentals, etc. right there also. There is a long paved path that stretches along the beach, good for walking and riding. There were public restrooms. There were also outdoor showers and faucets right there on the sand, good for rinsing off before heading out. One reason we liked this place was because there wasn't any walking involved, really. You park right by the sand. We also liked having the beach to ourselves. Apparently the locals aren't into visiting the beach in Nov. My family loved it.

 

[Quilter007]

It's a farther south, but we like San Clemente by the pier. There's a swingset. There's a place to rent surfboards & wetsuits. There's a great little restaurant on the pier. You can also get some take-out and picnic on the beach. I think there are some BBQ pits there.

Dana Point also has some great spots at the beach to BBQ & hang out w/ kids. One of the Dana Point beaches is where they dock a tall ship about half of the year. My boys LOVE that -- so does DH!

 

[pixarmom]

I'll second Newport Beach - I've been vacationing there almost annually for over 30 years. I loved it as a child, and my three boys love it now. They love it so much, they can't decide whether they like Newport Beach or Disney World more (they haven't been to DL yet.) If you're interested in details, I'm happy to help!!

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

thanks guys I have a friend whos brother is headed down this next week and needed some ideas.

 

[deejdigsdis]

I'll second Newport Beach - I've been vacationing there almost annually for over 30 years. I loved it as a child, and my three boys love it now. They love it so much, they can't decide whether they like Newport Beach or Disney World more (they haven't been to DL yet.) If you're interested in details, I'm happy to help!!

pixarmom - I remember your detailed post on the DL Area Beaches thread last fall. It was you that convinced us to try Newport Beach. Just wanted to say thanks! We had a great time. It was my kids' very first visit to the ocean and they loved it. We couldn't believe that we pretty much had the whole beach to ourselves, except for the occasional local that would walk by bundled up in a coat and scarf while we were playing in the water, and the birds that picked up our gallon ziploc bag of snacks and carried them down the beach before dropping them! I took about a hundred pictures...we have some great memories!