Nice beach for off day

[seatexan]

Considering taking a day away from the parks in early December. Santa Monica sounds nice but don't really want to schlep a 2 & 5 year old that far for just a few hours. Can someone give opinions on other beaches closer by? Would of course be nice to have neat shops and maybe an amusement park feature.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Disney Dreams]

Seal Beach is nice. Very family-oriented.
Huntington Beach is great.
Laguna Beach is nice, but further south.

- Dreams

 

[Brady's Mom]

Our family regularly goes to Huntington Beach for our off days at DLR. We like to walk out on the pier and the beaches are nice. We love to watch the Kite Boarders and dig in the sand. Just be aware that you will probably have to pay for parking near the pier. If you go further down PCH you can sometimes find a parking place and walk a little further to the beach - but if you want to be closer, it costs about $15 to park.

 

[KCmike]

Corona Del Mar which is just a minute or two past Newport Beach. We've hit Newport (which is nice), Laguna, and CDM and we like it best of them all. Its a perfect crescent shaped beach with expensive homes in the backrop and plus you can always hit Newport Beach's boardwalk/pier which is just up the street.

View from cliff as you drive in

Looking up the beach

All these were taken this summer in July.

 

[DisMike]

Be aware, (looks like you're from TX based on your handle) the water in CA is COLD compared to TX or the east coast for that matter. The current carries water down from the Gulf of Alaska.

 

[momrek06]

Newport Beach
Huntington Beach
Corona Del Mar (small but lovely)
Laguna Beach

All great for a beach day from DL!!!

No shops around CDM! Plenty of shops around the others! There are no amusements around any of those beaches!

 

[tinkermell]

Huntington would be our favorite. Lots of surfers, volleyball and the pier is cool. Huntington is what I would call, the "classic California beach scene" you would see on TV. Lots of people skating, skateboarding, biking along the strand. (Concrete boardwalk.) Eat at the Sugar Shack for breakfast or lunch. Also Ruby's on the pier. Nice dining at Dukes, at the end of the pier. My DH loves to watch all the exotic cars driving by on the Pacific Coast Highway = PCH.

Next would be Newport Beach. Walk along the strand right by all the beautiful homes. Head towards Balboa Island and take a ferry over to more beautiful homes, shops and I think there is an arcade there too. At least there used to be. Eat at Charlie's Chili at the end of the Newport Pier.

One thing we never forget to eat are the Strips and Cheese. I have been getting those since my high school days in the 70's. They were the original nachos for most of us, before they became so popular. LOL. You usually can find these at both Huntington and Newport, in little order windows right along the strands.

Laguna Beach. Artsy, lots of shops, and beautiful views.

Seal beach. Laid back, not as fancy, but fun.

 

[PHXscuba]

I am personally partial to Huntington as well, but based on what you said you should also look into Balboa peninsula in the Newport area. There is a beach there with a pier, and across the street is a little amusement park with a carousel, ferris wheel, arcade, ice cream, etc. I have NO IDEA what their hours would be in December. There's also a little ferry that you can take over to Balboa Island to walk around the swanky homes -- the ride might be fun for small kids. You can also catch harbor tours/whale watching from that area too.

PHXscuba

 

[pixarmom]

Hi OP!!!

I have been vacationing in Newport Beach, CA nearly every year since childhood and I highly recommend it! Our three boys are ages pre-school to pre-teen and they love it. We've been in both the summer and the off-season, and I agree with the previous posters that the water is very cold in December! But we bundle up and the kids can dig in the sand.

Newport has so many great spots for small children. Here's a list:

1) For digging in the sand and running on the beach, I'd suggest parking near 15th Street on the Newport peninsula. You'll find public restrooms, a great burger spot called the Stuft Surfer (picnic tables on the sand in front - our kids start to dig in the sand while we finish lunch), the 15th Street Surf shop and Fry's Market (for sand toys.) The playground on the sand at 13th Street in front of Newport Elementary is a perfect place for little kids to play. We also like this area because the sand is not right next to a parking lot or busy street. Of course, we have to be careful that the kids don't get in the way of cyclists on the sidewalk/boardwalk, but the beach is very wide and very uncrowded so we always have plenty of space (and time to catch running little ones!)

2) If you continue down the peninsula, you'll find the Balboa Fun Zone with arcades, a ferris wheel and several shops. Ruby's restaurant is out at the end of the Balboa Pier and has great food in a very fun atmosphere. The kids' meals come in cardboard cars, which has always been a hit with our boys! We prefer the Balboa Pier area to the Newport Pier area for little kids.

3) From the Balboa Fun Zone, you can take the auto ferry across to Balboa Island. (The ferry charges different rates for cars, pedestrians and people with bikes.) When you get off the ferry, you can either walk along the sidewalk that hugs the perimeter of the island or drive to Marine Avenue. The walk along the perimeter is great because bicycles are not permitted, making it safe for little ones to walk. Marine Avenue has several shops and restaurants, but the big draws for our kids are the toy shop and the candy store. Our boys also love the frozen bananas and treats from Dad's Donuts.

Hope this helps - have a great trip!!

 

[lapdwife]

I'm a little biased as I live in Huntington, but that would be my suggestion because its close. It takes us about 20 mins to drive the 13 miles to the park from here....so you're not wasting time driving. We have a great downtown area, Main St to the pier. Tuesday nights we have Surf City Nights, a market night. Kids eat free at Ruby's (located at the end of the pier) on Tuesdays as well. You can rent bikes right at the pier too.

 

[c&m]

We love Huntington Beach - so so much that we stayed at the Hyatt Huntington Beach on one of our trips to Orange County. Miles and miles of beach, great sand, great waves, fabulous restaurants (Dukes is where we like to eat and watch the sun go down).

 

[kylie71]

We've been going to Balboa many years! It's very easy to park and walk around.
Very cute old downtown area.
Palm tree's right up to the beach.
Fun to walk the pier, look back at the city of Balboa... that's what Southern, Ca should look like folks! It' like the Beach Boys desribed!!

Seal Beach is very nice too! Huntington very close and Fun as well! Just go explore it's FUN!

 

[seatexan]

Great stuff, all! Thanks for all the thoughtful replies. Lots to think about, will probably decide the day of. Happy Halloween!

 

[PHXscuba]

The great thing is, most of those beaches are very close together. You could walk on the beach in Huntington in the morning, ride the Fun Zone rides in Balboa after lunch, and see sunset from one of the piers, all without driving very far in between. The parking fees for doing several beaches might be the worst part of that plan!

Good luck -- I don't think you can go wrong with any of the suggestions given!

PHXscuba