Do you know that Laguna Beach is actually a small city in Orange County? It is the cutest little beach town that I have ever seen.
(It's there on the map!)
If you have read my previous post, you have already gotten to know eight gorgeous beaches in SoCal. However, Laguna Beach is my favorite in the whole southern California.
Why is it so? Today, I'm going to take you around Laguna Beach. I'll show you the fun things and cute places to visit there. Then you can make a decision on whether it is the cutest beach town yourself!
Last time, I provided you with my thoughts on the beaches in the following four areas. This time we'll follow the suit as well. The four areas are:
Quality of sand/water
Crowdedness
Entertainment options
Easiness of parking
Now, let's get the beach party started!
1. Quality of sand/water (5/5)
Even though it depends on which region of the coast you are, the overall sand quality at Laguna Beach is superb. If you go to the main beach, which is called Laguna Beach itself, you will find yourself in the softest sand and the clearest water.
You'll find yourself not being able to contain your happiness, just like myself here.
(This is picture is actually taken at West Street Beach, known as the main gay beach at Laguna.)
Other beaches in the city have areas that have somewhat rough sand, but you can always excuse yourself from those rough patches. Otherwise, you might end up with a wound like I did.
It was still a good time at the beach though.
(Earned my badge of honor)
2. Crowdedness (3/5)
Laguna is the place to be in OC, especially during the weekends. Thus it can get super crowded.
To make things worse, the highway that extends from inland to the beach only has one lane each way. So it can be a nightmare going in and out of the beach.
However, apparently people are not discouraged by the traffic and still travel from all over to Laguna. Here is a picture to show you the density of people at the beach on a sunny weekend. (I'll say even in its most crowded days, it's not as bad as Santa Monica can be.)
Maybe it's just worth it!
3. Entertainment options (5/5)
Now here is the fun part! Actually lots of fun things to do so I'll break them down to three categories: businesses, events, and nature.
1) Businesses
Laguna Beach is known for its galleries, restaurants, cafes, and boutique shops.
The dining and shopping places are concentrated mostly one street away from the main beach, while the galleries extend all the way along the highway that takes you to the beach.
An honorary mention of the cafe to go to is the Urth Caffé at Laguna.
Especially if you have not been to any other Urth Caffe, which is a very LA cafe, this is the one to visit. It not only has the amazing drinks that Urth Caffe provides, but also has the cutest décor that I have ever seen in any Urth Caffe.
However, of course there are bazillions of other cute places to visit in Laguna. You just need to take a little stroll to look for them. The stroll itself is always enjoyable as well.
2) Events
Besides these businesses that you can visit, there are also plenty of free events going on. For example, in honor of National Pride Month, there was a pride beach party at the main gay beach at Laguna, West Street Beach, last Sunday (Jun 25, 2017).
To find out more events at beaches in Laguna, you can check out this website.
3) Nature
If neither checking out businesses nor hanging out with a large group of people is your thing. You can enjoy the serenity of the nature by hiking at Crystal Cove.
Granted that Crystal Cove is bordering Newport Beach, it is not that far from the main beach, only about 8 minutes of driving when there is no traffic.
Even if hiking is not your thing, Crystal Cove has a park section that you can just chill at without much walking.
If you do decide to take on the challenge of hiking, however, you will be well-rewarded. Crystal Cove's hike is quite pleasant. You can pick different trails depending on how hard you want the hike to be. For more information on that, check out their official website here.
The best part of a hike at Crystal Cove, if you ask me, is the view when you get to the top. You can see the ocean connects to where the mountains end. It's so breathtaking!
4. Easiness of parking (3/5)
Let's be real. Parking can be a pain in the ass at Laguna. Even though there are street parking spots and public parking lots. There are just simply too many people and too few spots.
I was always able to find parking somehow, so just remember to be patient.
So what do you think of Laguna Beach now? I hope you enjoyed its rustic charm and vibrant activities. Maybe pay a visit someday and let me know what you think!