Top Things to do in Orange County
Top Hotels in Orange County
- 1. The Westin Anaheim Resort
- 2. The Anaheim Hotel
- 3. Capri Laguna On The Beach
- 4. Hampton Inn & Suites Anaheim Resort Convention Center
- 5. Cortona Inn & Suites Anaheim Resort
- 6. Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa
- 7. Best Western Los Alamitos Inn & Suites
- 8. SpringHill Suites by Marriott Anaheim Maingate
- 9. Kings Inn Anaheim
- 10. The Westin Anaheim Resort
Things to do in Orange County, Orange County: The Best Outdoor Activities
Beyond its epic theme parks and perfect weather, Orange County is celebrated for outdoor dining, entertainment and beach-bound adventure. Treat yourself at South Coast Plaza for the finest in luxury shopping and superlative restaurants. Spend an afternoon aboard a whale watching cruise in Newport Harbor, or cast a reel from the Huntington Beach Pier. Stop to smell the flowers at the Sherman Library and Gardens, or explore Laguna’s vast variety of boutique shops along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Restaurants in Orange County
1. Table Rock Beach
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 60 reviews
Reviewed By V7456AGjoyl - Los Angeles, United States
A small beach with easy access from the Coast Highway. The entrance is near coyote Grill. Great place to see the sunset. Never really crowded since most visitors go to Thousand Step Beach.
2. Dana Strands Beach
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 64 reviews
Reviewed By Z4886QWannev - Monterey, United States
If you are looking for a beautiful beach for a walk, surfing, tide pools and to watch surfer Strands beach is the to go to. I moved away from Orange County four years ago and when I visit this is the first beach I want to visit.
3. Treasure Island Beach
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 58 reviews
Reviewed By emhtravelfood - Pasadena, United States
We have traveled to many beaches in Southern California and I'm not sure we've ever been to one more beautiful or breathtaking than this beach. And the tide pools are utterly fantastic, with kind docents who are eager to teach young ones about the abundance of sea life.
4. Crystal Cove State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,230 reviews
Reviewed By 691ac - Los Angeles, United States
This is such a special place to visit! Starting with the short bus ride from the parking lot to the beach, this park is worth at least half a day to visit. You can walk around the cottages, and spend time on the beach. There are various hiking trails on the grounds and the Beachcomber restaurant of course. It is a lovely and serene place to visit.
5. Orange County Coast
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 238 reviews
Reviewed By Smithysfishing - Buddina, Australia
Over our 2.5 week stay with friends in Huntington beach we did all the beaches from Long Beach to Laguna Beach and took the train from Santa Ana to Oceanside so we pretty much saw all the beaches down to San Diego. It was good to check out all the scenery in OC to compare to the old TV show. We found ourselves having a quick look on Youtube of old episodes and comparing. All nice wide beaches compared to Australian beaches. Lots of intrastructure with volleyball courts, etc, etc along the whole coast compared to home.
6. Newport Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,447 reviews
Reviewed By 723lisak - Richmond, Canada
Newport Beach is a beautiful area that always feels safe and is so clean. They take pride in their beautiful piece of paradise and it shows.
7. Irvine Regional Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 218 reviews
Reviewed By F-F-7676 - Los Angeles, United States
This park is a really nice one, pretty large and with good parking. Inside this park you can find the OC Zoo, an equestrian center, many picnic areas, a little lake and some more attractions. They have a farmer market once a week and always events and games set up for all the holidays during the year.
8. The Wedge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 319 reviews
Reviewed By davidmR4183QL - Vero Beach, United States
I made my firs visit recently (I'm from Florida) on a green-flag day at the lifeguard stands (gentle conditions). A bunch of kids were in the water enjoying the mostly 2-3 foot waves with occasional 4-5 foot outbursts. A few weeks earlier, there had been a memorable spell of waves July 3-5. There are splendid videos at YouTube. There is no parking lot nearby, but parallel parking on the nearby residential streets, except on street-cleaning days. Time of visit matters: The Wedge is open to surfboards and bodyboards before 10 am and after 5 am in the summer; bodysurfing and swimming only, from 10 to 5. This is where bodysurfing was more or less invented on the US mainland, using swim fins. In turn, at least two brands of surfing/lifeguard swim fins were invented at or near Newport Beach. Main reasons for visiting the spot are the impressive jetty (and the boats coming and going) and the waves near the jetty. Even on a small day, they tend to smash rather directly on the beach, unlike the waves at Newport Pier (the Point), a much better place for casual beach visitors to be in the water. Waves bounce off he jetty, creating unusual patterns that surfers of various sorts can ride. The waves also create large rip currents on large-wave days that allow experienced users to get out beyond the surf. The big rips (here and also elsewhere in the area) have led to the distinctively Californian system of using lifeguard boats to pick up rescued swimmers (rather than attempting to return them directly to the beach) and taking them to safer points to return to the beach or, occasionally, to the harbor. It can be worthwhile to check Surfline, the online beach camera and surf prediction service, before visiting. Conditions vary wildly and large waves can happen here on days when nearby beaches are not nearly so large. Note that extremely big days bring out crowds. It can be worthwhile to show up before dawn.
9. 1,000 Steps Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 340 reviews
Reviewed By Thesorotas05
We checked the tides and have a lovely time climbing through the cave as the tide went out and discovering the secret pools. We went in the morning. Looks like when lifeguards are on duty that the cave is closed. We were asked to leave by the lifeguard around 10am.
10. Huntington Dog Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 737 reviews
Reviewed By 2015stephaniemichele - Huntington Beach, United States
Huntington Dog Beach is a great place to bring your furry friends to run free and play with other dogs or in the sea! Should you have a new puppy I recommend coming midweek if you can when it is not as as busy and getting them socialized and ready for weekends and summertime at the HBDB. The beach ls very long, spacious and everyone seems to be very familiar with rules and dog beach etiquette, they also have extra dog bags should you run out or forget yours. There are public restrooms available and plenty of parking. There is a parking meter machine that takes cash or cards. One thing I really love is the stretch of HB dog beach that is blocked by a cliff....it is nice if you have a dog that loves to run because there is no street access so you can relax and let them play. They also have fresh water near the parking area at doggie level for them to drink! On the weekends they sometimes have special events such as dog surfing contest or particular breed meet ups, you can check out the website and Facebook page to see whats happening. I hope you and your furry friends have as much fun as we do!
