Page 131 - 2017 Travel Guide to California

STEVE CUKROV/SHUTTERSTOCK; COSTA MESA CVB. OPPOSITE: ORANGE COUNTY CVB; OCEAN IMAGE PHOTOGRAPHY/SHUTTERSTOCK
The Great Outdoors
The coastline with its world-famous surf
spots (Huntington Beach, the Wedge at
Newport Beach, Trestles in San Clemente),
yacht harbors (Newport Beach, Dana Point)
and protected areas (Crystal Cove State
Park’s underwater reserve, the wetlands of
California’s first state beach, Doheny) are
just the beginning of Orange County’s nat-
ural wonders. Inland canyons and parks
teem with wildlife and hiking and biking
trails, such as Irvine’s 300-acre San Joaquin
Wildlife Sanctuary.
Family Fun
Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm are a
given, but don’t overlook attractions such as
Sky Zone Anaheim’s indoor trampolines,
more than 100 hands-on exhibits at Santa
Ana’s Discovery Science Center, and marine
science and history learned aboard a tall
ship or a research vessel with Dana Point’s
Ocean Institute. The new Great Wolf Lodge
offers a multitude of family activities, such
as a game theater, miniature golf, a bowling
alley and a kids’ spa, all open to the public. But
the big attraction is restricted to guests of the
600-suite hotel: a 2½ acre indoor water park
with a river, a wave pool, a variety of thrill rides
and slides, and a constant 84-degree climate
(sans sunburn).
PELICAN HILL GOLF COURSE, opposite
top; heading for the surf at Huntington
Beach Pier, opposite bottom; Cowabunga
Beach Cattle Drive at the Orange County
Fair, Huntington Beach, left; Tall Ship
Festival at Dana Point, below.
DRIVE
»
TOUR
Highway 1 offers the most
scenic drive following the
coastline from DANA
POINT to LONG BEACH, a
drive best attempted on
weekdays between rush
hours. Stop in the popular
towns of LAGUNA BEACH,
NEWPORT BEACH or
HUNTINGTON BEACH for
a taste of the Southern
California beach scene.
2017 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A 129