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In the evening, volleyball games give way to beach bonfires. If you want to build one or have a barbecue, stake out one of the 1000 cement fire rings early in the day, especially on holiday weekends, when you should plan to arrive when the beach opens. To indicate that it’s taken, surround the ring with your gear. You can get wood from concessionaires on the beach.

Bathrooms and showers are located north of the pier at the back of the snack-bar complex. The beach closes at 10pm and reopens at 5am; the pier closes at midnight. Parking lots by the beach – when you can get a spot – are ‘pay and display’. Feed the ticket booths scattered across the parking lot – $1.50 per hour or $12 per day – then post the ticket in your windshield. Bring dollars and coins. Otherwise, park at the municipal lots along PCH or on the street further inland. The Promenade parking structure costs $9 per day while other municipal lots are $10 per day. Street meters are $1 for 40 minutes.

Dogs romp in the surf at Dog Beach, north of Goldenwest St, south of Seapoint Ave, between Huntington City and Bolsa Chica State Beaches. Nearly a mile long, it’s a picture-perfect place to play with your pooch.

HUNTINGTON PIER

The 1853ft Huntington Pier has been here – in one form or another – since 1904. The mighty Pacific has damaged giant sections of it half a dozen times and completely demolished it twice since then. The current concrete structure was built in 1983. On the pier you can rent a fishing pole for $3 per hour at Let’s Go Fishin’ ( 714-960-1392) bait and tackle shop. About half way up the pier, there are two tiny stores in trailers: the Surf City Store ( 714-374-0277) is the only shop in town licensed to use the name ‘Surf City’ on its merchandise – pick up a T-shirt; across the way, consider buying a kite at the Kite Connection ( 714-536-3630).

INTERNATIONAL SURFING MUSEUM

One of the few of its kind in California, this small museum ( 714-960-3483; www.surfingmuseum.org; 411 Olive Ave; donation adult/child $2/1; noon-5pm Mon-Fri, 11am-6pm Sat & Sun May-Sep; noon-5pm Wed-Fri, 11am-6pm Sat & Sun Oct-Apr) off Main St is an entertaining stop for surf-culture enthusiasts. The less-enthused may need more detailed explanations. A potentially fascinating collection of vintage surfboards and skateboards lacks organization and details, while the Women of Surfing display is little more than a haphazard photo album backed by a photo-covered whiteboard. For the best historical tidbits, spend a minute chatting with the knowledgeable, friendly staff members. They’re all volunteers and happy to share their expertise.

BOLSA CHICA STATE BEACH

Bolsa Chica State Beach ( 714-846-3460, reservations 800-444-7275; 17851 Pacific Coast Highway;) is a 3-mile strip of sand stretching alongside the Pacific Coast Hwy between Sunset Beach to the north and Dog Beach to the south. Parking costs $10. It faces a monstrous oil rig half a mile off shore. You’ll find picnic tables, fire-rings and hot showers, plus a bike path running north to Anderson Ave – home of Turc’s Click here – in Sunset Beach and south to Huntington State Beach. Favored by surfers, volleyball players and fishers, Bolsa Chica is mobbed on summer weekends. At the small visitors center ( 714-377-5691; www.parks.ca.gov; 9am-4pm; wi-fi) you can check out the views through telescopes pointed at the beach and Bolsa Chica State Ecological Reserve ( 714-846-1114; 6am-8pm;), on the other side of PCH. The reserve looks rather desolate, but this restored salt marsh is an environmental success story that teems with bird life. Its 1700 acres have been saved by a band of determined locals from numerous development projects over the years. Sadly, it’s also one of the last coastal wetlands in SoCal – 94% of them having succumbed to development. A 1.5-mile loop trail starts from the parking lot on PCH. A small interpretative center (3842 Warner Ave) sits just north.

Activities

SURFING

Surfing in HB is competitive. Control your longboard or draw ire from