Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [231]
INFORMATION
Visitors Center ( 949-248-3500; www.danapoint.org; 33282 Golden Lantern; 9am-4pm Fri-Sun Jun-early Sep) Stop at this tiny booth across from Mariner’s Village for brochures and maps. Gung-ho volunteers here love their city.
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
Most attractions cluster in and around man-made Dana Point Harbor.
The child-friendly Ocean Institute ( 949-496-2274; www.ocean-insitute.org; 24200 Dana Pt Harbor Dr; adult/3-12yr $6/4; 10am-3pm most week days; ), encompasses four separate ocean-centric ‘adventures.’ On Sundays, admission includes the opportunity to discover what life was like aboard an 1830s-era tallship by climbing aboard the Brig Pilgrim ( 10am-2pm Sun), a 130ft replica of the ship sailed by Richard Dana during his journey around Cape Horn to the California coast.
The Ocean Education Center ( 10am-3pm most weekends) is a school during the week, but on weekends families are welcome to enjoy interactive marine-focused exhibits. Board the R/V Sea Explorer (adult $35-78, child $22-78), a 70ft floating lab, for a research-focused trip or join a ‘pyrate’ adventure on a 118ft replica of a Revolutionary-era tallship, the Spirit of Dana Point (adult/child $33/17).
Just south of Laguna Beach is Salt Creek Beach (33333 S Pacific Coast Hwy, at Ritz Carlton Dr; www.ocparks.com; 5am-midnight; ), an 18-acre county-run park popular with surfers, boogie boarders, bodysurfers and tidepoolers. Families make the most of the park’s picnic tables, grills, restrooms and showers – all within the shadows of the bluff-top Ritz Carlton. Parking is $1 per hour.
Adjacent to the southern border of Dana Point Harbor is Doheny State Beach ( 949-496-6172; 25300 Dana Pt Harbor Dr; www.dohenystatebeach.org; 6am-8pm, to 10pm in daylight savings time; wi-fi). There are 170 picnic tables, 99 grills, volleyball courts and a butterfly exhibit at this 62-acre park sporting a mile-long beach. Great for swimmers, surfers, divers and tidepoolers. Parking costs $10. Stop by the Visitor Center ( 949-496-6172; 10am-4pm Sat & Sun, vary Mon-Fri) for aquariums, mounted birds and a 500-gallon simulated tidepool. Doheny also allows beach camping ( 800-444-7275, international callers 916-638-5883), the only park to do so in Orange County, perhaps explaining why it’s regularly voted the county’s ‘Best Camping Site.’
Rent a bicycle at Wheel Fun Rentals ( 949-496-7433; beach cruiser per hr/day $8/28) just south of the picnic area at Doheny State Beach and pedal the San Juan Creek Bikeway which begins north of the park. Rent kayaks for harbor paddling from the satellite ‘office’ of UP Sports ( 949-443-5161; www.upsportsoc.com), a van in the parking lot just south of the Ocean Institute. It’s $20 per hour or $65 for four hours. Find the main office at 34105 Pacific Coast Hwy. For scuba and surfing rentals, try Beach Cities Scuba ( 949-443-3858; www.beachcitiescsuba.com; 34283 Pacific Coast Hwy).
Surfers should check out world-renowned Trestles (Map) just south of San Clemente at San Onofre State Beach. Known in the surfing community for its natural surf break – which consistently churns out perfect waves – Trestles has garnered unexpected headlines recently. Surfers and environmentalists are fighting the extension of a nearby toll road that could negatively affect the waves. Get there now or, better yet, get involved. See www.surfrider.org for more details.
TOURS
Dana Wharf, in Mariner’s Village at Dana Point Harbor, is the starting point for most area ocean tours and trips to Catalina Island. For sportfishing, try Dana Wharf Sportfishing ( 949-496-5794; www.danawharf.com; 34675 Golden Lantern). Five-hour trips, which are best for beginners, cost about $35. Rod and reel rent for $12 a day. Their whale watching tours – which follow migrating grays –