- The Ultimate Guide to Laguna Beach. A unique artist colony located in Orange County, California. Just a one hour drive South
of Downtown Los Angeles. Laguna Beach has a population of 23,000, but it retains a small town charm. And it has some of the
most beautiful coastline in all of Southern California. Now, part of that small
town charm is also because there's very limited
access into Laguna Beach. There's only three ways in or out, Pacific Coast Highway
from the North or South and the 133 from Inland towards Irvine. Those are the only ways you
can get in Laguna Beach. The rest of Laguna is ringed
by a tall mountain range and a 20,000 acre Greenbelt,
which gives Laguna a feeling of isolation from the rest of the sprawl of urban Los Angeles and Orange County. But of course, Laguna Beach is
most famous for its beaches. It has seven miles of coastline. And in California,
Laguna Beach has the most beach front hotels of any
other city in the States. In this video, I'm gonna tell you everything you need to
know if you're considering a visit to Laguna Beach. Including what are the best beaches here? What is here to eat? What is here to do? where should you park? And overall how to have a
good time in Laguna Beach. But before we take a look at the beaches, I wanna give you a little
history of Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach got it's start
as an artist destination in the early 1900s. In 1918, the first art
gallery was opened here in the 1920s is when the
Laguna Playhouse opened, starting live theater. Laguna was a pretty sleepy
town up until the 1970s, the kind of place where the restaurants would close in the winter. But what really put
Laguna Beach on the map was the Nixon years. When president Nixon visited
his home in San Clemente, the press corps took up
residence in Laguna Beach at the Surf & Sand Resort. You may have also heard
of Laguna Beach from MTV's reality series in
the two thousands titled the name of the city "Laguna Beach". Okay, now let's take
a look at the beaches. The first beach I wanna
show you is Main Beach. This is Laguna's premier
beach that almost everybody goes to at some point. Why? Well, because it's right in
the heart of Laguna Beach, where Pacific Coast Highway meets the 133. So whatever route you're driving into, if you drive long enough,
you will find this beach. This is one of the biggest widest sandiest stretches in Laguna. There's a neat beach
front wooden boardwalk. There's a grassy park in front of it. And this walkway that's
along this beach extends for about a mile up the hill to the North. There's lots of public
art along this walkway, public bathrooms are here. Lifeguard tower's here and
no surfing in this area. So if you're swimming,
you don't have to contend with any surfers. Now, while I say this is
Laguna's premier beach. That doesn't mean that this is the beach that you want to necessarily
go to, to lay on the sand. If you're looking to actually
get away from the crowds you'll enjoy some of the
beaches I've got coming up. But before I leave Main
Beach, there's actually a really interesting story
about this lifeguard tower. It was not originally
built as a lifeguard tower. Actually, it was built
as part of a gas station that's over there on the corner. But they were gonna tear that down and residents of Laguna Beach said, "This building is too classic,
let's move it to the beach "and use it as a lifeguard tower." Now, my favorite beach in Laguna Beach is Thousand Steps Beach. This is one of the most South
beaches in Laguna Beach. And why is it called Thousand Steps Beach? Well, because there's
a really long staircase to get down here. It does not have a thousand steps. It has 220 steps. And when you're walking up that staircase, it feels like a thousand. But what I like the best about this beach is when you come down here,
the city, the traffic, it all just melts away. You feel like you've got
the whole beach to yourself and a few other people, but
it feels really natural. So check out Thousand Steps Beach, If you just one kind of
a relaxing beach spot. Another amazing part
of Thousand Steps Beach are the houses that are here. Many of these houses have a part that's on Pacific Coast Highway on the top. And another part that's on the beach. And because it's a long walk
down, many of them actually have like funiculars or cable cars to bring the owners from
the top part of their house down to the bottom part of their house. And if they're too poor to
have their own cable car, well, many of them have
their own private staircases down to the beach. That's a lot of steps to maintain. This beach can have a
really strong shorebreak, which makes it popular for
skim boarding and body surfing. If you're just casually
waiting in the water, be careful because big waves can sneak up on you very quickly. If you are planning to
body surf, definitely bring some fins and ask the lifeguards, "Where's a good place to do it?" Where there aren't rocks underneath you. You'll often also find
people, body boarding and surfing here. I should point out, this
is not a beginner's beach. Only come here in the water
if you know what you're doing. There are generally lifeguards
here during busy times. I will point out the stretcher
next to the lifeguard tower. If you get really hurt,
that's what they're gonna be using to carry you up the staircase. 'Cause the staircase is the
only way to get down here. The facilities down here are quite limited at the bottom of the
staircase, you'll find a single shower and a
single stall bathroom. That's it. Empty yourself before you come. When the tide is low
and the waves are small on the Southern most end here is the Thousand Step Sea Cave. It's a neat cave in the
cliffs you can go into. But only on the right days. Not today. Abandoned urban explorers might enjoy checking out the foundation
of the old Chateau Relaxo that used to be down here. But over the years it
crumbled due to the surf and the city didn't let
them rebuild it again. The biggest con of Thousand Steps Beach other than the long walk down to the beach is there's no parking lot. All of the parking is street parking. You'll find limited street parking along Pacific Coast Highway. You'll find a little bit of
parking up in the neighborhood, just on the hill from
Thousand Steps Beach. Or if you're here on a
weekend in the evening, you can park in the hospital parking lot. Just make sure to pay
attention to the hours that you can't park there. Now, if you wanna a beach
with the easiest parking, you'll wanna head over
to Aliso Beach Park. This is North a Thousand Beach Steps and this one has a nice
beach front parking lot. There's also a parking lot
across Pacific Coast Highway with a tunnel you can go underneath. Those two parking lots
are pay parking lots. I generally like to park
right on Pacific Coast Highway up the hill from the beach. And then you can walk down
the little path to the beach. Nice touch here, you'll find
a really big set of bathrooms, which is adjacent to the Lost Pier Cafe with really great outdoor picnic dining with some pretty good views. What's to eat? It's your standard beach fair
sandwiches, fish and chips. That sort of thing. Now, if you've brought your
own picnic, but not a chair, you'll find a lot of benches
lined in the parking lot. And a lot of trash cans too. Shooting this video I saw an
awesome car in the parking lot. There's a yellow Chevy Bel Air. I don't know whose car this is, but we could totally be friends, especially because they've got a pair of yellow dice on the mirror. Now, if you're looking
to stay overnight here. Well, good news. Laguna Beach actually has a lot of hotels for such a small city
and seven of the hotels are directly on the beach. The finest of the hotels is this one. The Montage in Laguna
Beach, if money is no object you'll want to check out
this hotel room rates. The night I was filming
this video in September started at 995 dollars. The Montage is also a
classic though expensive spot for weddings and engagement pictures. The Montage is right on top of the cliff in front of Treasure Island Beach. It just connects to that Aliso Beach park we were looking at earlier. The beach access here is also pretty easy. No staircases, just some slightly steep but well-maintained sidewalks. This is also one of the
beaches in Laguna Beach that is wheelchair accessible. In addition to the main ramp, they've got a wheelchair ramp that
takes a longer route and an easy grind. One really nice part
about coming to this beach are the public restrooms. They are built into the Montage Hotel, right underneath the swimming pool. Some of the nicest public beach restrooms that you'll find anywhere. There's a bluff top sidewalk,
that's right in front of the Montage. This sidewalk is open to the
public and this is actually one of my favorite places to go just for a sidewalk stroll in Laguna Beach. Again, because it's away
from the cars it's paved. If you're looking for places to park, there's a hidden parking garage underneath Treasure Island Park. There's also some public parking right in front of the Montage. Or you can head up in the Hills in the neighborhoods up there. Laguna Beach has tons of
picnic spots on the cliffs overlooking the beach all throughout the seven miles of coastline. But I think the best spot is
Treasure Island Beach Park, because where else are you
gonna find picnic tables with views like this? From this park, you can look
South towards San Clemente or North towards Newport Beach. Either way, it's really pretty. Now just North of the Montage
Hotel at Victoria Beach you'll find what I think is
one of the most interesting ocean front structures right there. It's the Pirate Tower built in 1926. What is it? Is it someplace they would keep prisoners? No, it was actually built for a wealthy Los Angeles Senator as
his private staircase down to the beach. If you wanna check this out, you'll need to come at low tide. 'Cause that's the only way
you'll be able to get to it. And speaking of staircases,
the house right next door, this is their staircase. Not quite as impressive
as the Pirate Tower. The rocks in Laguna are
really popular places to take photos, but be
really careful that you don't get splashed by the waves. Lots of people get hurt all
the time in Laguna Beach 'cause they fell off the
rocks from big waves. Now, when you visit Laguna
all the beach exploring is sure to make you hungry
and Laguna has a ton of eating options. But I'm just gonna talk
about some of my favorites that I've personally eaten at. And since Laguna Beach
has such beautiful views, you might want to enjoy
your meal at the beach, looking at the beach. Two of my favorites right here behind me, The Deck and Driftwood Kitchen. These are located in
the Pacific Edge Hotel and they've got seats
right along the water. The food is pretty good too. Now my favorite restaurant
for breakfast with a view is Las Brisas. This is just North of main beach. It's normally a Mexican restaurant, but they have really
good breakfast options, particularly brunch on the
weekends do check it out. There's also amazing views from up here and during the pandemic,
they've added some extra outdoor seating in their parking lot. Some of the nicest parking lot seating, I think I've seen anywhere. Now if you want something a
little cheaper and more casual, just a block away on Pacific Coast Highway is Urth Caffe. This is the new it cafe in Laguna Beach. They've also got pretty solid
breakfast and brunch options coffee, but my favorite
things are their pastries in their display case. Be prepared for long lines at Urth Caffe. Now just North of Urth Caffe
on Pacific Coast Highway you'll find Laguna's Gallery Row. This is where the majority of
Laguna Beaches galleries are. Laguna Beach is home to over 70 galleries, 400 independent artists. If you're looking for some
new art to hang in your home, it's a good place to find it. It's not gonna be cheap though. Outside of Gallery Row, you'll
also find a lot of galleries in the village and downtown districts. This is the area just
inland from Main Beach and it's roughly centered
on Forest Avenue. Forest Avenue right now is
actually closed off during the pandemic as a pedestrian street. I really hope it stays
like this 'cause I like this kind of artsy pedestrian part. I was shooting this video on October. And so the street is nicely
themed for Halloween. The village is definitely
the most charming part of the city away from the noise of Pacific Coast Highway away
from the crowds of the beach. The streets are tree
lined which makes it nice on a hot summer day. Everything has this woodsy rustic feel. But one of the things I only
realized when I was making this video and I've been to Laguna a lot is that all of the
signs for the businesses are actually made out of wood down here. Even the United States Post Office, the churches and even
the gas station signs are made out of wood. Continuing the dessert
trend, my favorite spot in the village for dessert is at Moulin. This is a French bakery,
pastry shop, coffee shop. They serve crepes, they serve sandwiches but most importantly they
serve really delicious French pastries. Beware, they have odd hours. Generally open in the mornings closed early in the afternoon. So if you wanna check this place out, stop here early in the day. One of my favorite spots in
the village for Mexican food is Rasta taco. It's a tiny little building
that you order out of a window. I really like the tacos
from here, particularly the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Tacos. Speaking of odd hours, this
place is closed on Mondays. That's why it's empty
today, but they've also got a nice little outdoor seating patio. So with all these eating
options, where do I eat most? Well, I talked about this in
my San Clemente video though. I didn't eat it on camera. So I'm eating it on camera,
here is Slapfish in Laguna Beach is just right across the
beach at the main intersection Pacific Coast Highway
and Broadway the 133. I like the Clobster Grilled Cheese. This is a grilled cheese
sandwich that has crab and it has lobster it's really good. And they also have this thing
called an awesome sauce, which is like a sweet and tangy sauce that you put on there. It's a little bit spicy. 16 dollars for the
Clobster Grilled Cheese. (exclaims) it's good. If you want some modern seafood... It's a little bit messy. Check out Slapfish. And they've also got a really big open and airy outdoor patio for seating. Now, if another restaurants
or cafes strike your fancy, you can always stop in the Whole Foods. In a pinch, they've got
hot and ready pizza slices, two for 7 dollars and
custom made sandwiches. If you want a little bit
more custom gourmet pizza, stop by Slice Pizza & Beer. Custom made pizza's
cooked in a pizza oven, brought from Italy and they've
got some really neat public art on their sidewall. These angel wings, which
make a great selfie with you and your baby. The little angel. For some of the best
Italian ice cream in town, head out of the village,
up the hill to the South, just about two blocks. Make a hard left into Pepper Tree Lane. It's this dark little
alleyway, work your way towards the back, you'll be glad that you did because you'll be at Gelato Paradiso. Authentic Italian gelato,
super good, super tasty. If you come here on the
weekends, there'll often be a long line to prove it. My favorite artsy shop in the
village is Art for the Soul. This is a great shop to
pick up some inexpensive art for your home. Even some souvenirs. How can you go wrong with a metal flamingo that you can also use as a bottle cooler? If you've got kiddos that like candy, they're sure to love the Candy Baron. It's one of those old time candy shops, candies in barrels sold by weight. Forgot your sand castle building supplies? No fear just stopped by Main Beach Toys. Another great spot for beach
necessities is Coast Hardware. Yes, you can pick up a
hammer and tape measure here, but they've got a whole
aisle of beach goods as well. Heading out East from the village. You'll find the Arts District. This is where Laguna's
big festivals are held. The most famous is the
"Pageant of the Masters" where live performers
go on stage and recreate two dimensional paintings
of "The Masters". There's a number of
other venues around here that have festivals throughout the year. My favorite is the Sawdust Art Festival, particularly at Christmas time where I think of it like Santa's workshop except instead of elves there's artists. So, great place to come for classic gifts. And when they are not
hosting art festival, you can rent them for special events. This one right here is
where OC crew and I had our wedding reception. To get off the beaten
tourist path in Laguna Beach get off the beach, get
off Pacific Coast Highway get out of the village
and head up the hill on the top of the ridge to Laguna Beach into the neighborhoods. There's only a couple of
roads that head up here, but when you are on top of
the Ridge of Laguna Beach, you can see the Pacific
Ocean down in one direction. And then on the other side,
great views to Aliso Viejo and Irvine Inland. Now, when you do get
up here into the hills, you'll notice that all the
houses have a really great view and they love their view
so much in Laguna Beach that there's actually
some city building codes that restrict new construction or remodels from blocking anybody else's view. Whenever they build a new
house, they have to put up some pink flags to show
people where it is. They have city hearings and so actually building new buildings
and houses in Laguna Beach is actually quite difficult
and quite expensive. But my favorite view
is at Alta Laguna Park. Now the park itself has really nice views of the Greenbelt Inland of Laguna Beach, but the amazing views are just up the hill in the adjacent Wilderness Park. You'll get a peak of the
view just where the road ends into the wilderness part. But don't give up here where you wanna go is right up there elevation 1036 feet, the top of the world summit. Where you can see amazing 360 degree views in every direction because
this is the tallest spot for miles and miles and miles,
the beach in one direction, Inland the other direction. This is just a pretty amazing place. Okay, "What's the view really look like? "Chris, stop spinning,
you're making me dizzy." This is what you see
looking down to Main Beach this is what you see looking
at the 73 toll roads. This is what you see
looking out to Aliso Viejo. And this is what you see looking back to that Alta Laguna park. From up here, you'll be
able to see a whole ton of other hiking trails. Our favorite is the West Ridge Trail. It's the biggest widest one. That's right next to the
top of the world summit. You can take this all along the Ridge. You get great ocean views and
ocean breezes from this trail. Now what if you wanna get some exercise, but you don't wanna
hike and you don't wanna get your feet sandy? Well, in that case,
check out Heisler park. This is just up on the
cliff above Main Beach. And there's this really
neat cliff top walkway that runs for about a mile it's part of the California Coastal trail. Easy, no hiking, no sand,
you can wear whatever shoes you want to and from up
here, there are amazing views of the beach down below. This is my favorite casual
stroll in all of Laguna Beach, you might be tempted to walk
along Pacific Coast Highway. Don't do it, it's noisy. There's a lot of cars,
it's smelly, it's loud. Instead, come here and
walk along Heisler Park. You'll also find a lot of great
picnic spots in Heisler park and public art too, just like this one. It's an Orca also known as a killer whale and some other stuff that
I think I'm not quite sophisticated enough to understand. Even the benches along this
path have been made to be artsy. This one is a bench in a rock. But the classic viewpoint
is the gazebo in front of Las Brisas, you'll often find artists here doing paintings of the coastline. Now you don't just have to listen to what I think about Laguna Beach. While shooting this video,
I ran into some local girls from Orange County. Let's hear what they
think about Laguna Beach. - Hi, my name is Olivia
and one thing I love about Laguna is that they have
amazing restaurants. - My name is Peyton and one
thing that I love about Laguna is the really nice weather. - My name is Sophia and I just
like there's a lot of beaches and activities you can do around locally. - And I've a YouTube channel,
so if you wanna subscribe, it's Peyton Leonard. Thanks. - Thank you.
- Thank you. Okay, so after all this,
you might be thinking "Chris, Laguna Beach is great. "What's wrong with it?" Well, the two biggest cons of Laguna Beach one, the traffic along Pacific
Coast Highway in the summer, particularly on weekends
can be best described as soul crushing and the
parking, there's definitely not enough of it. Most of the parking is paid parking and it gets more expensive the
closer you get to the beach. If you want cheap parking or free parking, you've gotta get in the neighborhoods up on the hills. To help make parking traffic
better in the summer, they operate the Laguna Beach trolley. It's like a free open air
bus that runs up and down Pacific Coast Highway,
though during the pandemic that's currently not running. (ocean waves lapping) If you enjoyed this video, you might enjoy watching some of my other "Orange County Beach Series". Just to the South is Dana point. And just South of that is San Clemente. You can click here or here
to watch those travel videos or you'll find links
with description below. As usual, I won't say
goodbye because I'll see you in one of those videos. And I need to go before I get wet.
