Things worth your time.

Orange County has more to do than any weekend can hold. This is the shortlist: what is actually worth the drive, the reservation, or the early morning. Every entry checked against the source that runs it.

Editorial illustration of Historic Main Street in Garden Grove with restored storefronts, brick sidewalks, and small-city downtown character.
This Week's Pick

Historic Main Street

Compact historic downtown corridor in Garden Grove with antiques, the 1920s Gem Theatre, and a Friday-afternoon classic car show.

Explore
Browse the collection

What are you in the mood for?

Filter by category, cost, time needed, region, or vibe. Or type a place, a city, or a craving into the search.

Editorial illustration of the Muth Interpretive Center and Upper Newport Bay with tidal channels, egrets, and a bluff-top nature center in Newport Beach.

Muth Interpretive Center and Upper Newport Bay

Free estuary exhibits and live animal displays above Upper Newport Bay, with free parking and preserve trails open 7 a.m. to sunset.

Editorial illustration of Irvine Regional Park in Orange with coast live oaks, the park lake and railroad, and native southwestern wildlife.

Irvine Regional Park and the OC Zoo

Playgrounds, a lake, a railroad and the OC Zoo in one park in Orange. Roughly $11 to $13 for four people, before any extras.

Editorial illustration of the UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art with gallery interiors, abstract canvases, and the Costa Mesa arts plaza.

UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art

Free contemporary and California art at Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa. No reservation, closed Monday and Tuesday, late Fridays in summer.

Editorial illustration of Historic Main Street in Garden Grove with restored storefronts, brick sidewalks, and small-city downtown character.

Historic Main Street

Compact historic downtown corridor in Garden Grove with antiques, the 1920s Gem Theatre, and a Friday-afternoon classic car show.

Los Rios Street historic district in San Juan Capistrano, Orange County

Los Rios Street

California's oldest continuously inhabited residential street — three blocks of 1790s adobes, tea houses, and working artist studios.

Crystal Cove Shake Shack storefront on Pacific Coast Highway — yellow walk-up counter with vintage milkshake sign and posted menu in Newport Coast

Crystal Cove Shake Shack — Newport Coast

Roadside Crystal Cove burger-and-shake stop with an ocean-view patio on East Coast Highway in Newport Coast.

Editorial illustration of Fullerton Arboretum with botanical-garden paths, mature trees, and pond in the CSUF-adjacent green space.

Fullerton Arboretum

26-acre botanical garden at Cal State Fullerton with themed plant collections, walking paths, and seasonal blooms.

Editorial illustration of Santiago Oaks Regional Park with oak woodland, dirt trails, and creek-side terrain in inland Orange.

Santiago Oaks Regional Park

1,269-acre OC Parks regional park in east Orange with Santiago Creek, oak shade, trails, and foothill views.

Editorial illustration of Seal Beach with wooden pier, Main Street shops, and small-town coastal storefronts.

Seal Beach Pier & Main Street Stroll

Historic pier and charming beach village with low-key shops, restaurants, and genuine small-town vibe.

Editorial illustration of Victoria Beach in Laguna with the iconic La Tour pirate tower, sandstone bluffs, and rocky shoreline.

Victoria Beach & The Pirate Tower

Laguna Beach cove with the privately owned shoreline Pirate Tower visible from Victoria Beach at suitable tides.

Editorial illustration of Holy Jim Falls Trail in Trabuco Canyon with seasonal waterfall, streamside canopy, and dirt trail.

Holy Jim Falls Trail

Seasonal waterfall hike in Holy Jim Canyon within the Santa Ana Mountains; access and road conditions should be checked before visiting.

Editorial illustration of Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park with coastal-sage hills, ridgeline trails, and canyon views.

Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

Approximately 4,500-acre OC Parks wilderness area with canyons, oak and sycamore habitat, and more than 30 miles of official trails.

Editorial illustration of Salt Creek Beach and Dana Point Headlands with bluff-top trail, ocean views, and rocky coastline.

Salt Creek Beach + Dana Point Headlands Trail

Dana Point beach and bluff outing with surf, swimming, body surfing, sunbathing, and tide-pool exploration at low tide.

Editorial illustration of Crystal Cove Historic District with restored beach cottages tucked below coastal bluffs at Newport Coast.

Crystal Cove Historic District Cottage Walk

46 vintage coastal cottages from the 1930s and 1940s at Crystal Cove, and the one part of the park open until 10 p.m.

Editorial illustration of Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach with tidal wetlands, boardwalks, and shorebirds.

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

Over 1,300-acre coastal ecological reserve with wetlands, birding trails, scenic overlooks, and interpretive habitat education.

Editorial illustration of the Carbon Canyon coast redwood grove in Brea with unexpected redwoods in an inland Orange County canyon.

Carbon Canyon Redwood Grove

A planted grove of coast redwoods in Brea, sustained by irrigation since 1975. An unexpected redwood cluster in an inland Orange County canyon.

Editorial illustration of Bommer Canyon in Irvine with grassland hills, oak groves, and the historic cattle-camp corrals.

Bommer Canyon Cattle Drive & Hike

Historic Irvine Ranch cattle-camp landscape with open-space trails, canyon scenery, and guided-access areas in Irvine.

Curving stairway from Heisler Park down to a cove beach in Laguna Beach — palm trees, blue Pacific Ocean, and a small rocky cove visible from the cliffside descent

Heisler Park Coastal Walk

Clifftop park in central Laguna Beach with panoramic ocean views, mature gardens, public art including the Breaching Whale sculpture, and short access to Picnic Beach, Rockpile Beach, and Diver's Cove.

Editorial illustration of the San Clemente Beach Trail with bluff walk, coastal rail line, and Pacific ocean views.

San Clemente Beach Trail (North Beach to Calafia)

Coastal beach trail linking North Beach, the pier/T-Street area, and Calafia with ocean views and beach access points.

Editorial illustration of the Anaheim Packing House with citrus-era architecture, food vendor stalls, and interior mezzanine.

Anaheim Packing House Food Crawl

Historic farmers market and food hall in restored packing house building with chef restaurants.

Editorial illustration of the Great Park Balloon in Irvine with a bright orange tethered helium balloon rising above the former airbase.

Great Park Balloon Ride

Tethered Great Park Balloon experience that rises 400 feet above Irvine's Great Park, weather permitting.

Editorial illustration of Laguna Beach First Thursdays Art Walk with village galleries lit at dusk and open exhibitions.

Laguna Beach Art Gallery Walk + First Thursdays

Laguna Beach gallery district with a free monthly First Thursdays Art Walk from 6-9 p.m.

Editorial illustration of Old Towne Orange Plaza with antique storefronts, brick sidewalks, and the historic Chapman-Glassell traffic circle.

Old Towne Orange Antique Shopping + Chapman Walk

Historic Old Towne Orange centered on Plaza Park, with antique shops, cafes and four free city parking lots among the paid ones.

Editorial illustration of Dana Point Harbor whale watching, with boats heading out for marine mammal viewing off the Orange County coast.

Dana Point Whale Watching

Year-round whale and dolphin watching from Dana Point Harbor, with gray whale migration strongest in winter and spring.

Editorial illustration of the Back Bay Loop Trail in Newport Beach with the Upper Newport Bay ecological reserve and bike path.

Back Bay Loop Trail Bike Ride

Easy multi-use ride or walk around Upper Newport Bay, with marsh views, birds, and flexible route length.

Editorial illustration of Huntington Beach Pier at sunset with silhouetted surfers, the pier cafe, and Pacific horizon.

Huntington Beach Pier Sunset Walk

Beachfront sunset walk around Huntington Beach Pier and the Ocean Strand, with surf, wide sand, and an open coastal horizon.

Editorial illustration of Mission San Juan Capistrano and the Los Rios Historic District with adobe walls, bell wall, and vintage streetscape.

San Juan Capistrano Mission + Los Rios Historic District

Walk through California mission history and OC's oldest standing buildings in a perfectly preserved 18th-century neighborhood.

Editorial illustration of the Wedge in Newport Beach with legendary wedge-wave bodysurfing off the Balboa Peninsula jetty.

The Wedge Bodysurf & Watch

Powerful shore-break surf spot at the end of the Balboa Peninsula, best treated as a spectator stop unless highly experienced.

Sugar 'n Spice on Balboa Island — the 1945 blue and yellow frozen banana stand on Marine Avenue with a hand-painted Original Frozen Banana mural sign above blue and white striped awning

Balboa Island Walk + Frozen Banana

Charming island stroll through village homes and boutiques, ending with a vintage frozen banana at OC's most iconic snack spot.

Editorial illustration of Crystal Cove tide pools at low tide with sea anemones, starfish, and sandstone reef exposed along the shoreline.

Crystal Cove State Park Tide Pools

Anemones, urchins and crabs in protected rocky-shore pools at Crystal Cove. Access depends on low tide, and parking runs $15 to $20.

Editorial illustration of the Top of the World hike in Laguna Beach with a panoramic Pacific view, canyon-crest trail, and boulder overlook.

Hike to Top of the World

Legendary Laguna Beach hilltop trek with 360-degree coastal views and the best sunset vantage in OC.

Know a spot we've missed?

We're always hunting for places worth covering. Tell us what we're sleeping on.

Submit