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Beach Vacation Ideas

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8 Unique Southern California Beach Towns to Visit

Embrace the sun, sand and sea in these fun coastal destinations

four female friends smile for a group photo in front of a game on a beach boardwalk
Visitors to Southern California will find picture-perfect beach towns and fun boardwalk activities along the coast.
Getty Images
By

Joe Yogerst,

 
AARP
Published July 15, 2024

Planning a trip to California? You’re not alone. A recent AARP survey found the Golden State was the second most popular travel destination among 50-plus travelers (Florida takes the top spot). 

For beach lovers, the Southern California coast has so many towns, cities and suburbs, it’s often hard (even for locals) to describe their differences or to decide which seaside escape is best for them.

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To help you narrow down which beach towns to consider, here are eight great options for novel activities on both land and water.

Beach off HWY 1 near Ventura California
​​Beach goers and surfers can enjoy the waves and epic breaks in Ventura. ​
Alamy

Ventura

Located between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, Ventura’s blend of Hispanic heritage and outdoor sports appeals to both aquatic fanatics and landlubbers.

The town traces its roots to 1782 when Spanish padres planted a cross and celebrated Mass on the beach before founding a mission. San Buenaventura (the “Mission by the Sea”) remains the town’s architectural gem. There’s more history across the street at the Museum of Ventura County and at Olivas Adobe on the south side of town.

Surfers flock to epic breaks like the Jetty, Solimar and C Street, while Ventura Harbor offers calm waters for kayakers and paddleboarders, as well as daily Islands Packers ferries to nearby Channel Islands National Park. 

Stay: The Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach is the only beachfront property directly on the sand, while the Harbortown Point Marina Resort & Club offers rooms with harbor and water views and waterfront dining. All rooms at the Inn on the Beach have ocean views.

Insider tip: Olivas Adobe hosts the summertime Music Under the Stars evening concert series with acts that run a broad gamut from tribute bands to jazz, funk and Latin.

The Venice Beach boardwalk
A popular draw to Venice Beach is the boardwalk, where visitors can people-watch by the shore.​
ADAM AMENGUAL/The New York Times/Redux

Venice

A carnival atmosphere takes over this beach burb on weekends and holidays when thousands of people wander the boardwalk watching the iron-pumping weight lifters and eclectic street artists, brunching in beachside cafés or trying their luck on a skateboard or Segway.

Nearby Santa Monica Pier offers the only West Coast oceanfront, steel roller coaster and the world's only solar-powered Ferris wheel. You can also find cotton candy and other old-timey carnival attractions at the pier, while the nonprofit eco-group Heal the Bay maintains a small aquarium with kid-friendly touch tanks.

Stay: Shutters on the Beach and Hotel Casa del Mar in Santa Monica are the four-star hangouts, but there are also midrange options such as Hotel Erwin and the Venice on the Beach Hotel.

Insider tip: Several places along the shore rent bikes and scooters to cruise the paved oceanfront trail that stretches about 22 miles from the Santa Monica Pier to Redondo Beach.

Manhattan Beach surfers
The town of Manhattan Beach lures surfers with big waves and sandy beaches.​ ​​
McNair Evans/Redux

Manhattan Beach

The Beach Boys grew up on the outskirts of Manhattan Beach. And even though only one of them actually surfed (Dennis Wilson), the town’s laid-back, surfs-up, cowabunga attitude had an indelible impact on their music including “Surfin’ USA.”

Test your surfing skills or take a lesson at the popular El Porto surfing spot on the north end of the beach. In addition to surfing, the town is a mecca for beach volleyball. The Manhattan Beach Open in August draws top pros from around the globe. On weekends, players of every level spike, dink and dig on the sandy courts beside the pier.

For more relaxed beach activities, visitors can cast a line and fish off the Manhattan Beach Pier or look for shells along the shore.

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Stay: The Shade Hotel, a designer savvy boutique spot, is located in the heart of downtown Manhattan Beach and walking distance to the pier. The Belamar is about a 30-minute walk from the pier action, and the Sea View Inn offers easy access to North Manhattan Beach. 

Insider tip: The city offers beginner beach volleyball lessons for residents and visitors.

Art students attending a class on oil painting at the seashore Heissler Park Laguna Beach California
​​Travelers can paint by the waves in Laguna Beach, California.
Douglas Pulsipher/Alamy

Laguna Beach

This upscale art colony has long attracted painters, writers, musicians and actors to vacation and practice their respective craft beside the sea.

That tradition continues in annual events such as the Pageant of the Masters living art festival during the summer, the Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational in October and the Coast Film & Music Festival in November. The Laguna Playhouse has been a leading regional theater since the 1920s. And how many beach towns have their own poet laureate?

Stay: The restored beach bungalows at Crystal Cove State Park were built in the 1930s and ’40s, but reserve well ahead because they’re very popular. In town, the Art Hotel is a block from the beach, and Casa Laguna Hotel & Spa is where you can score views of the ocean.

Insider tip: Hone your landscape painting skill during workshops and “paint parties” hosted by the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. 

Dana Point Harbor
Boat enthusiasts can see many different vessels in Dana Point Harbor.​
Ron Niebrugge/Alamy

Dana Point

Despite ongoing attempts to replicate New England seaport architecture — and the fact it’s named for seafaring 19th-century author Richard Henry Dana Jr. — Dana Point is one of Southern California’s newest beach towns (founded 1989).

Dana Point Harbor is the home to sport fishing charters and kayak/paddleboard rental outlets. On the west side of town are smaller, less crowded (and arguably more scenic) beaches such as Strands, Salt Creek and Monarch Beach.

Stay: The Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa flaunts gull’s-eye views of the beach and harbor. The DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Doheny Beach is walking distance to the shore and the Dana Point Marina Inn is a good spot for boating enthusiasts.

Insider tip: In Dana Point Harbor, the Ocean Institute offers touch tanks, interactive exhibits and tide pool hikes as well as marine life cruises and sails on the historic tall ship Spirit of Dana Point. 

A surfer walks towards the beach at Sunset Cliffs in San Diego, just down the coast from the Carlsbad Desalination Plant
Travelers can enjoy family-friendly beaches and good surfing in Carlsbad.​
ARIANA DREHSLER/The New York Times/Redux

Carlsbad

Set along the north San Diego County coast, Carlsbad offers the ideal family beach vacation. From swimming and sand dunes to tide pools, it’s got all the waterfront bells and whistles.

Away from the shore you’ll find Legoland California theme park and waterpark, Sea Life Aquarium and the interactive Museum of Making Music.

Stay: The new Alila Marea Beach Resort in Encinitas is the current hot spot, but the kids (or grandkids) might want to crash at the Legoland Castle Hotel or try bluff-top camping at South Carlsbad State Beach.

Insider tip: With a single Michelin star, the restaurant Jeune et Jolie brings unexpected French fare to the Carlsbad coast.

Exploring a tide pool exhibit at Birch Aquarium
The Birch Aquarium in La Jolla offers tide pool exhibits and other hands-on activities.​
Danita Delimont/Alamy

La Jolla

Art galleries, fashion boutiques and gourmet dining attract a well-heeled crowd to La Jolla. But the seaside San Diego suburb is also an iconic surf spot. The board-riding habitués of Windansea Beach, featured in a 1968 Tom Wolfe book (The Pump House Gang), introduced California’s iconic surf culture to the rest of the world.

La Jolla’s other epic strands are Children’s Pool with its resident seals and Black’s Beach for those who quest an allover tan. Visitors can kayak the crystal-clear waters and sea caves of La Jolla Cove, peruse the avant-garde creations of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego or see the eclectic sea creatures of Birch Aquarium.

Stay: La Valencia Hotel has been La Jolla’s chicest space for sleep since 1926. Among the more budget-friendly establishments are The Shoal and the Holiday Inn Express & Suites La Jolla near Windansea Beach.

Insider tip: Torrey Pines Gliderport offers over-the-ocean tandem paraglider flights that take off from the top of a 300-foot-high cliff. 

Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, California
A view of the legendary Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, California.
Peter Schickert/Alamy

Coronado

The yellow brick road runs through Coronado. Seriously, it does. Author L. Frank Baum wrote at least three of his legendary Oz books while summering in Coronado in the early 20th century.

Reached via ferry or the landmark bridge from San Diego, the island-ish town flaunts a wide, sandy beach backed by imposing Victorian-era mansions and killer sunsets framed by the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and Mexico’s Coronado Islands.

Several outfitters rent kayaks and paddleboards for exploring the bay or bikes for pedaling the Bayshore Bikeway down the Silver Strand to Imperial Beach.

Stay: Given its Hollywood pedigree and majestic architecture, the Hotel del Coronado is a famous place to stay. Much more intimate and romantic, the 1906 Lodge and Hotel Marisol Coronado are within walking distance to the beach.

Insider tip: Two of the town’s more offbeat activities are Venetian-style gondola rides in the bayside Coronado Cays and yuletide ice skating on the beach at Hotel del Coronado. ​

Joe Yogerst is an experienced international journalist, author, editor and photographer who provides editorial content to outlets all over the globe.

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