Laguna Beach, California
Best Beach for Budding Picassos
A century ago, this scenic Southern California beach town harbored a scrappy bohemian arts scene founded by a group of talented painters who lived on the cheap and survived by selling their work to tourists and day-trippers. Although the Orange County coastline has since become much too costly for your average starving artist, the 21st-century Laguna Beach of Botox, breast implants and breathtakingly expensive real estate has not completely lost touch with its right brain. The Laguna Art Museum (www.lagunaartmuseum.org), established in 1918 as the Laguna Beach Art Association, remains an important venue for permanent and temporary exhibitions highlighting California artists from the 19th century to the present. The Laguna College of Art and Design (www.lagunacollege.edu) draws aspiring young artists to its well-regarded undergraduate programs. Numerous private galleries can be found among the trendy boutiques that line Laguna's pedestrian-friendly commercial zone, and during the annual Laguna Beach Festival of Arts (www.foapom.com), visitors can see and purchase works by living artists and view the famous Pageant of the Masters, in which costumed actors re-create classical and contemporary artworks in an outdoor amphitheater.
Orientation
Laguna Beach is about 50 miles down the coast from Los Angeles International Airport and about a 20-minute drive from Orange County's John Wayne Airport. However you get there, you'll probably want to have your own wheels to get around, preferably a sexy little convertible if your car rental budget allows. More than two dozen beaches and public parks line the town's six miles of Pacific coastline, including a lovely waterfront area adjacent to the central business district, with good tide pooling a short stroll away at Heisler Park. If you're not staying right in town, Laguna Beach makes a pleasant day trip from San Diego or anywhere in the Los Angeles area — just steel yourself for crowded conditions and sluggish traffic on sunny weekends.
Information
www.lagunabeachinfo.org
Next: Santa Cruz Boardwalk
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