The best beaches in Southern California

You can’t visit Southern California without stopping at one of its many wonderful beaches and dipping your toes in the Pacific Ocean. However, if you have limited time in your visit and can only visit one beach, you may have a hard time choosing. Which Southern California beach should top your list? Well, it depends on what you are looking for:

Surf:

Huntington Beach: With more than 50 surfing competitions held each year in Huntington Beach, in addition to a Surfing Walk of Fame, the Surfers Hall of Fame and the International Museum of Surfing, Huntington Beach, or “City of the Surf,” as some call it, is where you’ll want to go to surf and watch the surfers in action. Forgot your surfboard or boogie board? No problem, you can also rent one in Huntington Beach. You’ll want to visit the pier at Huntington City Beach, where you can watch the surfers and take in the views, including Catalina Island 22 miles away (see paid ranges for closer views).

Another reason to go to Huntington Beach is that all three of its beaches (Huntington City Beach, Huntington State Beach, and Bolsa Chica State Beach) have concrete fire rings that allow you to have bonfires and cookouts every night.

Swami’s Beach: Located in Encinitas below Seacliff Roadside Park, Swami’s Beach is also a great spot for surfer-watching, as it is considered one of the best surf spots on the San Diego County coast.

Sitting in the sand relaxing:

Zuma/Dumé Point: Sure, you can sit on the sand and relax at all of the beaches in Southern California, but Point Dume and Zuma Beaches, about 19 miles west of Malibu on Pacific Coast Highway, are the beaches to escape the crowded beaches. of the Angels. When you drive west on PCH, you will come to Point Dume first, then Zuma. Point Dume is a bit quieter than Zuma, so if you want to lie on the sand and sleep, or read a good book, Point Dume is what you need. Of course, just because the beaches at Point Dume and Zuma are great for relaxing, that’s not all there is to it. Zuma Beach is also considered by some to be one of the best beaches for surfing.

People watching:

Venice city beach: Do you want a peculiar beach experience? Then you will have to visit Venice Beach, at the end of Washington Street in Venice. There you will find skaters, artists and those who you are not quite sure if they are performing or not. On any given weekend, you can enjoy musicians, acrobats, mimes, magicians, and assorted other performers. You’ll also find restaurants and all kinds of shops along the Ocean Front Walk, as well as Muscle Beach, where you can find bodybuilders lifting weights. If you like crowds, you’ll love Venice Beach on the weekends.

Fun out of the water:

Santa Monica State Beach: If you get tired of sunbathing or playing in the ocean, Santa Monica State Beach is great because it has Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier with rides, games, and restaurants. You have to work really hard to get bored at Santa Monica State Beach. Rides include a carousel, roller coaster, bumper cars, motion simulator, and a nine-story Ferris wheel with spectacular views. You can also skate and ride a bike in the bike bath along the beach.

These are just a sampling of the great beach experiences you can have in Southern California. Just remember to bring and apply your sunscreen, drink plenty of water throughout the day, and enjoy your visit.