6 Beaches for People Watching in Southern California

Santa Monica Pier

California is known for its variety of “larger than life” personalities, and on most days you can simply entertain yourself by watching them along the shores of some pretty amazing beaches. Here is a list of California Holiday’s top 6 Southern California people watching beaches.

1. Venice Beach-

Home to the world-famous Muscle Beach, Venice is always crowded with extreme athletes, street performers and artists showing off their array of unique skills. Sit in one of the many sidewalk restaurants off of the Ocean Front Walk and you will have a full days worth of people watching delight served up California style. A small word of warning, if you’re not a fan of the Doobee you might be in for a little surprise. There are many marijuana dispensaries in this area.

Venice Beach

2. Santa Monica Pier-

Santa Monica Pier, home of Pacific Park, is a great place to people watch especially with the kids. The area has spectacular art deco architecture and the pier has a ferris wheel, roller coaster, bumper cars and more. All this, and admission is free. Please visit www.pacificpark.org for more info.

Santa Monica Pier

3. Huntington Beach

Know as Surf City USA, Huntington Beach was made infamous by the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean in the 1960′s. It truly encapsulates the “California lifestyle” of surf, sand, and sun. Huntington Beach is home to the longest pier in California, a lively downtown with great nightlife, and an oceanfront farmers market every Friday afternoon. This is our top choice for watching the surfers in Southern California.

Huntington Beach

4. Newport Beach at the Balboa Peninsula

On Newport Beach’s Balboa Peninsula, you can watch both people and some of the most extravagant yachts around Southern California. Newport Beach is known for its affluence and in the waters around the Peninsula it shows. This area has been featured on shows such as The Real Housewives of Orange County, the OC, and Arrested Development. The Peninsula is also known for its nightlife therefore you can people watch both day and night.

Newport Beach

5. Mission Bay, San Diego

Mission Bay is home to Sea World and the Mission Bay Aquatic Park. The bay is a saltwater lagoon in San Diego with 27 miles of shoreline. There is plenty of activities for the active tourist that include biking, jogging, golf, skiing, wake boarding, swimming, rollerblading, volleyball, and bocce ball. This is one of the many places in Southern California where it feels like summer never ends.

Mission Bay, San Diego

6. Pacific Beach, San Diego

Pacific Beach is a lively neighborhood within San Diego. It is known as a “party beach” and is regularly visited by the many college students at USD and Cal State San Diego. This is our top choice for the 20 something crowd looking for a people watching beach. There is a boardwalk, pier, hotel, and many restaurants to keep you occupied throughout your day.

Pacific Beach, San Diego

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