5 Best Sights in Orange County and Catalina Island, California

Midway between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach is Crystal Cove State Park, a favorite of local beachgoers and wilderness trekkers. It encompasses a 3.2-mile stretch of unspoiled beach and has some of the best tide-pooling in Southern California. Here you can see starfish, crabs, and sea anemones near the rocks. The park's 2,400 acres of backcountry are ideal for hiking and mountain biking, but stay on the trails to preserve the beauty. The Moro Campground offers campsites with picnic tables, including spots designated for RVs and trailers.

The sprawling Disney California Adventure, adjacent to Disneyland (their entrances face each other), pays tribute to the Golden State with multiple theme areas. Take your park experience to the next level of fun with Play Disney Parks, a mobile app with entertaining games, activities, and trivia. Admire the vintage art-deco architectural shops and dining venues along Buena Vista Street and learn about movie magic at Hollywood Land.

Avengers Campus is home for a new generation of superheroes, focusing on the characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ride on Web-Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure, where guests of all ages can help wrangle Spider-Bots while wearing 3D glasses and accumulate points. Screams can be heard around the park from the free-falling Guardians of the Galaxy--Mission: BREAKOUT! See your favorite characters from several hit Pixar films when crossing over Pixar Pier. Ride the superfast Incredicoaster, and collect points playing along the interactive Toy Story Midway Mania ride. Stop to win a prize playing games at the carnival area in Pixar Pier. The 12-acre Cars Land features Radiator Springs Racers, a speedy trip in six-passenger speedsters through scenes featured in the blockbuster hit. The Single Rider Lane saves time to experience the thrills quicker. At night the park takes on neon hues as glowing signs light up Route 66 in Cars Land and Pixar Pal-A-Round, a giant Ferris wheel.

Cocktails, craft beers, and premium wines from California are available in the Pacific Wharf dining area. This area in the park is being reimagined into San Fransokyo from the movie Big Hero 6, where East meet West. There is a place to meet Baymax, plus new dining and shopping venues. Live nightly entertainment features a 1930s jazz troupe and seasonal entertainers throughout the year. The MagicBand+ is a new way to unlock Disney storytelling. This hands-free wearable on your wrist enhances your park experience in exciting new ways with color-changing and gesture-recognition features. Certain rides have Lightning Lanes with Disney's Genie+ to save time in line. Be sure to stay for the World of Color-One, a light-and-sound show celebrating Walt Disney's 100 Years of Wonder storytelling.

The exciting Downtown Disney District is a walking promenade filled with international dining, shopping, and lively entertainment that connects the resort's hotels and theme parks. More than a dozen new and reimagined establishments include the popular Asian restaurant Din Tai Fung, specializing in Taiwanese soup dumplings, and grab-and-go Earl of Sandwich along with the sit-down Earl of Sandwich Tavern. Jazz Kitchen Coastal Grill & Patio offers Southern-inspired food and live music on welcoming patios, verandas, and dining rooms. Be sure to try their signature seasonal flavor beignets that can be dipped, drizzled, and sprinkled. Southern California's iconic Porto's Bakery and Cafe offering Cuban-California--inspired pastries, desserts, and specialty items is set to open later in 2023. Enjoy a cold beer at Ballast Point Brewery and gourmet burger at Black Tap Craft Burgers. Save room for sweet treats at Salt and Straw for gourmet ice cream flavors such as honey lavender and oat milk and cookies, and Sprinkles for decadent frosted cupcakes.

Disney merchandise, souvenirs, and artwork are showcased at the brightly lit World of Disney store. At the megasize LEGO Store there are bigger-than-life LEGO creations, hands-on demonstrations, and space to play with the latest LEGO creations.

All visitors must pass through a security checkpoint and metal detectors before entering.

Inside this local art and history interactive museum, visitors can learn about the island's native Chumash people, Catalina Island's owner and creative developer William Wrigley Jr., his baseball team, his Hollywood celebrity friends and and love for big band music. The exterior of the Catalina Island Museum is a beautiful Spanish Mission style with art deco enhancements. Upstairs the rooftop and gardens are a pretty event space with native plants and colorful glass art. There is a gift shop worth exploring for Catalina-themed souvenirs and reproductions of the island's signature colorful Catalina pottery tiles. The first Friday of the month they sponsor a "Culture between Cocktails" event from 5 to 7 pm.

Founded by 13 visionary women in 1962 and one of the earliest contemporary art museums in California, the OCMA opened in late 2022 in its new $94 million home at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. Designed by Pritzker Prize--winning architect Thom Mayne, OCMA's striking 53,000-square-foot building has 25,000 square feet of free-flowing gallery space to house its extensive collection of more than 4,500 works produced in the 20th and 21st centuries by artists with ties to California. Outside, a grand staircase provides amphitheater seating and serves as a community gathering point, inspired by the steps at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. There is a bar, café, and sculpture terrace on Level 2. Programs include Art + Play for little ones and Art Happy Hour & Pop-Up Talks for adults.