Things to Do in Laguna Beach

A summer staple of Laguna Beach since 1966, Art-A-Fair corrals creative works from around the world, unfurling them across the apropos, color-splashed gardens of Laguna Canyon. Festival visitors meander leisurely through the web of imagination, stopping to soak up content that is as rich in quality as it is in diversity. Between brush strokes and spontaneous games of frisbee with their palette, working artists take a breather to chat about their pieces and the inspirations that drive their craft. From year to year, the festival features a wide spectrum of 2- and 3-D art, and, should one of those gems seduce the heart of a passerby, everything at the festival is available for purchase.

Pirates Life Boat Rental’s staff gives passengers a map and the keys to an 18-foot Duffy electric boat so they can explore the waters of Newport Harbor while relaxing under a sun-shielding canopy. As guests rest on padded seats, their selected captain steers the boat using basic boat-operating skills provided by the Pirates Life Boat Rental staff prior to take-off. While guests are welcome to bring along their own food and alcohol, they can also indulge in company-catered cuisine or dine at one of the area's many waterfront restaurants. Although small lap dogs are welcome aboard, extra fees may apply for pups that heavily shed or refuse to wear floaties and a snorkel.

Each year, more than 200 of the latest boats fill Lido Marina Village's waterfront for the Newport Boat Show. Exhibitors arrange their vessels across the docks, creating a winding pathway on which visitors can explore large luxury yachts or trawlers. Merchants also show off other aquatic vessels, including sportsfishers and sailboats. In addition to displaying and selling watercraft, they demonstrate innovative boating items and services.

The show's organizers let visitors drop their car's anchor at a free offsite parking lot and take a shuttle directly to the docks. They also invite visitors to bring along dogs and cameras.

The idea for Newport Pontoons started in the same place it ended: the water. As the business’s founders spent their leisure time in Newport Harbor, they noticed that countless others shared their love for relaxing aboard watercraft. But typical rental boats were often too confining, restricting each person to his or her seat. Hoping to remedy this situation, the entrepreneurs tested numerous boat designs and one dolphin with a couch strapped to its back until they assembled a fleet of vessels that stood apart from those of competitors.

Each of Newport Pontoons’ easy-to-drive pontoon boats enables a floating party along the harbor waters. The decks allow ample room to socialize, grill out, or gaze at waterfront properties through 360-degree windows. Newport Pontoons also caters boat outings with sandwiches and cheese platters, saving customers the work of fishing for lost shoes.

Newport Pontoons' rates fluctuate throughout the week and depend on the type of boat.

Ships in the harbor rock in the breeze, their masts gesturing into the sunny sky as patrons slip across the water from Wayward Captain Paddleboards, located at the Balboa Fun Zone in Newport Beach. The wave-top transports, which originated on tropical islands, measure up to 12-feet long and sport a special hull that boosts stability and speed. From 10 a.m. until dusk, riders mount the floatables and learn basics in lessons or rent paddleboards to cruise out onto the harbor to see the piles of water that form during low tide. As the sky’s palette fades into pinks and oranges on sunset tours, paddles splash gently against the water’s surface and races launch fleets of riders out onto the waves.

Marina Boat Rentals’ diverse fleet of runabouts, deck boats, and day sailers enables hydrophiles of all stripes to sail the placid waters of Newport Bay. Before embarking from Balboa Peninsula's amusement-lined promenade, captains-for-a-day are briefed on rules for safe operation of their vessel and given a detailed map of the area. Twenty-seven square miles of open water provide plenty of safe space to navigate along the shores and islets lined with celebrity homes and enclaves of celebrity seals.

With boat speeds peaking at 5 mph, crews can expect a leisurely ride, ideal for lounging onboard or winning staring contests against passing tugboat captains. Additionally, the staff outfits all the boats with an AM/FM stereo, and invites guests to bring food and drinks aboard.