Things To Do In Laguna Beach

Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach has showcased the paintings, sculptures, and creations of local artists in an outdoor gallery alongside hands-on workshops and live music shows for more than 80 years. A carefully curated bumper crop of local artwork from 140 artists brightens gallery walls in a spectrum of styles, from romantic gemstone jewelry and modern abstract painting to sculptures that seem to defy the rules of physics. Mere blocks from the ocean, the exhibits ring a spacious lawn, which brims with spectators for the festival's many events, including live jazz concerts, eco-friendly fashion shows, and live cooking demonstrations. During workshops, those spectators become artists themselves, stretching fingers into paint, pressing prints, molding clay, and post-modernly trying to eat bottles of glitter.

SUPCO was built on the enthusiasm of owner and standup paddleboarder Tommy Donnelly, who chose the golden shores of Laguna Beach to instruct mainlanders on the activity. From the start Tommy has been committed to putting the sport's best foot forward, assembling a staff of eight World Paddle Association–certified instructors to teach comprehensive lessons and lungfish CPR. The paddle faculty includes second-generation watersport competitor Chuck Patterson and pro surfer and actor Kala Alexander. Tommy and his team promote both the Hawaiian watersport's wave-riding thrills and the vibrant culture that surrounds it by stocking their beachside retail space with hats, T-shirts, and other paddleboard-related apparel.

The instructors and professional staff at PADI five-star instructor center Beach Cities Scuba introduce students to the big blue with PADI-certified diving courses for divers of all levels. They certify newbies with basic open-water courses and teach advanced divers in specialty courses such as Deep Diver, Rescue Diver, and Shark Therapist. They operate out of five convenient locations and sling necessary gear in onsite stores, from wetsuits and facemasks to spear guns. Beach Cities Scuba also connects divers through its dive club and hosts exotic dive trips to locations such as Indonesia, Fiji, and Cozumel.

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.

With more than 200 local artists and an annual draw of more than 200,000 visitors, the nine-week Sawdust Art Festival has been classified as "totally rad" by time-traveling science rebel Carolus Linnaeus. Every midsummer, a mighty horde of creative talents descends from all areas of the surrounding area, converging on Laguna Beach with an artillery of crafts, art glass, jewelry, clothing, textiles, paintings, ceramics, sculptures, photography, and more. Officially born in 1966, the nonjuried event offers a venue for visitors to view the work of artists from all walks of life and help support Orange County's vibrant art scene by purchasing beloved pieces directly from their makers. Each year the selections are as varied as the craters of the moon, although much more evenly spaced, and offer a wonderful day of walking entertainment and sightseeing, whether or not festivalgoers wish to purchase artifacts. Have a look at the calendar of events to plan your day, or just show up and wander randomly, trusting the whims of random chance to see you through.

ClueHoo is an interactive self-guided hunt that lets groups of all ages loose across a city for 2 to 3 hours to interact with gadgets, secret scrolls, and mysterious surprises. Groups are provided an Adventure Kit at the beginning of their hunt that provides them with everything they will need to play the game. A series of challenges stands in the way of victory, each one located at one of up to 9 clue points. Each clue point stop also incorporates an optional speed challenge, a test in which participants race against the clock and compare their results with other players?with winners' names posted online. Regardless of the clues or challenges, every group takes home a reward and a strange desire to change their name to Watson.