Lake Forest, CA Outdoor Activities

For 21 years, CA Surf Shop has dispatched legions of wave riders into the watery blue yonder fully equipped with sturdy boards, proper technique, and plenty of sure-footed confidence. Owner Rod Greenup heads a team of trained instructors that leads private and semiprivate surfing and standup paddleboarding lessons from atop a floating lectern. Students learn the proper way to position their bodies, find their footing, and train their boards to bark at any jet skis that come to steal their waves. Back on shore, the shop's storefront supplies surfers of all levels with board rentals, wet suits, and stylish beach clothes. A retinue of meticulous craftsmen can also sculpt custom surfboards tailored to customers' skill level and surfing style.

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.

Founded with the goal of bringing the community together through social events that promote physical fitness, Spearman Clubs keeps its members active via a host of well-maintained athletic amenities and all-ages activities. Each of the three clubs features outdoor pools brimming with salt-filtered water free of chlorine or river rafts, as well as sauna and steam rooms for post-swim sessions. The sleek, palm-tree-laden clubs also boast tennis courts—all equipped with hitting walls and ball machines—upon which players of all experience levels can practice their backhand during lessons and programs helmed by seasoned pros.

The Laguna Niguel Racquet Club bustles with activity as members shape up in Pilates classes or stave off hunger pangs at the Top Spin Bar & Grill. Personal trainers help visitors at the Tennis Club at Monarch Beach cloak their muscles in iron, and an onsite spa sends weary bodies into fits of unfettered relaxation. Skilled muscle manipulators erase aches from tense backs at the Racquet Club of Irvine, where therapeutic massage services serve as a soothing conclusion to a day spent splashing about the pool and hitting the courts.