Things to Do in San Juan Capistrano

Catalina Island may reside a mere 75 minutes from Newport Beach, but that's no reason why visitors shouldn't travel there in style. The Catalina Flyer allows them to do just that, accommodating as many as 600 passengers who spend their speedy journey relaxing on the sun decks, enjoying a drink in one of two full-service cocktail lounges, or gazing out the viewing windows and watching for migrating schools of sushi rice.

After disembarking in Avalon, visitors are encouraged to take advantage of Catalina Island's many shopping, dining, and recreational opportunities, which include everything from golf and ziplines to horseback riding, undersea tours, and even buffalo watching. Hotel accommodations facilitate overnight stays, ensuring that weekenders have ample time to enjoy the island before taking the afternoon voyage back to the mainland.

Though Newport Beach Tennis Club has hosted such legends as Rod Laver and Roy Emerson, its 19 lighted courts welcome players of all stripes. Established in 1966, the club enriches members’ enjoyment of the sport with tournaments, clinics, and private lessons. It also keeps guests in shape as they work up a sweat at the fitness center, equipped with stationary bikes, ellipticals, and free weights, or cool off with laps in the junior Olympic-size saline pool. In the restaurant, chefs frequently change up the menu, filling the spacious dining room with daily specials ranging from grilled red snapper to filet mignon with béarnaise sauce. At The Clipper Ship salon and barbershop, members can transform their hair into any style, such as Andre Agassi’s legendary mullet or John McEnroe’s afro, in which he stored extra tennis balls.

Updated merchant profile to read: From its beach-adjacent headquarters at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, OC Helicopters whisks clients away on aerial tours that deliver a rare vantage point for familiar southern California places and Los Angeles and Orange County beaches. Owner and head pilot Ric Webb mans air-conditioned and reliable Robinson R44 helicopters and other aircraft that can comfortably seat three to six passengers in chairs that provide a 180-degree view. Customers choose from a number of aerial tour routes, sending Ric veering south over Laguna Beach's luxury golf courses and sprawling houses or hovering near Crystal Cove and Huntington Beach. Helicopters can also head northwest and take the Surf City Tour, which traces the shoreline while supplying an aviator's eyeful of Huntington Beach's population of surfers as they come ashore to lay their bronze eggs.

A shiny fleet of fuel-efficient Sea-Doo GTI watercraft lines the dock of Balboa Water Sports, ready to conquer the California coastline anytime of the year. Savvy staffers help customers become aqueous explorers, renting out gleaming white jet skis, stand-up paddleboards, and other modes of transport. On popular guided rides, sea lions romp on the shore as watercraft skim along past Corona del Mar, Crystal Cove, and Emerald Bay. Tours also stretch as far south as Laguna Beach, where sea riders often spot adolescent dolphins playing mischievous games such as Marco Polo and spin the bottlenose.