Fun, Inexpensive Day Trips in SoCal
Work, traffic and various people (read: assholes) killing your vibe again? Take a breather and take a daycation! Southern California is the golden land of daycation opportunity.
Malibu
Drive through Malibu listening and singing along to good music. The coastline is sprinkled with different eateries, my favorite being The Country Kitchen (order the California burger - 2 quarter pound beef patties on French bread with avocado, bacon, cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion all for $8.50). Even if you get stuck in traffic which is likely on a sunny day, the views of the ocean are great. You can take one of the canyon roads up into the valley (there is multiple options, Kanan Dume, Topanga, etc) where you’ll often find fresh berries for sale on the road along the way, or continue on the coastal route and head further north all the way into Oxnard
For beaches, I recommend Leo Carrillo (parking across the street with an underground crosswalk) or El Matador (small paid parking lot).
Lunch at The Country Kitchen, Malibu (across Duke's)
El Matador in Malibu
Downtown Disney
You can go to Downtown Disney without a park ticket (just pay for parking - $20 in most of the lots) and explore the area or chill at the House of Blues. The lights and energetic atmosphere is consistently upbeat. Even better, go closer to the holidays for one of their elaborate fireworks shows and holiday decoration. It’s fun and festive!
Drive to OC or Long Beach for dinner (change cities)
It’s fun to change up what city you’re in, even if you’re driving to somewhere new just to eat. It adds to the excitement when you’re traveling to an area you haven’t explored before. The OC isn’t known for its nightlife, but it is full of a ton of great restaurants. In Long Beach, if I’m eating by the waterfront area, I like to go to Famous Dave’s for BBQ.
In OC, my favorite casual dining spots are: (great to eat at before or after a day at the beach)
- Bunz (Huntington Beach) Super cheap burgers and salads in an order-at-the-window, outdoor seating setting with friendly service.
- Bear Flag (multiple locations) A bit pricey - it is seafood after all - but the fresh poke and clam chowder is worth a small splurge!
- Slapfish (multiple locations) Clam chowder, fish over salad, lobster rolls. Great if you’re craving seafood after a day at the beach.
For more upscale dining in OC, hands down:
- Vaca (Costa Mesa) Delicious paella and tapas. Great for dinner, featured on Open Table top restaurants.
- Coastal Kitchen (Dana Point) Pork belly bites! (only $7 during Happy Hour M-F 3 - 6 pm)
- Summer House (Corona del Mar) Affordable pricing, sunny atmosphere. Good food and drink, brunch all the way to dinner.
House of Blues, Anaheim. Located in Downtown Disney. (free entrance, but $25 parking)
Bunz in Huntington Beach. Hands down one of the best places to eat for cheap!
Seafood hits the spot after a day at the beach! Fresh poke and clam chowder at Bear Flag (multiple locations in OC)
Daycation days are made better with beach outings. One of my favorites is Treasure Island in Laguna Beach. Park on the highway and enter through the Montage Resort.
Day Trip to OC and visit a Public Market (unique dining and shopping)
Lot 579 (Huntington Beach)
Dining picks: Bear Flag (fresh seafood - poke and clam chowder), American Dream (great burgers, Hans Homemade Ice Cream (creamy texture, milk from local dairies - coffee oreo flavor amongst many others - sample all!)
The OC Mix (Costa Mesa)
Dining picks: Pueblo (great paella and cheese/charcuterie)
Shopping: lots of furniture places and unique gift-giving shops
The Packing House (Anaheim)
Dining picks: Black Sheep GCB (extended grilled cheese menu), Doggone Good (extended hot dog menu, including build-your-own w/ toppings like hot cheetos, made in-house bourbon bacon), Hans Homemade Ice Cream (creamy texture, milk from local dairies - coffee oreo flavor amongst many others - sample all!)
*Check the calendar for daily event listings from jazz music, to yoga or cooking classes
Union Market (Tustin)
If dessert is your thing, this market is your place.
Dining Picks: Mr Holmes Bakehouse (home of the cruffin - croissant muffin), Dirty Cookie (super cute cookies shaped as shot-glasses that you can fill with milk or coffee), Churned Creamery (ice cream with option to serve in a croissant for a croissant ice-cream sandwich), Hatch (sliders on sliders on sliders),
Drink Pick: Central Bar, Happy Hour M-F 4 - 7 pm
Visit: OC Hit Factory
The Camp (Costa Mesa)
Relatively new to the scene, The Camp has touted itself as an “eco-friendly retail campus dedicated to an active, healthy lifestyle mindful of environmentalism and supportive of the local community. There isn’t a whole lot of shopping options, but it’s a great place to eat and it looks like they’ve got a lot of fun events (pop up stores, yoga, etc) on the event calendar.
Dining Picks: Native Foods Cafe (vegan lovers rejoice!), Black Market Bakery (hello creme brulee tart)
Native Foods Cafe! Now at The Camp in Costa Mesa.
Get down and dirty with Dirty Cookie at the Union Market in Tustin.
Surrey Rentals on my 22nd birthday!
Enjoying a huge açaí bowl all to myself at Backyard Bowls in Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara
Walk around downtown Santa Barbara, grab ice cream at the famous McConnell’s (super long lines, but a legit amount of flavors), try a new restaurant, eat seafood on the pier, or, pack a big picnic basket and blanket and have lunch at the beach. They have surreys for rental close to the beach and pier (Great for multi-tasking - you pedal your own 2-man or 4-man surrey while exploring downtown Santa Barbara. Make sure to bring people who are going to pedal their fair share!)
Surrey Rental info:
Surrey - Seats up to 3 Adults & 2 Children
1 Hour - $29.95 // 2 Hours - $39.95 // Half Day (3-5 hours) - $49.95
Double Surrey- Seats up to 6 Adults & 2 Children
1 Hour - $39.95 // 2 Hours - $49.95 // Half Day (3-5 hours) - $69.95
Also visit the city of Solvang, about 30 - 40 miles slightly north and inland of Santa Barbara. It’s a small, Danish style town that will make you feel like you’ve been transported to a different country. Also do a berry picking at one of the U-Pick farms like Santa Barbara Blueberries - different berries are in season, depending on time of year.
Favorite spots to eat in Santa Barbara:
- McConnell’s for ice cream
- Backyard Bowls for acai bowls
- Brophy Bros for food by the pier (chowder bowls, calamari)
- Dawn Patrol for breakfast
- Loquita for great Spanish tapas and paella (splurge alert!)
It also might be worthwhile to do the Gaviotta Hike which includes a natural hot springs. The hike to the hot springs is about 1 hour round trip with a $2 fee to park your car.
Wine tasting at Sunstone Winery in Santa Ynez, just outside of Santa Barbara.
Sunset booze cruise in Santa Barbara and then straight to eat at Brophy Bros conveniently right along the Santa Barbara pier!
San Diego
There are, of course, many entertainment options once you get down to San Diego - the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Lego Land, or walking the streets of Old Town, but it’s also just fun to play tourist by walking around the pier, trying a new restaurant or bar in the Gaslamp district, or grabbing an acai bowl and heading to Coronado to enjoy views of the ocean. Also venture a little north of San Diego and visit the Mexican influenced city of Old Town.
Camarillo/Oxnard
Make a day out of outlet shopping, wine-tasting, or visiting one of the local farmers that have fruit for sale. The Camarillo Outlets have a wide range of shopping (Nike, Charlotte Russe, Papaya being my favorites) to visiting Cantara Cellars (they also have a once a year grape stomp in the fall, get their newsletter here), or visit and support a local farm like The Lil Red Barn in Oxnard, CA and pick up a selection of fruit, straight from the farmers!
Enjoying açaí bowls down in San Diego on a spur-of-the-moment daycation!
Grape Stomping at Cantara Cellars in Camarillo!
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