6 ORANGE COUNTY TOURS YOU NEED TO TRY
If you thought Orange County was all about Disneyland, think again. Our little county is bursting at the seams with fantastic activities, and there’s something for just about everyone to enjoy. If you truly want to experience what the OC has to offer, here are six essential Orange County tours.
1. Enjoy A Unique Coastline View
While driving up and down the coast can be a blast, if you really want to experience the full effect of our coastline, a water adventure is the way to do it. At La Vida Laguna, our Orange County tours include kayak, paddleboarding and outrigger canoe excursions.
For these ocean adventures, you’ll head to Laguna Beach, with its 7 miles of protected coastline. Indulge all of your senses and enjoy crystal-clear water and a spectacular view of this historic little town as you paddle past hidden coves and beaches, massive kelp forests and some of Orange County’s impressive beachfront real estate. Along the way, our experienced guides will educate you on the local ecology.
2. Get Up Close & Personal With Marine Mammals
Whale watching adventures are always a good idea, and these can be a fantastic group or corporate activity. Whale watching tours are available out of Dana Point Harbor as well as Newport Harbor. Tours last about two hours and you might see frolicking dolphins, California grey whales, humpback whales, sea lions and perhaps, if you get lucky, an Orca or two.
3. Soak Up Some Orange County History
While our ocean adventures are spectacular, there are plenty of other types of Orange County tours to enjoy. For history buffs, we highly recommend a visit to Mission San Juan Capistrano, a cultural gem that dates back to 1776. After you tour this Spanish Mission, consider walking around San Juan’s historic downtown and the charming Los Rios Historic District, which is the oldest continuously occupied neighborhood in California.
President Richard Nixon was a local boy, born in Yorba Linda and he also resided at the “Western White House” in San Clemente for many years. A trip to the Nixon Library is a must-see for anyone who enjoys American history. Located in Yorba Linda, the library grounds include the main museum, tours of Nixon’s boyhood home and you can even step aboard Army One – the presidential helicopter.
Another option would be to book a historic walking tour of beautiful Laguna Beach. At La Vida Laguna, our Orange County tours include two historic walking tours of Laguna Beach. The first, our Art & Architecture Tour takes you past some of the quaint cottages and California Craftsman homes that were built by the original artist settlers of Laguna. If you want to experience a bit of Laguna’s wild side, our historic Counterculture Tour will take you back to the 1960s, when Laguna was an enclave for hippies, surfers and artists.
4. Enjoy A Scenic Bicycle Adventure
While our historic walking tours do provide some exercise along with the history lessons, if you would prefer a bit more cardio, we have several unique Orange County tours to consider. The team at La Vida Laguna can organize private bike tours of Newport Beach, Laguna Beach or Dana Point. We offer several customized options based on skill level and timing, and we can even organize novice or intermediate mountain biking tours. For all of these bike tours, we supply all the equipment, and we keep you off the main roads, such as Pacific Coast Highway, so that you can enjoy a safe, yet scenic biking adventure.
5. Walk & Hiking Tours
For walking and hiking tours, La Vida Laguna offers several cardio hikes in our coastal wilderness, including Newport Beach, Crystal Cove, Laguna Beach and Dana Point. Explore protected wilderness led by experienced guides that will clue you on local flora and fauna as you take in some spectacular backcountry and ocean views. Again, these Orange County tours can be planned based on skill level and timing, to perfectly accommodate your entire group.
6. Relax & Enjoy Orange County In Luxury
If a ground tour in a luxury motor coach or limousine sounds more like what you seek, La Vida Laguna offers many cultural Orange County tours where you can experience some local history, culture or cuisine.
For instance, we offer an amazing culinary tour of some of Orange County’s major ethnic neighborhoods such as Garden Grove, Westminster, Anaheim and Santa Ana. You also could opt for our Art & Architecture Tour which takes you through historic neighborhoods in Santa Ana, Anaheim and Orange.
With our Wine & Wilderness Tour, you can experience Orange County’s only vineyard, sample excellent local wines and take in some pretty spectacular mountain and canyon views. The team at La Vida Laguna also can arrange a Microbrew Hop, where you can experience some of the best micro-breweries along our coastline.
These are just a few types of Orange County tours that we highly recommend. At La Vida Laguna, we can create a fantastic group experience just for you. We plan group tours, excursions and experiences for corporate groups, families, reunions, couples traveling together and more. Give us a call today and let us plan an amazing local experience for your group.