Article and Photos By: Scott S. Smith and Sandra Wells
We have covered a wide variety things to do in Orange County, including the Bowers Museum, the Surfing Heritage and Cultural Center, Kip Barry’s Cabaret magic show, the Marconi Automotive Museum, Newport Beach dolphin-whale tours, the dog beach in Huntington Beach, Mission San Juan Capistrano, South Coast Plaza, various restaurants, book stores, art galleries and shows, as well as Disneyland (Knott’s Berry Farm’s Halloween transformation is coming up).
Festival of the Arts of Laguna Beach and Pageant of the Masters
https://www.foapom.com/ July 3-August 30, 2024
Laguna Beach becomes the center of the SoCal arts universe every summer with several shows, the premier one being the Festival of the Arts, one of the nation’s oldest and highly-acclaimed juried shows which features over 100 Orange County artists. All of those this year we saw are very talented in a wide variety of media, from photography to ceramics. We especially like Monica Prado’s 3D flowers in Blue Borrigan, using clay and techniques learned from Indigenous people in Guatemala. Patrick Whelan, who was the last illustrator of Nancy Drew books in 2003, describes himself as old fashion, using oil, paper, and no digital techniques to create gorgeous paintings of magical humans and other creatures. Underwater photographer Cheryl Walsh uses models in costumes in a 19th century style known as Pictorialism (see photo 1).
The FOA’s Pageant of the Masters, is a truly unbelievable recreation by actors of famous paintings so that you can’t tell the difference between the actual original the illusion of the on-stage version (see photo 2 of POMTissot of one scene from this year’s theme of fashion). It sells out and parking is a challenge so reserve and get their early (you should plan to spend at least one entire day in the area).
Markowitz Fine Art
https://markowiczfineart.com/ is the only gallery in the hills of Laguna Niguel, so escape the crowds by the coast attending the art shows. This is known for featuring the work of contemporary international artists like Carole Feuerman, Richard Orlinski, and Isabelle Scheltjens, some not readily found elsewhere, as well as offering the work of exceptionally creative Californians, including Paul Ecke, Tom Lieber, and street artist Kai (see photo of a painting by Rachel Bergeret).
Orange’s Old Towne Historic Downtown
The City of Orange’s old downtown has the largest Nationally Registered Historic district and a favorite for movies and TV series (like “Parks and Recreation”)
https://www.cityoforange.org/our-city/visitor-information/old-towne-orange
It is full of specialty stores and restaurants that make parking sometimes hard to find, especially on weekends (there is a Farmers and Artisans Market every Saturday and special events throughout the year). It is particularly known for its many antique and collectibles shops, some in mini-malls where you could spend many hours. We concentrated on those on South Glassell St. between Chapman and Almond south of the Central Plaza’s fountain.
We started at the Orange Circle Antique Mall 218 South, which has 100 vendors on two floors, many of which on a given day will have signs offering a discount on the listed prices). Lots offer vintage clothing, of course. At No. 93 (the numbering of the booths are not in any order) there were Life Magazines going back to 1938 for about $20. “We Believe in Santa” 95 was wholly devoted to everything Christmas. 74 featured Disney figurines and had several groups of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (see photo). 67 was vintage R-rated pin-up art. At 94, a Louis Vuitton briefcase was on sale for $592. 56 offered classic comic books, 98 NASCAR jackets, and 69 Fender guitars.
OC Diamond Estate Jewelry at 138 South is for those who are not looking for bargains on vintage and used items, but high-end oil paintings, statues, watches, coins and jewelry (see photo).
Antique Station at 718 South is a classy multi-vendor mall offering everything from early typewriters and vintage purses to swords. One displayed some of the 2000 kinds of barbed wire, which was designed to keep cattle protected from predators as settlers moved into the Western plains, where there were few trees for wooden fences.
Across the street is the upscale-looking Antique Depot with furniture and other large items, but we had already spent a couple of hours and it was time to move on. To really experience the area, plan to spend at least the three-hour parking limit of most lots and take a break at a restaurant (if you need a restroom, you have to be a customer at most stores, but Starbucks welcomes anyone).
Ralph B. Clark Interpretive Center
https://ocparks.com/parks-trails/ralph-b-clark-regional-park/interpretive-center in Buena Park is free and provides an understanding of what Orange County was like in prehistoric times, including fossils as old as 80 million years, while a baleen whale skeleton that is 9 million years old is believed to be one of the only complete Ice Age whale fossils in existence. Guided tours may include watching scientists excavate and prepare fossils for study and display.
Pet Supply Warehouse
https://www.petsupplywarehouses.com/Pet-Supply-Warehouse/ is located in Anaheim Hills and open seven days, popular for having just about everything, but it’s rare for a “warehouse” store to get excellent reviews for its customer service like this one https://www.yelp.com/biz/pet-supply-warehouse-anaheim-hills: “Great staff, they know their stuff,” wrote one, while another commented that “the girl who helped me took me directly to everything I needed so I didn’t have to wonder around looking.”
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
https://wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Bolsa-Chica-ER, 1,300 coastal acres in Huntington Beach full of wildlife, including 200 species of birds, in its marshes, islands, and dunes, through which is a four-mile trail. There is an interpretive center that provides free docent-led tours.
Beach Boulevard Club
https://beachboulevardclub.com/ in Buena Park is not your usual restaurant and cocktail lounge, but the scene and sound of dueling pianos for those 21+ which run from 8 pm to midnight Thu. through Sat.