Your Laguna Beach / Orange County CME conference.

Laguna Beach after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM local time. For an easy afternoon, pick one outing: a walk through Heisler Park, a look at the tide pools, or the galleries along North Coast Highway. The tourism board describes Heisler Park as a bluff-top park with a half-mile stroll of oceanfront views, groomed gardens, public art and a gazebo. Leave time for conditions, because tides and swell change what the coves and tide pools look like from day to day.

Travel, lodging and any parking or museum admission are arranged separately. Your conference is built around your specialty and interests; the coast is simply the setting you choose for it.

Coves, tide pools and the boardwalk

Main Beach is the town’s downtown beach, which the tourism board calls Laguna’s window to the sea. It has picnic tables, a playground, basketball courts and sand volleyball courts, and a boardwalk runs along it. Stairs at Heisler Park lead down to beach coves, so you can walk the bluff first and choose a cove afterward.

For tide pools, the tourism board points to Treasure Island Beach, where docents are often on hand to answer questions about the sea stars and anemones. Wood’s Cove, Goff Cove and Crescent Bay are the places it names for feeling that you have a private beach. The town describes about 30 beaches and coves in all, so there is room to try more than one.

Crystal Cove State Park sits off Pacific Coast Highway between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach. The state park describes tidepools, sandy coves, 3.2 miles of beach and about 2,400 acres of backcountry for hiking, plus a historic district of 46 vintage cottages from the 1930s and 1940s. Call the park or check its page for current conditions before you go, since swell and high tides have affected the historic district.

Galleries and the art museum

The tourism board says Laguna Beach has more than 100 galleries. North Gallery Row, in the 300 and 400 blocks of North Coast Highway, groups several fine and contemporary art galleries together.

Laguna Art Museum is at 307 Cliff Drive and presents exhibitions, programs and a permanent collection under the tagline Discover the California Experience. Compare its current hours with your 2:00 PM finish, and ask whether the day you want is one it is open. On the first Thursday of each month the museum takes part in the First Thursdays Art Walk with the town’s galleries, so an evening on that date can fit more art than a single stop.

Trails above the shore

Alta Laguna Park, known as Top of the World, offers a panoramic view over the village and hiking trails that lead down toward the shore. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is known for birdwatching and coastal canyons, with about forty miles of trails through woodlands and coastal sage scrub. Choose the wilderness park for a longer afternoon on foot, and check trail conditions first.

In late fall and winter, whale season gives another reason to look seaward. The tourism board lists gray whales migrating south in December and north again in February, with humpbacks still around in November. Laguna Beach is a boat-free zone, so the tourism board suggests partner operators in nearby cities for boat trips.

Festivals and events

The Festival of Arts grounds, with live music, docent-led art tours and chef demonstrations, sit alongside the Sawdust and Art-A-Fair festivals near the mouth of Laguna Canyon Road. The tourism board also describes the Pageant of the Masters as an outdoor show where classic works of art come to life. In fall the tourism board lists a plein air painting invitational, the Coast Film Festival in November and an art and nature festival hosted by Laguna Art Museum. Check each event’s current dates before you plan around it.

When to visit Laguna Beach

The tourism board’s monthly table shows average highs of about 67°F in winter, 68 to 71°F in spring, 74 to 79°F in summer and 71 to 79°F in fall. August is usually the warmest month and December the coolest. The rainiest months are January, February and March, averaging about 2.5 inches. The tourism board describes fall as bright blue skies, warm sand and cool evenings, with the hustle and bustle of summer behind it.

Getting to Laguna Beach and your study setting

John Wayne Airport is in Santa Ana, within Orange County, and is owned and operated by the County of Orange. Its website lists bus and train routes, taxis, shuttles that must be booked at least a day ahead, and rideshare pickup at the airport. Laguna Beach is a coastal town, and Crystal Cove State Park lies off Pacific Coast Highway between it and Corona del Mar.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.