Best Downtown

1. Huntington Beach

Main Street off Pacific Coast Highway and nearby areas; 714-969-3492; hbdowntown.com; surfcityusa.com

Throughout the year, the throngs that traverse the area around Main Street, Pacific Coast Highway and the Huntington Beach Pier tell you what you need to know: Huntington Beach remains at the top of people’s minds when it comes to popular downtowns in Orange County.

Ever since Huntington Beach adopted the “Surf City,” moniker, the downtown area has done all it can to perpetuate the image with numerous surf shops, the Duke Kahanamoku statue and International Surfing Museum.

The pristine, expansive Huntington City Beach, home to the U.S. Open of Surfing, provides scenic views north and south, with volleyball courts, bike and walking paths and, naturally, surfing. The focal point is the 1,850-foot municipal Huntington Beach Pier.

Downtown proper features an entertainment district with lively bars and restaurants, cutting-edge shops and boutiques and strives to offer “the quintessential Surf City experience,” according to city leaders. Downtown also offers residents and visitors a variety of year-round events, such as Surf City Nights, a weekly street fair and farmers market, as well as annual events, including the Fourth of July Parade and fireworks, Halloween Fest, Miracle on Main Street and Chili at The Beach.

Just south of downtown, Pacific City offers even more shopping and dining options.

JEFF GRITCHEN, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER An aerial photo of Main Street in Huntington Beach shows outdoor dining areas in front of restaurants that were extended during the COVID-19 pandemic.

— Greg Mellen

2. Santa Ana

Ross Street to Minter Street, First Street to Civic Center Drive; 562-704-6909; facebook.com/downtowninc

Over the past decade, the city has transformed its downtown core into a vibrant district that has managed to blend trendy entertainment and retail with art space that still pays homage to the city’s ethnic heritage and roots as the original hub of the county.

“Downtown Santa Ana is OC’s original and largest downtown district,” says Ryan Smolar, director of placemaking for Downtown Inc.” We have 99 historic buildings from the 1890s-1930s.”

Calle Cuatro, or Fourth Street, hums with activity from the Civic Center to the pedestrian-friendly outdoor mall and plaza. Throughout the downtown are cafés, restaurants, craft breweries, bars, jewelers and other retail.

While other downtowns, notably in Orange, have received plaudits for preserving heritage, Santa Ana beats them all. Through adaptive reuse and restoration, inside historical buildings visitors can find “the county’s hottest restaurants, independent shops and creative businesses,” according to Smolar.

Dubbed the “HIP District,” downtown Laguna is an eclectic kaleidoscope of fashion, art and eateries where Bohemian chic and bodies at the beach meet.

Main Beach, set in a southwest facing cove and ringed by a grassy park area, serves as the backdrop to the downtown. The park offers a boardwalk, basketball and sand volleyball courts. Short strolls in opposite directions lead to Heisler Park and its tide pools, or Sleepy Hollow Beach which opens beneath the cliffs at low tide.

As the home city of the renowned Festival of the Arts and Pageant of the Masters, Laguna Beach features a robust artists’ community and more than two dozen galleries in the downtown area.

Fashion is always forward in Laguna with abundant independent clothing stores and unique boutiques featuring their own vibes. Dining options range from swanky top-shelf restaurants to funky coffee shops with outside dining for unparalleled people watching.

3. Laguna Beach

Pacific Coast Highway between Anita St. and Bluebird Canyon, 949-494-2333; visitlagunabeach.com