Want music, dance, theater… or all of the above? Then head over to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts (formerly the Orange County Performing Arts Center), where there is sure to be something you will want to watch. It offers several venues: the 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall, the intimate 250-seat Founders Hall, the 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, the 500-seat Samueli Theater and the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge Education Center’s studio performance space and Boeing Education Lab. At any time of the year that you happen to be in town, you will be able to see some spectacular performances at one or more of those venues, including ballet, comedy, music and more.
From the comically absurd to the musically elegant, make sure that you check out the Pacific Symphony, which presents 100 concerts yearly with a repertoire ranging from orchestral masterworks to prominent contemporary composers. The symphony has a summer program with outdoor concerts, so that you can relax and enjoy a picnic while listening, and there are children’s workshops year round. The Segerstrom Center is a fitting home for the orchestra, the prices are surprisingly reasonable and it’s a good way to introduce your children to world-class music.
Spend an afternoon at TeWinkle Park. It is a beautiful area, with a pond, fountain and rock formations, and there is plenty of room for throwing a ball or a Frisbee. Add in a skate park, a bark park for your canine companion and a playground, and you have a perfect family afternoon. There are lovely places to walk with streams and bridges to cross, and your older children may like to try a little rock climbing if the walking paths are too tame for them.
Move on to check out the vintage mechanical and rustic pieces used for displays throughout the complex—very retro—and be sure to visit Analog, a shop specializing in sound and art (modern electronics in old radio cases and vintage suitcases, for example).
Great shopping, great dining, great activities, and all of it just minutes from the beach. Stay at one of the Costa Mesa hotels listed above for a warm Southern California vacation in an area that is simultaneously hip and timeless.