Zuma Beach in Malibu, CA — it was 86 degrees today. Beat that!

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Photo: Whit Honea

“What’s out there?” one brother asked the other.

“Dolphins,” he said. “Wild dolphins.”

There was a seal, too.  It bobbed its head in an effort to ward off a pelican; it was a fight to the fish. We saw boats and surfers and the filming of a McDonald’s commercial, complete with fake palm trees stuck in the sand. The dolphins swam parallel to our path, and they, as the boy said, were wild.

It was a family walk along the shore of Point Dume in Malibu, CA.  To the north the waves bent to humor Zuma, and the south stretched somewhere past Santa Monica. The ocean went on forever.

That’s how we spend a weekday afternoon in Southern California. You should try it.

This post is part of the UpTake Friday Family Series.

Photo: W. Honea

This is Zuma Beach, which is located just north of Malibu in sunny California. It is, as you might imagine, awesome.

This is a Wordless Wednesday post (hence my usual ramblings), but today I’m going to give you something special! Instead of one(1) photo I will share more than one(1) photo! Actual number of photos will vary depending on my attention span. Read More »

What’s the first thing you think of when you imagine a vacation in Los Angeles?  Disneyland.  Okay, yeah, that’s been covered here already, so what’s the second thing?  The beach, of course!  If you live in Wisconsin and you’re planning to visit Southern California, you’re not coming here for the art museums.

Santa Monica on Veterans' Day

The obvious beach destinations are the Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach, both places that are good for classic photo opportunities.  But if you’re the kind of beach lover who wants to see more beach than people, head north.  Once you pass Sunset Boulevard you leave the tourist traps behind in favor of some of the most beautiful beach spots in the area.  If you have the time and enjoy a beautiful drive, keep going even farther than the vast stretches of Zuma Beach, itself a great destination for a quick two-hour out-of-town getaway.

Family fun at Zuma Beach

The steep terrain that drops off away from Pacific Coast Highway makes some of these beaches a little bit more difficult to access, but that’s what keeps the crowds away, and almost guarantees that you will have a pristine view once you get down there.  Nicholas Canyon and El Matador are two beautiful less populated spots.  Look closely for the brown signs directing you to the turnoffs – they’re easy to miss.  Parking here is paid for at a machine, then you display your ticket in your window.  Solidly constructed staircases get you down to the sand, but there are a LOT of stairs, so make sure you pack lightly.

El Matador

Just up the coast, Leo Carillo State Beach has a campground to the east of the highway, and plenty of parking along the sand if you take the turnoff to the west.  There’s also a stretch of beach there that allows dogs.  Not just for sunbathing, you can watch surfers, windsurfers, and parasailors, or poke around in the tidepools at low tide.  Parking is $10 a day, so make sure you’ll be there long enough to make your visit worth the cost.

The last chance beach in Los Angeles county is called County Line.  No longer the true line that ends the county, this is a local surfing spot famous for its dual breaks, perfect for long- and shortboarders alike.   You’ll know you’re there when you see the turnoff for parking on the west side of the highway, right across from from Neptune’s Net, an old-school beach shack that attracts local color as well as beach visitors for bottled drinks, grilled meats, and steamed seafood.  (Warning – there are only portable toilets at this beach and restaurant, so leave your daintiness back at Leo Carillo’s flush toilets.)  It’s a perfect destination for your drive – sit on the porch and have a snack and drink while you watch the surfers, then head back south to that turnoff that you missed on the way up.