Laguna Beach Real Estate
The eclectic and artsy city with seven miles of coastline
Laguna Beach is an eclectic and artsy small city on Orange County’s Pacific coast. Laguna Beach is famed for its picturesque views, vibrant art scene, and white sand beaches. Laguna Beach’s captivating scenery includes a seven-mile stretch of coastline and protected inland areas totaling more than 20,000 acres. The city also boasts great boutique shopping and fine dining.
Laguna Beach’s real estate mix includes spectacular oceanfront homes and grand clifftop mansions. These properties have been masterfully designed to accentuate their awe-inspiring views of the Pacific.
What to Love
- The eclectic and artsy small city
- Picturesque coastal views
- Beachfront dining
- Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts
Laguna Beach Lifestyle
Laguna Beach has been known as a haven for artists for well over a century. Plein air painters came to capture Laguna Beach’s magnificent seaside scenery in the early 1900s. The city’s artistic heritage lives on in the many art galleries and the annual extravaganza of Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts and the Pageant of the Masters. With first-class amenities and captivating scenery, Laguna Beach feels like a work of art in its own right.
Laguna Beach Dining
The Coast Highway runs along Laguna Beach’s enchanting Pacific Ocean beachfront and has many great restaurants dotted along with it. Nick’s Laguna Beach is a laidback favorite for elevated American classics such as a mouthwatering prime rib sandwich, buttermilk fried chicken, and cheeseburgers topped with Thousand Island dressing. Nick’s also serves inventive house cocktails, including jalapeno watermelon margaritas and signature Mai Tais. Nearby sister restaurant South of Nick’s Laguna Beach focuses on gourmet south-of-the-border fares such as seafood enchiladas, short rib tacos, and filet mignon rancheros. South of Nick’s flavorful eats is paired with a wide choice of specialty cocktails, beers, wines, and tequila flights.
The Surf & Sand Resort’s beachfront Splashes Restaurant combines stunning ocean views with sublime seafood-centric breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes. Housed in an inviting beachside cottage, AhbA pairs Israeli and Mediterranean cuisine with small-batch wines, craft beer, and cocktails. Driftwood Kitchen serves thoughtfully prepared steakhouse eats and fresh seafood in an airy space surrounded by ocean-view floor-to-ceiling windows. Selanne Steak Tavern is another great choice for steakhouse dining—here, you’ll find sophisticated food and wine served in a landmark 1930s house decorated with ornate chandeliers.
The Loft at the luxurious Montage Laguna Beach serves creative American cuisine on a patio overlooking the ocean. Along Laguna Beach’s northern stretch of the Coast Highway, the patio at Urth Caffe is a great place to start the day with European-style brunch and breakfast plates. Reunion Kitchen + Drink is a welcoming neighborhood tavern offering happy hour drinks specials and family-friendly dining. Village Faire Shoppes and Pepper Tree Lane are upscale shopping centers on the Coast Highway featuring an array of independent retailers, services, and restaurants.
Laguna Beach Things To Do
With many galleries dotting its streets, Laguna Beach is an artistic haven at any time of year. This becomes even more true each summer during the month-long Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts. Started in 1927, the Festival of the Arts features a juried fine art show with around 140 competing artists. There are also a variety of related events, including jazz concerts, art talks, wine, and chocolate pairings, cooking demonstrations, and special activities for kids. One of the festival’s highlights is the Pageant of the Masters. This unique event displays real-life recreations of art masterpieces beneath the stars in an outdoor amphitheater. Laguna Beach’s curving coastline features several popular beaches. Thousand Steps Beach is a wide sandy beach with a large cave, tide pools, and volleyball courts. Crescent Bay Beach is also known for its tide pools. Flanked by dramatic cliffs, Crescent Bay Beach is beloved by bodysurfers who dive into the huge waves crashing to shore.
Surf & Sand Resort stretches along 500 feet of the city’s beachfront with private balconies providing guests with mesmerizing ocean views. Named one of the top 25 resorts in Southern California by Conde Nast Traveler, Surf & Sand boasts award-winning spa treatments and fine dining at the Splashes Restaurant. The Montage Resort is another premier beachfront resort offering two outdoor pools, a 20,000-square-foot spa, and three ocean-view restaurants.
Every Saturday morning, Laguna Beach Farmers’ Market features more than 40 vendors selling fresh organic produce, farm-fresh meat, flowers, and specialty food items. In the San Joaquin Hills to Laguna Beach’s northeast, the 7,000-acre Laguna Coast Wilderness Park contains coastal canyons, oak and sycamore woodlands, ridges with sweeping coastal views, and the only natural lakes in Orange County. Forty miles of hiking and mountain biking trails run through Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, and some even reach elevations of over 1,000 feet.
Laguna Beach Schools
The Laguna Beach Unified school district serves Laguna Beach.
- El Morro Elementary School, Public, K-5
- Top of the World Elementary School, Public, K-5
- Thurston Middle School, Public, 6-8
- Laguna Beach High School, Public, 9-12
