Romantic Date & Makeout Spots in Orange County
Crystal Cove cottages, Laguna Beach coves, and coastal bluffs where the OC coastline delivers world-class romance.
Date spots in Orange County
- Crystal Cove Beach Path — Beach Pull-off: Historic 1930s beach cottages dot the blufftop. The walkway winds to private pocket beaches where nobody goes before…
- Laguna Beach Crescent Cove — Beach Pull-off: Laguna's art colony energy meets the Pacific. A crescent of sand that appears only at low tide. Bioluminescence shows…
- San Onofre Bluffs — Beach Pull-off: Coastal bluffs above one of California's most famous surf breaks. The trail down to the beach is steep enough to filter…
- San Clemente Pier Overlook — Scenic Overlook: The pier stretches into the Pacific like it's trying to walk to Hawaii. From the bluff above, the whole Spanish Village…
- Trestles Trail Overlook — Trailhead: The trail to Trestles runs along a creek bed past willows and wetland before opening to a clifftop view of the break.…
- Dana Point Headlands — Scenic Overlook: The headlands jut into the Pacific like the prow of a ship. Below, Dana Point Harbor twinkles. Above, the sky does that…
- Salt Creek Beach Overlook — Scenic Overlook: The grassy bluff above Salt Creek where Monarch Beach mansions pretend the public path doesn't exist. The turquoise…
- Aliso Beach Tide Pools — Beach Pull-off: At low tide, the rock shelf south of the beach reveals tide pools that glow with anemones and tiny fish. At dusk,…
- Top of the World — Scenic Overlook: Laguna's iconic hilltop with a name that isn't exaggerating. Ocean to the west, mountains to the east, and the entire…
- Thousand Steps Beach — Beach Pull-off: It's actually 218 steps, but the name keeps people away. The beach at the bottom is a narrow cove backed by cliffs. At…
- Victoria Beach Pirate Tower — Beach Pull-off: A concrete fairy-tale tower built in 1926 stands on the beach like it got lost on its way to a storybook. The cove…
- Santiago Oaks Canyon — Trailhead: A secret canyon fifteen minutes from the 55 freeway where ancient oaks arch over a creek bed. The trail is flat enough…
- Whiting Ranch Red Rock Canyon — Trailhead: Orange sandstone formations that look like they belong in Utah, not suburban Orange County. The Red Rock loop trail…
- Newport Back Bay Overlook — Scenic Overlook: The upper trails around the Back Bay estuary give you views of still water, marsh birds, and Newport's skyline going…
- Corona del Mar Rocky Point — Scenic Overlook: The rocky point between Big and Little Corona stretches into the Pacific like a runway. Tide pools, crashing waves, and…
- Bolsa Chica Wetlands Overlook — Scenic Overlook: A boardwalk over coastal wetlands where herons hunt and the sunset reflects in shallow water like an oil painting. It's…
- Huntington Beach Pier South — Beach Pull-off: Walk south past the pier until the bonfire pits thin out and the beach gets wider. Surf City sunsets are earned cliches…
- El Dorado Nature Center — Trailhead: A forested lake and boardwalk trail hidden inside a Long Beach park. Turtles sun on logs. Ducks ignore you. The canopy…
- Treasure Island Beach — Beach Pull-off: A small intimate cove below the Montage resort where rocky outcrops create private pockets of sand. At sunset, the…
- Trabuco Canyon Creek — Trailhead: A sycamore-lined creek trail in the Santa Ana Mountains where the canopy closes overhead and the creek gurgles over…
- Inspiration Point CdM — Scenic Overlook: An elevated lookout over Newport Harbor where sailboats look like toys and the Pacific stretches to Catalina. The bench…
- RH Cloud Sofa Challenge — Dare: Walk into the Restoration Hardware gallery in Newport Beach like you own the place. Find the Cloud sofa — you'll know…
- IKEA Showroom Dare — Dare: Find the most realistic fake bedroom in the IKEA showroom. Sit on the display bed. Look at each other like you just…
- Fashion Island Fountain Wish — Dare: Find the big fountain at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Both toss a penny in at exactly the same time. The dare: you…
- Laguna Beach Art Walk Kiss — Dare: Walk through the Laguna Beach art galleries on PCH. Find a painting you both agree is beautiful. Stand in front of it.…
- Balboa Island Frozen Banana Dare — Dare: Take the ferry to Balboa Island. Get a frozen banana from Sugar 'n Spice (the original — accept no substitutes). The…
- South Coast Plaza Escalator Lean-In — Dare: South Coast Plaza has the longest escalators in Orange County. Find the tallest one. Stand on the same step. The dare:…
- Studio Mediterranean — Restaurant We Closed: A Mediterranean gem on South Coast Highway in Laguna Beach. The kind of place where you lose track of time over small…
- South of Nick's — Restaurant We Closed: A Laguna Beach staple on South Coast Highway with the kind of warm, laid-back energy that makes you forget you were…
- RH Rooftop Restaurant — Restaurant We Closed: Take the elevator to the rooftop of the Restoration Hardware gallery in Newport Beach and step into a restaurant that…