Huntington Beach in California – Love Strolling Along the Ocean

Huntington Beach, California

As stated in many previous posts, I am thrilled to be living in Colorado now but there are a few things I miss about the Golden State of California. I miss our family and friends of course which is why we keep coming back to visit so often. However, while we are there, I also love eating at a few restaurants that aren’t in CO  as well as seeing the incredible Pacific Ocean. I have been on both coasts and really like the Pacific better.  There is just nothing like it. We usually try to get to one of our two favorites Seal Beach and Huntington Beach. On this particular trip, we made it to Huntington Beach. Even though it was cold, and the water was probably beyond freezing, we enjoyed being in the area.

We are both amazed at how things change in such a short time, yet some things remain the same. For those of you who don’t know or have never been to Huntington Beach, it is a 3.5-mile stretch of pristine shoreline also known as “Surf City,” in Orange County, California. Huntington Beach is home to the world-famous municipal pier and is a west coast surf mecca for more than 8-million annual visitors (including us).

It is home to US Open of Surfing, AVP Pro Beach Volleyball, PSA, NSSA, CSA, and other surfing contests, 4th of July beach fireworks and parade, Duck-A-Thon, Surf City Splash Pacific Shoreline Marathon, Surf City 10, and other athletic competitions, Paintball, BMX, Fishing, Sand Soccer and Kite Championships, Surfin’ Sundays Concerts, Pier Plaza events, Farmer’s Market Annual Pier Swim, and a variety of Car Shows. We use to head to Huntington Beach as kids at midnight to watch the Grunion run. It was a lot of fun, but sadly the beach now closes at midnight, and they don’t usually start until after midnight. Gone just like the drive-in movies apparently 🙁

Whenever we visit, I liked to walk down to the end of the pier. It is 100 feet above sea level, one of the main landmarks of Huntington Beach, and is on the California Register of Historical Resources. At 1,850 feet in length, it is one of the longest public piers on the West Coast. Interestingly, the pier was built even before Huntington Beach was an official town. Have you ever been to a Hollister Store? If so, you may have seen their live feeds from the cameras set up on the pier. The store pays the city for the cameras, with the money used to fund marine safety equipment. The cameras are also used by lifeguards. I thought that was interesting the first time I saw it in one of their stores.

When it is too cold to be in the water (like this last trip), it is always fun to walk around. Check out the stores and restaurants in the Downtown Business Improvement District on 100 old Main Street in Huntington Beach. It’s a great place to wander, shop, eat and soak up the sun. Shops and restaurants may come and go, but the ambiance never does. Here is a link to their website with more information about the city.

But before I end this post I want to share a few unique things about the city of Huntington Beach, CA that many may not know:

Huntington Beach California has a sister city in Australia

The Huntington Beach Pier was built in 1904. It was originally one thousand feet and made of timber.

Huntington Beach Surf Museum holds a very important record—the world’s largest bar of surf wax.

The city of Huntington Beach has the biggest children’s library on this side of the Mississippi.

Every year on the Fourth of July there is a parade at the beach area of the city. It has been held since 1904.

At the end of the Huntington Beach pier is Ruby Restaurant which provides a 360-degree view of the ocean and the city.

In 2005, the United States Olympic surf team named Huntington Beach its official hometown.

Huntington Beach has its own 300-acre park called Huntington Central Park. It can be used for barbecues and picnics, jogging, or biking or fishing.

The city is named for the early 20th-century railroad magnate, Henry E. Huntington, who was instrumental in developing the Los Angeles area.

I always love walking along the beach and just thinking. It is just a peaceful thing to do. Granted, it doesn’t take all the stress away, but it makes issues a little more bearable if only for a few minutes. It is something I look forward to every time we are heading to California. Not the best picture of us, but we forgot our selfie stick, lol.  Hope you did enjoy the post though 🙂 If you have some lesser-known facts about Huntington Beach that you’d like to share, please comment and share them below.  I will be more than happy to add them to the list above. Happy travels.

One more thing before I end this post. If you are in California around Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, make sure to check out the wonderful yearly events at Knott’s Berry Farm: Knotts Scary Farm and Knott’s Merry Farm. They are both wonderful and I miss them as well 🙁