Fin whale
Ocean Institute. Photo by Cliff Wassmann

Known for its stunning vistas, Dana Point surrounds a harbor with 30 quaint shops and numerous restaurants.

In addition to countless water sports, you can charter cruising yachts, sailboats, and sportfishing vessels. Whale and dolphin watching excursions can be arranged with marine naturalist Captain Dave Anderson. While November is not an optimum time for whale watching, you can spot minke and fin whales and, rarely, humpbacks. You’re more likely to see sea lions and common, bottlenose, Pacific white-sided, and Risso dolphins.

If you’re in Dana Point over the weekend, the Ocean Institute offers marine lab activities, sea creature viewing, octopus and jellyfish feedings, and on Sundays, a behind-the-scenes look aboard the organization’s historic brig Pilgrim. The facility also offers 45-min. tours on Thursdays and Fridays at 3:30 p.m.

Doheny State Beach features five aquariums, an indoor tide pool, a natural history museum, exhibits, a gift shop, and a Marine Wildlife Refuge. If torn between work and relaxing, have the best of both worlds; the park is equipped with wi-fi access.

Pure Color Gallery. Photo courtesy of Laguna Beach VCB Photo Tour
Laguna Drug. Photo by Barbara White Photography

This nearby waterfront village features more than 50 galleries and as well as artists’ studios. One gallery echoes the Convention’s green theme with works designed to raise environmental awareness; Endangered Planet also hosts educational events.

On exhibit at the Laguna Beach Museum of Art is a collection of work by Wayne Thiebaud, an American artist best known for painting diner and cafeteria objects. In addition, the museum has a permanent collection of over 5,000 works from some 800 artists spanning the early 19th century to today.

You can take a Thanksgiving table decorating and cooking class with an ocean view at The Laguna Culinary Arts.

The unique shops of Laguna Beach sell everything from ready-to-wear art to one-of-a-kind designer accessories, from surfwear to handmade chocolates and truffles.

While there, be sure to visit Laguna Drug, which won a 2005 NASFM Retail Design Award.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

Dana Point is mere minutes from San Juan Capistrano, a city grounded in Native American culture. The city was created around a mission dating back to 1776, when Franciscan missionaries created the agrarian society. Three adobe homes built in 1794 still stand, and the area’s agricultural roots are evident today in the South Coast Organic Farm and the Jones Family Farm. The Spanish architectural style of Mission San Juan Capistrano is repeated in picturesque shopping venues. The city also boasts the a museum, pony rides, and a petting zoo.

Descanso Beach, Catalina Island. Photo courtesy of Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce

Nearby Catalina Island, reachable by ferry, is worth a few hours or even a full day. Offering golf cart and bicycle rentals, boat and bus tours, snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking, swimming, and shopping, Catalina Island is 76 square miles of broad valleys, isolated coves, pristine beaches, 2,000-ft. peaks, and near-vertical shoreline palisades. Of the thousands of species of native plants and animals, 15 are unique to the island, including the Catalina Mahogany tree, the Catalina Island Fox, and the Beechey Ground Squirrel. Bird watchers can spot quail, the Channel Islands Hummingbird, and even bald eagles.

South Coast Plaza is home to the 2007 NASFM Store of the Year, shu uemura.

Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, Costa Mesa’s South Coast Plaza is the highest-grossing planned retail center in the U.S., with annual sales approaching $1.5 billion. Already renowned for its nearly 300 boutiques and award-winning restaurants, the 2.8-million-sq.-ft. shopping center is completing a $155 million renovation including a major interior remodel at Saks Fifth Avenue, the introduction of first-to-market concept stores, multimillion-dollar remodels of existing boutiques, and touches such as the installation of 150,000 sq. ft. of Roman Classic travertine flooring. New stores include a Bloomingdale's flagship and the first H&M stores in Orange County as well as Versace, Michael Kors, Environment Furniture, Bare Escentuals, and others.

Costa Mesa boasts a lively cultural scene. For instance, opera fans arriving on Saturday can see La Boheme at the world-renowned Orange County Performing Arts Center, while play buffs can catch Tony Award-winning Doubt Sunday afternoon at South Coast Repertory. Or you can stay through Thursday night and see the premiere of Cirque du Soleil Corteo at the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center.