Crystal Cove State Park
You’ll want to see for yourself why Crystal Cove State Park is a treasured Southern California destination for families who like to have fun. Good times begin with soft, sandy beaches, accessible tide pools, and backcountry trails. The park has more than three miles of golden beaches shared and enjoyed by beachcombers, runners, swimmers, bodysurfers, and tide pooling scouts.
My daughter-in-law first introduced me to Crystal Cove’s Historic District on a parents’ weekend, and she planned our arrival just in time for a glorious California sunset and libations at the park’s Beachcomber Cafe. My husband and I were wowed! The Crystal Cove Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is managed by the Crystal Cove Alliance. Not many beaches offer an oceanside restaurant, a snack shack, an educational center, a visitor center, picnic tables, lifeguards, restrooms, ranger programs, vintage cottages, and a gift center.
If you’re able to steal away from the beach for an hour or two, take a hike on one of the park’s many ridge or canyon trails. Bring a field guide to help identify the plants and wildlife, or use the park’s online plant gallery. Kids will enjoy our Crystal Cove Nature Hunt which highlights plants you’ll find on the easy Canyon Trail.
Crystal Cove has a nostalgic hold on me. Maybe it’s the idyllic sounding name or more likely her beachfront libations, but whatever the emotional connection, I made Crystal Cove the setting for my first book, Pocketmouse at Crystal Cove.
Download Pocketmouse at Crystal Cove Activity Pages.