Best Things To Do This Weekend In OC – November 13
Considering its 70 degrees and sunny during fall, why spend your day inside watching "Friends" reruns? There is a wealth to do, particularly if you stay out East of the 605. Orange County is booming with an energetic fall, and here are some of the people, places, and faces worth your weekend.
Hang Ten
International Surfing Museum
411 Olive Ave
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
(714) 960-3483
www.surfingmuseum.com
Among cities synonymous with the sport, there is a reason Huntington Beach is known commonly as "Surf City, USA". As a living testament to surfing's pioneer, Duke Kahanamoku, the space will be offering a glimpse into the deeply-seeded culture of the sport. From vintage surf films, to antique boards that show the innovation of design, and pop-culture that has pulled some influence from the sport, these walls preserve a slice of Americana that is fundamentally Southern California.
Get In Tune With Nature
3842 Warner Avenue
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
(714) 846-1114
www.bolsachica.org
The wetlands of Bolsa Chica might be one of the most serene destinations in all of OC. The ecological observation playground manages to make lessons in nature a worthwhile afternoon. Every weekend, volunteers and tour guides take visitors across the footprint to soak in the environment, feed the animals, and understand why conservation efforts to keep places like this in tact are so crucial. A photographer's dream, the view is one of the best anywhere and is always a guaranteed great day.
Cali Uncorked
Oak Canyon Ranch
3272 Triunfo Canyon Rd
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
www.bolsachica.com
Only in Southern California does an outdoor, daytime, beer and wine festival make sense in the middle of November. Stacking the deck however, the folks behind Cali Uncorked managed to marry beer and wine sampling, with a plethora of gourmet food options. While most stop there, Uncorked decided to pay attention to the entertainment in a big way. Featuring a mainstage concert from reggae juggernaut Rebelution, the supporting cast of Collie Buddz, Matt Costa, and Tom Curren only strengthens the afternoon. If that wasn't enough, Uncorked also corralled some of comedy's brightest with their "Funny Or Die" stage hosted by the Irvine Improv, boasting sets from David Koechner, Gene Pompa, and Grant Cotter. Consider every base covered.
(Credit: Jason Flynn)
Go Beer Tasting
Golden Road's Grand Opening
Golden Road Anaheim Tasting Room
2210 E. Orangewood Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92806
www.goldenroad.la
Famously "Made In LA," the Golden Road brand is taking their talents for brewing some deliciously diverse beer to the city of Anaheim. Dropping their anchor just across from Angels Stadium, this weekend will mark the opening of the draft brewery's OC tasting room as the first phase of a full expansion that will include a beer garden and eventually a full-service restaurant. Acquiring brewmaster Victor Novak, the longtime brewmaster for OC's famed TAPS Fish House & Brewery, the OC connection is one with some 15 –years worth of roots. The award-winning brewer looks to continue wowing Southern California beer snobs with his suds, but rest assured the environment and scenery have the potential to make the beer taste even better.
Explore Irvine's Great Park
The Great Park of Irvine
C Street
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 724-6247
www.ocgp.org
In what's being touted as California's answer to landmark that is Central Park, (although boasting a footprint that is twice the square footage), the old El Toro Marine Corp Air Station has transformed into a sprawling public oasis. So much in fact, to call it a park sort of limits it. Still in the infancy of it's development plan, The Great Park is already equipped with plenty of amenities including an Arts Complex that features local works while retaining the WWII charm of the old Air Station. The signature giant Orange Balloon, the ornate Grand Carousel, and a booming Farmers Market that happens every Sunday morning make The Great Park of Irvine a perfect place to get lost for a day.
