Our 4th of July trip to Huntington Beach
What a wonderful family vacation!
This is the third year that we have spent our 4th of July as a family in Huntington Beach. If you don’t know, it’s a city southeast of Los Angeles known for surf beaches and its long Huntington Beach Pier.
Huntington Beach is such a fun place to be during this time of year and especially for the 4th of July.
We flew out of the Paine Field Airport that is located in Everett, WA. It’s a smaller airport that just opened for commercial flights and is so much closer to our home than having to fly out of Seattle. This airport is beautiful! I think it took us less than 15 minutes to park, check our bags, go through security and get to our gate. They really did a great job with this new addition.
We rented an Airbnb in Huntington Beach. The house worked perfect for the 8 of us. I think it’s so much easier to have a house when traveling with the family rather than try to stay in a hotel. It’s fun to be able to get up in the morning and have coffee and breakfast together and just have a place to hang out as a group.
We are a pretty active family and there is so much to do in Huntington Beach like bike riding, surfing and playing on the beach.
4th of July
On the fourth of July we rented bikes for the day a wheel fun rentals We rented the classic beach cruisers but they also offer some different options like electric bikes, Surrey’s and Choppers. Our beach cruisers were $32 per bike for the day. Later in the week the girls had a shopping day and the guys rented the electric bikes, and had a blast! You cant go wrong either way.
We rode our bikes on the boardwalk/bike trail all the way into Newport Beach. We were mostly able to stay on the path near the beach, but had to ride on a few back roads as well to get to Newport. I believe it was about 15 miles round trip (but not to many hills). It’s a very easy bike ride. This is a very popular activity especially on the holiday weekend. It can get a bit busy but is so much fun! Remember to get your bikes early in the morning because they can sell out quick.
Balboa Island Ferry and Ferris Wheel
The Balboa Island Pier was so much fun for my entire family, and also kid friendly. It’s an amusement park with some fun games and claims to have “The Longest Ferris Wheel ride ever” (which is ironic because it is probably the smallest one I have ever seen!) The Balboa Island Car Ferry is in Newport Beach and takes you over to a quaint island with a Martha’s Vineyard feel. The ferry boat holds three cars per trip but there is plenty of room for walk-ons and cyclists. The cost was $1.25 for an adult passenger an a bicycle. We took our bikes on the ferry, rode through the town and got some lunch. It was a quick trip but I highly recommend.
After our bike ride, we met some friends for dinner at The Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort, where one of the restaurants at the hotel was having a Western BBQ Buffet. This was a perfect, low key 4th of July dinner before the fireworks that easily accommodated our large group fo 12. After dinner we walked across the skybridge to the beach to watch the fireworks off of the Huntington Beach Pier.
On Friday we rented a Duffy boat from Newport Harbor Boat Rentals. It is a 21’ electric boat that seats up to 12 people and there is no experience needed to drive! Lol We were able to bring our own cooler with snacks and beverages. It took us almost 2 hours to cruise around Newport Harbor. The boat does have a covered area on it but don’t forget your sunblock! I liked that we were able to see the harbor from the water with all the beautiful houses and boats. This was a great experience and would definitely do this again.
Shops and Restaurants
Pacific City is an ocean front shopping, dining and entertainment center located in the heart of Huntington Beach. I love this outdoor mall because of its great selection of restaurants and numerous shops. We had two great dinners at Pacific City.
The first night we got into town we had dinner at ~ Ola Mexican Kitchen it had a great dining area with a view of the California coast. This is an authentic Mexican restaurant with a flare, and south of the boarder influences.
We also dined at The Blackhouse Yakitori and Sushi Bar also located at Pacific City. This restaurant had delicious sushi and a great night life vibe.
Offshore 9 Rooftop Bar– at the Waterfront Beach Resort – Awesome ocean view, cool vibes and live music. Great place to go for a fun drink!
Fred’s Mexican Café– Yummy margaritas!!
Dory Deli, Newport Beach- Located on the boardwalk. Stopped here for a snack and a drink on our bike ride. Great burgers and fish and chips!
Sandy’s Beach Shack – Casual dining right on the Huntington Beach boardwalk. Sandy’s is dog friendly and a great place to people watch!
Bonfire on the Beach
Beach bonfires are a classic feature for Southern California. We were able to book a fire-pit and S’more package through the Hilton Beachfront Resort. This is an awesome set up. For a fee, they bring chairs and have a personal attendant that tends to the fire all night. They also provide all the S’more fixings with hot chocolate and coffee! We were able to sit and watch the beautiful sunset behind the Huntington Beach Pier.
Huntington Beach Pier
One of the longest piers on the West Coast that symbolizes the heart of Huntington Beach. It’s fun to take a walk on the pier and check out all the fishermen getting there catch of the day. There isn’t a lot to do, but maybe get some great pics of the sunset and watch the surfers for a bit.
What to Wear
This time of year in Huntington the weather is about mid-70s. A couple of the mornings there was some cloud cover but burned off by noon. I would say shorts during the day but I would definitely bring a light jacket for the evenings. When we were at the bonfire we all had sweatshirts but stayed pretty warm because of the fire.
I hope this information was helpful for you and if you have any questions just send me a message and I will try to answer the best I can. My family loves Huntington Beach and we will go back again!