$34/day kids hiking camp + beach play guides
Dana Point beach city play + beach safety + Korean BBQ & play
We are already at Week 4 of Summer Play Trips?! Time is flying and beaches have sure been in the news this week for the the High Surf advisories and Beach Hazard Statements. I was so sad to learn of the tragic loss suffered by the family swept out by the waves in Laguna Beach. Sending love to all involved.
It was the biggest sets we’ve had in Orange County since 2020, I believe? The kind of waves where you can be standing on dry sand and suddenly have your feet swept out from under you.
It was a good week to put family beach days on hold until things get calmer. They will calm down again. From what I was seeing, the sand was even taking quite a beating so the beaches might look a little different the next time you visit your favorite beach.
Just be careful out there and extra cautious with the potential for heavy surf.
Michele
As a friendly reminder, make sure you ALWAYS check official sources when you are heading out to any of the locations I share. These are merely suggestions. Only you know what works for your family. Plus, your experience may not be the same as mine — and there can be changes to the hours or unforeseen circumstances or conditions at the suggested locations.
Summer Play Trips 2026 Archive (ICYMI)
Week 3: Three ideas for making this summer more basic (90’s summer)
Week 2: Newport Beach playgrounds + nature centers + libraries
Week 1: Family-friendly stops on Irvine CONNECT + FREE summer trolleys
Family fun near Dana Point Harbor
A couple quick tips on beach safety
Make sure you check your weather app for the beach city you are heading to because it should have any watches or warnings. This is what mine looked like on Tuesday:
This statement is persisting through today, at least.
And then also make sure you know where you are at in the tide cycle when you arrive at the beach! High and low tide times change. You can see the big green arrow at the top of this Tide Graph app showing tides are on their way up!
So if you arrived at the beach at the point on the graph, you’d know the water will be coming up quite a bit higher on the beach. So you would want to set up your blankets & chairs up beyond the high tide mark (which in this high surf event was non-existent since the high tide was hitting the bluffs and overflowing into parking lots in some cases).
Finally, always check in with the lifeguard when you arrive. “Anything I should be worried about? Best place for kids to swim?” You are not bothering them, so don’t be shy!
Lunch & Play at Irvine Spectrum
Kalbi Social Club is the Korean grill restaurant right near the Regal movie theater in Spectrum. They invited me in to treat me to lunch so I could share with you. I didn’t get paid beyond the complimentary meal. I wanted to try it and give you the scoop + you know I will always share my honest opinions!
What surprised me here was their Kids Menu of two Tteokkalbi with rice balls, fries, and potato salad. It was SO yummy and easily shareable between 2 kids. The Kids Menu is available all the time.
The Lunch Menu is only on weekdays M-F from 11am-3pm. They are big portions, so it feels very shareable — and that’s the whole point of their social concept. You could also order from the Shareables section on their regular menu.
Yes! The Kalbi Experiences are cooked by your server on the table’s BBQ grill and they are more expensive than the lunch menu, but I think definitely worth the splurge for a special occasion. The quality and freshness of the food was what made it memorable for me.
Playing at Irvine Spectrum
Right outside the restaurant are shaded grassy areas that kids love. Lots of families were sitting in the shade here and the kids were playing. The Regal movie theater is right here for those $1 summer movies. And then if you are up for a walk, you can travel to the other end of the shopping area to go to the carousel, splash pad, and “potato chip” playground outside Target.
Turtle Rock summer camp with $34/day hikes
The City of Irvine Eco-Explorers Camp is for 6-12 year olds. It’s only $34/day — and you can sign up for one day at a time if you want. If you want to sign up for all 5 days in a week, it comes out to 5 x $34 which equals $170 per week. This camp is an excursion camp that gets the kids outdoors all over OC!
Camp runs from 7:30am-12:30pm every weekday. Here is the info on the program and how to sign up!
How did I find out about this? Well, I used to have the Eco-Explorers camp on my outdoor-themed summer camps list for years! But then Bommer Canyon had some work and restoration done and the camp was temporarily unavailable for a number of years. Now, it’s back! And I met the director at an event where our tables were next to each other!
I went outside my comfort zone because I was invited and the event was at UC Irvine (my alma mater!) where got all excited about sharing with you!
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The FULL copy of my new PDF Printable “Orange County Beach Walks Play Guide for Families.” (I wrote it especially for subscribers, so to get the most out of it you’ll need a subscription to be able to access the full OC Tiny Hikes mini trail guides in the Archives).
It has 63 pages of 21 beach walks (with accessibility info) and 54 photos to get you ready for a summer of outside time.
Serves as a great overview of where to take a short family nature walk with views of harbors, beaches, and wetlands.
