-- Things to do in South Orange County --
Beaches/Parks
1. Crystal Cove (
http://www.crystalcovestatepark.com/) I believe you can park at the Crystal Cove Shopping Center (off of PCH) and take a shuttle bus to the beach for a few dollars.
2. Victoria Beach - Laguna (
http://www.beachcalifornia.com/victo...a-beaches.html) Will be a rather busy on the weekend, and parking in Laguna is a nightmare, but it's more of a locals beach than most of the other Laguna beaches.
3. Wood and Aliso Canyon (
http://www.ocparks.com/alisoandwoodcanyons/) The panoramic view from the top of the mountain/hill is quite nice.
4. Doheny or Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point (
http://www.dohenystatebeach.org/,
http://www.ocparks.com/Saltcreekbeach/) Both of these beaches are in Dana Point and have substantially more parking than the Laguna beaches.
5. Corona Del Mar Beach in CdM/Newport (
http://www.beachcalifornia.com/coron...ate-beach.html) Little Corona is probably one of the most picturesque beaches in Southern California.
I recommend staying off of the Newport Peninsula on the weekend unless you want to show up at 6 in the morning. The beach is great and quite large, but there's essentially only one way on/off the peninsula and traffic is horrendous.
Nightlife/Restaurants
1. Nick's (
http://www.thenickco.com/laguna.php)
2. Sorrento Grill (
http://sorrento-grille.com/)
3. Hush (
http://www.hushrestaurant.com/)
4. 230 Forest Ave (
http://www.230forestavenue.com/)
5. The Crow Bar (
http://www.crowbarcdm.com/)
6. The Rusty Pelican (
http://www.rustypelican.com/)
7. Blue Fin (
http://www.bluefinbyabe.com/)