On the lookout for all of the thrilling and enjoyable issues to do in Costa Mesa? We acquired you. Costa Mesa is commonly missed by guests for the coastal and seashore cities in Orange County in Southern California. Whereas many weren’t paying consideration, it turned the best locations to go to in Southern California!
With its unbelievable meals scene, wonderful buying, and a implausible native arts and tradition scene, there are a whole lot of enjoyable issues to do in Costa Mesa. Oh, and did we point out that it’s a straightforward 20-minute drive to Disneyland?
The perfect is that it positively nonetheless has that locals-only vibe since most out-of-towners flock to the perfect seashores in Orange County like Newport Seaside or Huntington Seaside.
We promise that after you take a look at our information on what to do in Costa Mesa, you’ll be including it into your California journey plans!
Disclaimer: this publish incorporates commissionable hyperlinks.
3 Causes You Must Go to Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa has an Unimaginable Meals Scene
Costa Mesa has change into Orange County’s largest title within the culinary scene. It looks as if there’s a brand new restaurant opening up each week! You’ll find a number of wonderful locations to get pleasure from a greater than satisfying meal in Costa Mesa. The town affords choices past your typical plaza filled with chain eating places. As an alternative, you’ll discover extra impartial eating places with an enormous culinary concentrate on high quality and adventurous eats.
You would spend a extremely very long time tasting your manner round Costa Mesa. We suggest trying out the meals corridor at SOCO Assortment & OC Combine, the restaurant and bar scene on seventeenth Road, and the impartial eateries at each The Lab and The Camp on Bristol for a number of the finest spots to eat in Costa Mesa.
The Unimaginable Buying
One of many enjoyable issues to do in Costa Mesa is to reap the benefits of a number of the finest buying Southern California has to supply. From South Coast Plaza, largest mall on the US West Coast, to small out of doors retail areas and pop up boutiques – Costa Mesa has all of it.
We suggest buying at South Coast Plaza in your luxurious and excessive finish merchandise or division retailer buying.
The Lab Anti Mall is in your younger, city clients whereas The Camp in your out of doors fanatics.
Don’t miss the boutiques at SOCO Assortment & OC Combine for implausible culinary and family presents in addition to clothes, jewellery, and distinctive house furnishings.
Cool Native Arts & Tradition Scene
Costa Mesa has an unbelievable native arts and tradition scene. Locals take satisfaction in bringing consciousness to arts and tradition in Costa Mesa, there’s even a committee that meets each month to debate and assist keep and convey consciousness to the native arts. I coronary heart Costa Mesa wrote a fantastic article about them and their efforts.
The most effective issues to do in Costa Mesa is to get a style of the native artwork scene. You are able to do this finest by seeing a efficiency at Segerstrom Artwork Middle, popping by an exhibit at Location 1980 to see some native artists and their workspace, or having fun with the Costa Mesa Artwork Stroll stopping at cool out of doors artwork installations like Noguchi Backyard.
What to do in Costa Mesa
1. Go to the Lab Anti Mall
The most effective issues to do in Costa Mesa is store and dine at The Lab, an anti mall. What’s an anti mall chances are you’ll be questioning? Your entire theme to this out of doors retail house is. It’s meant to be a counter tradition to fight retail monotomy. In response to their web site, LAB really stands for, “Little American Enterprise.”
The outside of this small mall is embellished with scaffolding, artwork installations, and pop up boutiques arrange inside and outdoors Airstream campers. There’s even a shoe retailer that sells footwear out of what seems like grocery retailer fridges. The shops mix artwork with retail and naturally, the most important retailer within the plaza is City Outfitters.
Apart from having the best outlets, cafes, and eating places there are additionally common occasions happening right here making it among the best issues to do in Costa Mesa.
2. Head to the Camp
Positioned straight throughout the road from The Lab is the Camp, an eco-friendly campus devoted to nature associated retail outlets and eating places. All the outlets and eating places promote a wholesome, environmentally pleasant, and out of doors way of life. Additionally they have tons of cute boutiques in campers like The Lab.
With shops like Patagonia, Seed Peoples Market, and eating places like Native Meals selling wholesome or out of doors actions.
3. Seize a chunk at Outdated Vine Kitchen and Bar
Whereas there are extra eateries than outlets on the Camp additionally, you will discover a number of the finest eating in Costa Mesa right here. We dined at Outdated Vine Kitchen, well-known for his or her brunch and wine menu. We suggest checking this spot out for a brunch or lunch. Their eclectic menu is filled with fascinating choices you’ll be able to’t discover at simply any restaurant, together with the rabbit mole I ate for my brunch.
The meals is implausible and so they provide a various wine choice. We even had an opportunity to talk to the chef Mark, who we came upon additionally has a knack for journey and hosts an annual culinary tour to Southern Italy, the place he attended culinary faculty. He’s launching an extra tour this 12 months which additionally piqued our curiosity. So past serving nice meals and wine, it’s also possible to plan out your subsequent trip all at Outdated Vine Kitchen. Discuss being a one-stop store.
4. Store at South Coast Plaza
One of many enjoyable issues to do in Costa Mesa could be to buy at South Coast Plaza. That is arguably among the best buying locations on the planet. On the very least, it’s the biggest shopping center on the West Coast. Spend a day in right here buying till you drop.
There are over 250 shops, largely luxurious and designer manufacturers break up between South Coast Plaza and the bridge connecting to Crystal Court docket on the opposite facet of Bear Road which additionally has designer retailers, eating places, and plenty of house furnishing shops.
With tons of restaurant and eating choices, you’ll be able to simply get misplaced in right here for a day. In case you have buying to do, that is the place to be.
5. Go to Noguchi Backyard
On the lookout for hidden issues to do in Costa Mesa? We love the humanities & tradition scene right here; particularly the key sculpture park that’s been beneath our noses for years and had no concept existed till just lately. It’s what to do in Costa Mesa should you’re on the lookout for a cool picture spot!
Probably the most unknown inventive installments is in a enterprise park off the Avenue of the Arts proper alongside the freeway and near South Coast Plaza. Noguchi Backyard is an actual hidden gem and an ideal spot to take images. You critically really feel such as you’re in one other dimension or an alternate universe right here.
Noguchi Backyard was accomplished in 1982 by Isamu Noguchi and funded by Henry Segerstrom. The idea of this house is a California state of affairs with the usage of geographic options and symbolic panorama discovered within the state of California utilized in an inventive manner within the sculpture park. Your entire park is 1.6 acres and featured indigenous crops from California.
If this pursuits you take into account doing the Costa Mesa artwork stroll within the space with 15 totally different public artwork stops together with Noguchi Backyard. You’ll be able to obtain the map and get extra info on Journey Costa Mesa.
6. Try the Artwork at Location 1980
Location 1980 is among the finest issues to do in Costa Mesa should you’re into native artwork. We had been capable of pop in throughout studio hours and take a look at the native artists who work on their tasks right here. What was refreshing about Location 1980 was how unpretentious it was. You felt such as you had been hanging out in your good friend’s storage. It simply so occurs that your good friend can be one of many coolest artists on the town. Being right here made me want I had some inventive skills so I may hand around in this artistic house and work on my artwork.
We actually loved the laid again, unpretentious vibes right here. We had been glad to have had the chance to be proven round and launched to Location 1980 by artist and studio director, Jesse Fortune.
Whereas simply dropping by like we did might not all the time imply you’re going to get to have a look round, you’ll be able to all the time take a look at their Fb web page and web site for upcoming occasions.
7. Eat Your Manner Via seventeenth Road
Apart from having one nice restaurant after one other, seventeenth Road is among the finest stops within the space. It actually affords a number of the most enjoyable issues to do in Costa Mesa. It has change into among the best eating places in Orange County. There are all the time new eating places opening, boutiques and outlets, nice alcohol and wine shops, and even nice health studios.
The place to Eat on seventeenth Road:
Sidecar Doughnuts & Espresso
Considered one of my finest mates used to dwell on this space, so there was by no means a boring second after we would hand around in her hood. With nice spots like Sidecar Doughnuts who provide recent made doughnuts every day in distinctive flavors from maple & bacon to doughnuts which have poached eggs inside!
The flavors change every day and infrequently occasions promote out, so that you’ll need to be sure to cease by early in order for you an opportunity at a novel doughnut taste! This has change into such a well-liked spot that they now have a number of places too and due to that you simply’re much less prone to have to attend in a protracted line.
Oak & Coal
We had been just lately launched to Oak & Coal, a Japanese yakitori specializing in meat skewers grilled over charcoal. Additionally they have a fantastic collection of craft beers on faucet. We stopped by after a big meal so we simply nibbled on some implausible kimchi and pork gyoza which took us again to all our meals recollections of Korea and Japan.
There are truthfully so many locations to take a look at right here that it may take you a 12 months of consuming out on seventeenth Road to find out your favorites. Different honorable mentions would come with Pie Society, a speakeasy bar situated at a secret entrance on the again finish of their pizza place.
8. Go to SOCO Assortment & OC Combine
One other wonderful foodie place to go to in Costa Mesa is SOCO Assortment & OC Combine, situated proper alongside the 405 freeway. That is excessive on our listing for enjoyable issues to do in Costa Mesa not solely as a result of they provide an unbelievable array of meals to pattern round however as a result of they’ve some darling pop up boutiques you’ll be able to store round as you nibble.
We suggest coming hungry with a good friend. That manner you’ll be able to break up and pattern across the totally different eateries right here.
Just a few nice locations to attempt to superior eating choices embody the award-winning Taco Maria, Shuck oyster bar, and every thing at Greenleaf Kitchen & Cocktails.
There’s additionally a fantastic olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting at We Olive & Wine Bar. And because the title suggests there’s wine accessible as properly!
There’s even a fantastic cheese spot throughout the way in which, a retailer specializing in spices from all over the world, and a specialty liquor retailer. To not point out the tons of boutiques which might be good for reward buying.
Spend a day with a good friend right here making an attempt a dish at every place and searching the boutiques. There are additionally implausible house furnishing shops right here should you’re wanting to offer your house a brand new look.
9. See a Present at Segerstrom Middle of the Arts
In the event you’re on the lookout for what to do in Costa Mesa so far as performing arts go, you’ll need to verify what’s taking place at Segerstrom Middle for the Arts. This stunning performing arts complicated is the one one in all its sort in Orange County and has a number of venues.
Segerstrom Corridor is is an opulent opera model theater that usually hosts bigger performances like Broadway musicals and ballet reveals.
The Renée and Henry Segerstrom Live performance Corridor is house to a powerful organ and infrequently hosts musical occasions like jazz and cabaret reveals.
The Judy Morr Theater is a way more intimate theater that’s usually used for ballet rehearsal.
There’s additionally the American Ballet Theatre, the Faculty of Dance and Music for Youngsters with Disabilities, the Orange County Museum of Artwork, South Coast Repertory, and cafes right here too!
You’ll need to see what’s taking place throughout your go to!
10. Costa Mesa Artwork Stroll
Probably the most enjoyable issues to do in Costa Mesa is stroll alongside the Costa Mesa Artwork Stroll the place you’ll be able to get pleasure from a self-guided stroll to over 20 cool items of public artwork! We weren’t kidding after we stated Costa Mesa is thought for its artwork scene!
You’ll be able to simply simply stroll alongside the Artwork Stroll or Journey Costa Mesa has an audio tour you should use to information you alongside and study a bit extra about every of those artworks in your telephone.
Most of the works are cool sculptures and embody the Noguchi Backyard earlier on this information together with an exquisite stained glass dome inside South Coast Plaza’s Jewel Court docket!
The place to Keep in Costa Mesa
In the event you’re desirous to discover all the perfect issues to do in Costa Mesa, you’ll need to keep in a central location, which is straightforward as there are some nice accommodations in Costa Mesa to select from!
The Westin South Coast Plaza is among the extra luxurious stays within the space, this 4-star resort situated steps away from South Coast Plaza and the Orange County Museum of Artwork. Higher but, this can be a pet-friendly keep!
The Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa Lodge is one other stunning 4-star resort in the identical space that has a fantastic out of doors pool with cabanas and has fantastically embellished bohemian rooms for a classy keep.
In the event you needed to remain by the seashore you’re in luck. Just some miles away from Costa Mesa is Newport Seaside, which has nice choices together with Newport Seaside Lodge, a captivating beachfront resort on Balboa Peninsula with ocean views!
Enjoyable Issues to do in Costa Mesa (Submit Abstract)
- The Lab Anti Mall
- The Camp
- Outdated Vine Kitchen & Bar
- South Coast Plaza
- Noguchi Backyard
- Location 1980
- Eat Your Manner Via seventeenth Road
- SOCO Assortment & OC Combine
- Segerstrom Middle for the Arts
- Costa Mesa Artwork Stroll
Costa Mesa is thought for having a implausible meals scene in Southern California, being a fantastic place to remain in Orange County close to a number of the finest seashores, having implausible buying at South Coast Plaza and its different malls, and is most recognized for its arts and tradition scene being nicknamed the “Metropolis of the Arts,” for its status for being a positive performing arts scene and assortment of public artwork.
Costa Mesa is simply round a 15-minute drive from Disneyland with out visitors which makes it a fantastic place to remain outdoors of Anaheim and nearer to the attractive seashores of Orange County when visiting Southern California and planning a visit to Disneyland!
Costa Mesa is value visiting and staying at throughout your time in Southern California particularly if you wish to reap the benefits of all the nice buying at South Coast Plaza, The Camp, and The Lab Anti Mall. Costa Mesa can be value visiting if you wish to get pleasure from the perfect performing arts venues in Orange County together with the Segerstrom Artwork Advanced. And, Costa Mesa is only a few miles away from nice seashores together with Newport Seaside and Huntington Seaside.
In the event you’re planning to spend extra time in Southern California, take a look at some extra of our journey posts, like this information to the perfect issues to do in Laguna Seaside, this information on what to do in Palm Springs, or this information on issues to do in Joshua Tree. And, in fact, don’t miss widespread spots like Los Angeles or San Diego.
Try extra wonderful locations to go to in California by doing one in all these street journeys!
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