Location: Ocean Avenue and Main Street Seal Beach, CA 90740
Hours: 6am-10pm
Tucked between Long Beach and Huntington Harbour sits the westernmost Orange County beach, Seal Beach. Seal Beach was previously known as Anaheim Landing and Bay City. Renamed and incorporated in 1915, Seal Beach’s history goes beyond the small, hardworking sleepy beach town we know it as today. The area near the current pier and downtown area was once an amusement complex called The Joy Zone complete with bathhouses and the Derby rollercoaster. Between bootlegging and gambling, tourists and sailors, and the Great Depression, The Joy Zone eventually met its demise. By the end of the 1930s, most of the Joy Zone was gone.
In 1944 the U.S. Navy purchased the land around Anaheim Landing and turned it into the now United States Naval Weapons Station which is a predominant employer and landmark for the small seaside community.
Today, this Mayberry By The Sea has plenty of sand for sunbathing. It also has one of Orange County’s best downtown districts along Main Street with locally owned restaurants and boutiques. Regular city events like movies on the beach and concerts in the park are held at the pier-side greenbelt, Eisenhower Park, and a playground on the sand keeps the littles busy. Surfers can be spotted at the pier and sometimes just north of the pier by the jetty. During the winter months, the city bulldozes the sand into giant berms to keep the rising tide away from the beachfront homes and sand sledding becomes a popular secondary sport.
Seal Beach is home to the second longest wooden pier in California. Amenities here include volleyball courts, a lifeguard tower, a grassy park, restrooms, showers, a playground, benches, and paid parking. This sandy beach is a great area for families and also is a great area to fish, swim, and bodyboard. Sorry, dogs are not allowed on the beach here.
Explore More Orange County Beaches
