City: Newport Beach, CA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 600 East Bay Ave.
2. Newport Harbor Nautical Museum
City: Newport Beach, CA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (949) 675-8915
Address: 600 East Bay Ave. at the Balboa Fun Zone
Description: Considering that the world’s largest international yacht race begins in Newport Harbor, it seems only fitting that a museum dedicated to nautical heritage should be here as well. The Newport Harbor Nautical Museum boasts hundreds of ship models, including one made of bone and human hair and another crafted from 22-karat gold and pure silver. The museum also features some 58,000 maritime photos that date back to the 1890s and chronicle the area’s maritime history. A little Hollywood is thrown in for good measure since John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn, and Lauren Bacall all enjoyed a bon voyage from these waters.
3. Fashion Island Tree Lighting Ceremony
City: Newport Beach, CA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (949) 721-2000
Address: 401 Newport Center Dr.
Description: A tree lighting ceremony isn’t typically a huge event, but at Fashion Island, Orange County’s premier shopping destination, it’s quite an extravaganza. For starters, Fashion Island usually manages to find the largest tree on the globe and adorns it in designer fashion with enormous baubles, bulbs, and tinsel. As part of the annual illumination, the arrival of Santa sends shrieks through the audience of young shoppers. The ceremony usually takes place the weekend before Thanksgiving near Bloomingdale’s.