Searching for holiday cheer? Try this seasonal road trip down the California coast

From the sight of holiday lights on a palm tree to Santa Clauses in board shorts, there’s a certain charm to the winter holidays in Southern California.

Are you up for one last road trip before the year is out? I recommend cruising down the coast from L.A. to San Diego, stopping along the way to soak in all the delights and peculiarities of a California holiday season.

In this edition of Escapes, my gift to you is five stops on a weekend road trip down the coast. In return, I’d love to hear where you traveled this year. Where did you find adventure? Where do you hope to go in 2023? If you’re so inclined, please fill out this survey, and you may see your response in a future edition of Escapes.

Marvel at holiday lights in Rolling Hills Estates and Newport Beach

Fever’s Astra Lumina light show at South Coast Botanic Garden.

(Bruno Destombes)

Floating Christmas trees. Roasting s’mores in Newport’s Back Bay. And a walk through fallen stars?

You can enjoy an illuminating start to your weekend at a few of Southern California’s sparkling light shows.

My colleague Jeanette Marantos recently rounded up a list of 28 holiday light displays across the region. Two convenient spots on a drive down the coast: the South Coast Botanic Garden and the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort.

The South Coast Botanic Garden, home to more than 200,000 plants, is currently hosting “Astra Lumina: An Enchanted Night Walk Amongst The Stars.� The multisensory experience, which combines projections, sound and lights to transform the garden into a cosmic wonderland, is running through Jan. 29. Tickets for adults cost $29.

An hour down the coast is the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort, which “has been lighting up the bay for more than three decades,� Marantos reports. “[T]his year the display includes 50 floating holiday trees and decorations that reflect off the water in a magical way.�

The resort’s holiday lights will be illuminated through Jan. 1. Feeling peckish? Marantos notes that ingredients for s’mores can be purchased at the resort’s store, for use at the public fire pits.

Wander a holiday village in Laguna Beach

Pieces by glassblower Mary Ann Guerra at the 2020 Sawdust Festival.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

A quaint holiday village — carolers and all — tucked away in the hills of Orange County?

Welcome to the Sawdust Winter Fantasy Festival, a seasonal twist on Laguna Beach’s famous Sawdust Art & Craft Festival.

It’s a charming and convenient stop for anyone still working on their holiday shopping — 165 artists are selling handcrafted gifts throughout the festival’s maze of wooden kiosks decorated with twinkle lights.

Inspired by the art for sale? Embrace your inner creative at one of the festival’s complimentary art classes. Pottery, watercolor and other art sessions are held on Saturday and Sunday (full schedule here).

The festival also includes live music, puppeteers, magic demonstrations and special appearances from Santa Claus, all of which add to the winter magic.

If you’d like to go, this weekend is your last chance — the festival wraps up on Sunday. It’s open from Dec. 16 to 18 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

See pint-sized penguins in La Jolla

Little blue penguins are the world’s smallest species of penguin, at less than a foot tall and weighing just 2 to 3 pounds.

(UC San Diego’s Birch Aquarium )

Here’s a fun fact: Despite their prevalence on Christmas cards, penguins don’t actually live at the North Pole.

But several penguins live in La Jolla — at the newly opened Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins habitat at the Birch Aquarium, to be exact.

The Birch Aquarium at Scripps earned a spot on my colleague Christopher Reynolds’ list of the 21 secret spots in La Jolla that shine in the winter.

“Its latest major addition is the Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins habitat, which opened over the summer to highlight a community of penguins, all less than 12 inches tall,� Reynolds writes. “They look like underwater hummingbirds when they’re swimming.�

The aquarium, which includes more than 60 habitats teeming with fishes and invertebrates, is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Adult admission costs $24.95 and advance reservations are required.

One more thing: If you’re looking for an adventure to kick off 2023, sign up for one of the Birch Aquarium’s upcoming tidepooling adventures ($25 per person, advance reservations required). Guests will join a naturalist from the aquarium to learn more about the animals that live within California’s tidepools.

Catch a holiday boat parade in San Diego Bay

Sailboats, yachts and dinghies light up San Diego Bay during the 48th annual San Diego Bay Parade of Lights.

(Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Wrap up your weekend of beachy keen holiday fun the 52nd annual San Diego Bay Parade of Lights.

On Dec. 18, approximately 80 boats — decked out in holiday lights and decor — will cruise around the bay, starting at Shelter Island at 5:30 p.m. and ending at the Coronado Ferry Landing at approximately 7:30 p.m. The parade will pass by Harbor Island, the Embarcadero, Seaport Village and the Pier at Cesar Chavez Park, providing onlookers lots of opportunities to catch sight of the festivities.

Can’t make it all the way down to San Diego this weekend? The 114th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade is also underway, beginning every night at 6:30 p.m. through Dec. 18. The illuminated yachts, boats, kayaks and canoes will circle Newport Harbor, continuing a tradition said to be established in 1907 by an Italian gondolier named John Scarpa. The celebrations will close with a fireworks show on Dec. 18 at 9 p.m.

Reader recommendation

Two weeks ago, I wrote about Solvang, a small city in the Santa Ynez Valley teeming with Danish flair and holiday cheer.

In the newsletter, I mentioned three of the city’s museums, the Elverhøj Museum of History & Art, the Hans Christian Andersen Museum and the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature. After the story published, reader Andy Weinberg reached out to me to recommend another Solvang museum well worth visiting on a trip to “the Danish Capital of America.�

He encourages travelers to visit the Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum, home to a wide collection of rare vintage and classic motorcycles. The museum is open on weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and entry costs $10 (cash only).

Want to go during the week? Give the museum’s management a call at (805) 686-9522 to arrange a visit.

🎸Road song

“Tidings of Comfort and Joy� by the Volcanics. Play the surf rock take on a classic Christmas song as you pass San Onofre State Beach.

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