Cheap California Vacations

A trip to the West Coast's sunny paradise doesn’t have to break the bank. Visit these popular destinations on a reasonable budget.

Anaheim
Known mostly for its theme parks, Anaheim also offers arts and culture and outdoor recreation. Check the tourism board's website for special deals on hotels and Disneyland tickets, rent a bike or hike a trail, or head to one of Orange County’s nearby beaches.

Your Guide to the Best Beaches in Orange County, California

California's Orange County is so much more than Anaheim and Disney. The O.C. fronts 42 miles of pristine Pacific Ocean shoreline and comprises six laid-back beach towns, each with its own distinctly SoCal take on life. From north to south, here are the highlights:

Seal Beach
Named after the seals that once frequented the coastline here, Seal Beach's old-fashioned district is a throwback to the city's 1920-30s heyday. Seal Beach has been the location for blockbuster films including Apollo 13, American Pie 2, and Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments.

Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach calls itself "Surf City USA," a clear indication about what's on offer at this surf-blessed place. Onshore, you'll find the Surfing Walk of Fame, the International Surfing Museum, the Surfers' Hall of Fame, plus a bustling boardwalk scene and the longest concrete municipal pier in California, reaching 1,853 feet into the Pacific Ocean.

Los Angeles Highlights: Best of "The O.C."

Before being immortalized in the hit television show, California's Orange County was firmly on the map as the home of Disneyland and the setting for numerous movies. But past the O.C.'s well-known attractions, the county seat of Newport Beach has a storied history of its own. On the city's harbor, the Balboa Pavilion, with its family-friendly Ferris wheel and marina, dates back to 1906 and has become a landmark for Newport Beach as well as Orange County.

Photo credit: Orange County's Balboa Beach, California (Robert Holmes/courtesy, California Tourism)