This Weekend’s Plans
Hey friend,
With a three-day weekend ahead, we’ve got a little more room to spread things out & enjoy ourselves. We’ve got tide pools, a water park, a beach bonfire, and a farmers market on the list this week. Pick whichever fits your family’s energy level that day.
Here’s the plan.
Plan 1: Tide Pools at Little Corona del Mar
📍 Location: Little Corona del Mar Beach, Newport Beach
📅 Date & Time: Monday 9/7, aim to arrive a bit before the 1:04pm low tide
⏱️ Time needed: 1–2 hours
💰 Cost: Free (metered parking)
🌦️ Indoor/outdoor: Outdoor
Low tide will expose tide pools with marine life without any hiking involved to get to the beach. I might be checking this one out if we can figure out nap time!
Plan 2: Tunes at the Dunes — Inflatable Water Park + Food Trucks + Live Music
📍 Location: Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort, 1131 Back Bay Drive, Newport Beach
📅 Date & Time: Friday–Sunday 9/4–9/6, afternoon into evening
⏱️ Time needed: 2–3 hours
💰 Cost: Free admission, paid parking
🌦️ Indoor/outdoor: Outdoor
One stop covers the whole afternoon. Kids burn off energy in the water while it’s hot, then everyone eats and winds down to live music once the sun drops. There is a full bar for the parents who choose to partake.
Plan 3: Beach Day + Bonfire at Huntington State Beach
📍 Location: Huntington State Beach
📅 Date & Time: Saturday–Monday 9/5–9/7, afternoon through sunset
⏱️ Time needed: Full Day
💰 Cost: Free pits, paid parking, and bring your own supplies
🌦️ Indoor/outdoor: Outdoor
If you feel like a full-blown beach day and bonfire, head to Huntington State Beach early and make a day of it. Fire rings are first-come, first-served and go fast on holiday weekends. Worth it for the s’mores alone. Great for big groups.
Plan 4: SOCO Farmers’ Market
📍 Location: SOCO complex, Costa Mesa
📅 Date & Time: Saturday 9/5, 9am–2pm
⏱️ Time needed: 30–60 minutes
💰 Cost: Free to browse
🌦️ Indoor/outdoor: Outdoor
Easiest one on the list. Stroller-friendly, good coffee, no planning required beyond showing up.
Easy At-Home Idea
Try this: Nature Bracelets, by Grow Good Humans
Such a fun late summer activity. Wrap some scotch tape sticky side out around your kid’s wrist and go for a walk around your neighborhood or local park to add items from nature to it. This post has other easy nature-involved crafts if this isn't the right fit for this weekend.
Time needed: 2 minutes to set up
Backup Options
If none of the above work, here's the fast fallback list:
Peter’s Landing Farmers Market & Craft Fair — Huntington Beach, Sat 9am–2pm
Corona del Mar Certified Farmers Market — Newport Beach, Sat 9am–1pm
Newport Pier Farmers Market — Newport Beach, Sun 9am–1pm
Lido Marina Village Live Music — Newport Beach, Sat–Sun 12–3pm (shopping and dining on-site too)
Golden West College Swap Meet — Huntington Beach, Sat–Sun 8am–3pm
That’s the lineup. Hope one of these makes the long weekend a little easier to plan.
Go Enjoy Your Weekend
Got a plan that worked (or didn't)? Hit reply and let me know! This whole thing gets better with your feedback.
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