Orange County Although Orange County adjoins Los Angeles County it is a prime destination for a majority of tourists to Southern California. With its adjoining freeways and excellent road structure visitors have found Orange County  to be an ideal central base to enjoy the attractions of both Counties.  Orange County with its 40 miles of sandy beaches and pretty beach communities has become known as the "American Riviera".  Apart from offering some of the most beautiful beaches on the West Coast, Orange County California can boast of some of the area's major attractions including Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm.  An ideal choice for a family holiday where children and adults alike will never be bored. Lying 30 miles southeast of Downtown LA,  and within two hours driving time of San Diego and Palm Springs , Orange County is truly an excellent choice of  holiday destination. The most popular tourist destination of Anaheim can be found in a separate article. Listed below are some of the many attractions and places of interest to be found in Orange County. The Beaches.   "Seal Beach"       Quiet beach by American standards with a quaint village atmosphere. "Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve"  Lays just to the south of Seal Beach, whilst not a beach this salt marsh  harbors more than 300 types of birds which can be seen along a 2 mile trail. "Huntington Beach"   8 miles of white sandy beach, longest concrete pier in California, surfing capital, shops and restaurants. Their Visitor's center at 417 Main Street (Tel:-714-969-3492) is an excellent source of information, as well as free literature. "Newport Beach"    6 miles of white sand beaches, water sports, harbor cruises & Catalina Island trips.  Two wooden piers, restaurants and shopping. Separating the marina from the ocean is the Balboa Peninsula. A paved walkway which is used for strolling, cycling, skating & jogging along the beach in front of the beach side homes. The landmark Ferris wheel is part of the Balboa Fun zone that includes bumper cars, video arcades, restaurants and souvenir shops. John Wayne lived and died in Newport, his white ranch style house still stands at the tip of Bayshore Drive. If you take one of the harbor cruises the guides will point out his house, as well as many other homes owned by celebrities both past & present. You can visit John Wayne's grave, he is buried in local Pacific View Cemetery. After his death the local airport was renamed after him.  In the main terminal is a lasting memorial to him, a  large bronze statue decked out in his familiar western costume. Newport is also home to the famous Fashion Island Mall, an outdoors shopping experience of over 200 stores, restaurants and 7 screen cinema all over looking the Pacific. The Hard Rock cafe has one of its largest branch's at Fashion Island, with lots of original rock-roll memorabilia including a signed Elvis Presley coat. Visitors center can be found at 3300 W. Coast Highway (Tel:- 800-942-6278). "Laguna Beach"    is one of the south coast's most attractive towns with its scenic white sandy beaches, picturesque boutiques, restaurants and art galleries. Perched on the nearby hillsides and canyons are the homes of the wealthy, the bustling town center is full of galleries and boutiques. A number of arts festivals are held here in July & August. Visitors center can be found at 252 Broadway (Tel:- 800-877-1115). "Dana Point"  isa headland named after author Richard Dana, whose book "Two Years Before the Mast" chronicled the early days of this beautiful area. The harbor/marina contains various watercraft, Catalina Island trips, boat rentals, shops, restaurants, Orange County Marine Institute and the tall ship Pilgrim.  Nearby Doheny State Beach is where you can swim, surf, fish or cycle, or just catch the sun. "Capistrano Beach" is the nearest beach to one of Orange County's most famous missions.  The historic "Mission San Juan Capistrano" the best known of  the California missions, known for its yearly return of the swallows in March.The beach itself is village type atmosphere with the normal facilities available. "San Clemente Beach"  Sandy beach, pier and charming restaurants and shops.