Travel Costa Mesa Blog
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Costa Mesa
Get your green ready; St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner. And whether you’re 100% Irish or just full of blarney, Costa Mesa has plenty of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations going on for the whole family!
6th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival at the Orange County Market Place
The St. Patrick’s Day Festival at the Orange County Marketplace will celebrate the best in Irish culture, food and tradition. There will be 100 world-class Irish dancers (all with world-champion titles!) from three Orange County academies performing jigs, reels and soft- and hard-shoe dance numbers. Other entertainment includes Irish magic and comedy with Abbit the Average Leprechaun, a giant Leprechaun on stilts, and free face painting from 10 AM – 2 PM. Irish-themed fare will be served by from Costa Mesa’s local gourmet food trucks including corned beef and cabbage tacos from Barcelona on the Go, corned beef fries from Spudrunners, bacon Reuben sandwiches from Bacon Mania and a Guinness-marinated bratwurst with red cabbage from Bratz Berlin.
Admissions is $2, or free for ages 12 and under.
Orange County Fairgrounds
88 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(949) 723-6619
Yard House Costa Mesa
If you love St. Patrick’s Day for the beer, you can’t do much better than the Yard House Costa Mesa. With hundreds of beer options on tap, your glass never has to go empty. The Yard House features a glass-enclosed keg room that houses as much as 5,000 gallons of beer at a time. Three to five miles of individual beer lines stretch overhead from the keg room to the island bar. Sláinte!
1875 Newport Blvd.
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 642-0090
The Harp Inn
The Harp Inn is a pub on the westside of Costa Mesa. Calling themselves “The Most Authentic Irish Pub in Orange County,” the Harp Inn proudly serves traditional Irish breakfast all day long (perfectly complimented by a Guinness of course!). The Harp Inn also has a special menu for St. Patrick’s Day, featuring bangers and mash, fish and chips, corned beef and cabbage and corned beef sandwiches. Entertainment starts at 10 AM with a live rugby game between Ireland and England, and you will also enjoy live music by the Irish band Trooper Thorn.
130 E 17th Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 646-8855
Skosh Monahan’s
Skosh Monahan’s Steakhouse & Irish Pub is counting down the minutes to St. Patrick’s Day 2012. This Irish-inspired neighborhood steakhouse and bar even has a GFCF (gluten-free and casein-free) menu that includes Irish lamb stew so no one with a food allergy has to miss out on a great Irish meal this St. Patrick’s Day.
2000 Newport Blvd.
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 548-0099
Durty Nelly’s
Corned beef sandwich? Check. Shepherd’s Pie? Check. Bangers & mash? Check. If you’re in the mood for traditional Irish fare this St. Patrick’s Day then be sure to check out Durty Nelly’s (the menu can even teach you a few words in Gaelic!). Enjoy a Guinness, Smithwicks Ale, Harps Lager or a Boddingtons Pale Pub Ale (technically English) and get your shamrock and roll on with Durty Nelly’s infamous karaoke night!
2915 Redhill Ave
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(714) 957-1951
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Posted in Events
Disneyland’s First-Ever 24-Hour Day! Take our Quiz to Win Tickets
In celebration of Disneyland’s first-ever 24-hour for Leap Day, take our quick quiz and the first closest number of right answers gets TWO 1-day Park Hopper tickets to Disneyland! Winner will be announced at the end of the day today.
1. What year did Disneyland open?
2. How long did it take to build?
3. What item is NOT sold at Disneyland because it leaves “a gooey mess”?
4. Approximately how many “Cast Members” work at Disneyland?
5. How much did Disneyland cost to build?
and just for fun….6. What is YOUR favorite ride at Disneyland?
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Posted in Misc
3 Things To Do On a Rainy Costa Mesa Day
Southern California seems to be perpetually blessed with great weather all year round, but every now and again even Orange County suffers from a rainy day. If you are visiting Costa Mesa and your beach day plans are ruined by inclement weather, don’t despair. There are plenty of great, indoor activities with which to fill your newfound free time, and still make the most of your vacation! Read More
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Posted in Play
Now is the Time for Whale Watching at Newport Landing
December through April is the primary grey whale migration period along the Laguna Beach coastline. During their migration, hundreds of grey whales surface within minutes of Newport Harbor! With daily whale-watching tours all year round, Newport Landing Whale Watching has three whale-watching vessels to carry passengers out to sea where they get the chance to see blue whales, finback whales, pods of dolphin that number in the thousands, seals, killer whales, sharks and many other marine creatures.
Newport Landing Whale Watching has been offering whale-watching cruises for over 20 years from Newport Bay. The Ocean Explorer is the company’s primary whale-watching vessel. At 70 feet long, this vessel has two full walk around decks designed specifically for whale watching. The Nautilus is their secondary whale-watching vessel, at 75 feet long with two decks and ample seating. The Western Pride is an auxiliary whale-watching vessel and is 85 feet long with a full walk around main deck and an elevated seating platform.
In 2011, Newport Landing Whale Watching groups saw 1,017 blue whales, 19 humpback whales, 6,358 bottle nose dolphins and 263,618 common dolphins, to name a few species of marine life spotted. 2012 seafarers have already spotted 12 killer whales during their trips!
Newport Landing offers individual ticket prices as well as group package prices, and trips are offered two times daily October-May and three times daily June-September. Companies can privately reserve a whale-watching trip for a company event or company team-building activity.
Click here to book your whale watching adventure from Newport Landing Whale Watching!
Newport Landing also offers sportfishing in half-day, ¾-day or overnight fishing trips. If you’re interested in going on a saltwater fishing trip of a lifetime, the Aggressor fishing boat will take anglers to Catalina Island, San Clemente Island, offshore banks such as the Cortez bank or Tanner banks and offshore waters. You’ll have the opportunity to catch yellowtail and white sea bass (weighing 50+ pounds!), tuna, sheepshead and red snapper. A recent half-day trip yielded 40 perch, 28 sand bass and 10 sculpin for 28 anglers!
Click here to request a sport fishing reservation from Newport Landing!
Newport Landing is a just a few short miles from many Costa Mesa hotels. Be sure to check it out on your next stay in Costa Mesa.
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Posted in Play
4 Beautiful Hotels for a Costa Mesa Wedding
With its year-round sunshine, Southern California is one of the best destination wedding spots in the country! With so many great caterers, photographers, florists, local musicians, dress designers and more to choose from, having a wedding in the beautiful Orange County is nothing short of magical. If you are trying to decide on the right venue for your wedding, here are four great Costa Mesa hotels that can make your special day unforgettable, unbelievable and beautifully romantic: Read More
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Posted in Misc
