Daytripping in Newport Beach: The best $15 I’ve ever spent

 

Ruby’s Shake Shack is like no other!

Last Saturday, we had planned to go whale watching with Dana Wharf and Sportfishing, however, due to the stormy weather and not the ideal boating conditions, we decided to reschedule to next Saturday (post coming soon).  I had two kiddos that were very disappointed that the weather had thwarted our plans. We decided to have some fun even if we might get a little wet. We decided since we were already on our way to the beach to head to Newport Beach to explore the Sherman Library and Gardens.

Sherman Gardens

The Sherman Library and Gardens, located in Corona del Mar is a museum of living plants and fun to walk around with the kids. I would recommend that if your kiddos have cameras,to bring them along.  I let the kiddos borrow my iPhone to capture whatever they found interesting and it really put a fun twist on our outing. The kiddos loved getting up close with the plants and trying to learn as much as possible about the different plants. It was downright beautiful and peaceful. The kiddos and I were both “zenning” (I just made that word up) and taking in the beauty of it all.

Love all of the different colors!

Smelling it all in

We had a great time at Sherman Gardens but we were still itching to do some exploring and we decided to head further down PCH. Next stop, Ruby’s Shake Shack. I’ve passed the Shack so many times but it’s usually crowded, but not this time. We stopped in for some shakes and ice cream and boy were we in for a treat. The views are spectacular and the kids and I took it all in.

Taking it all in

We sat down and watched the waves crash down. The kids couldn’t stop talking about the view and the waves. It was breathtaking.

"Look at those waves!"

After we watched the waves, we were wanting to go down into the sand so we traveled further down PCH to Aliso Beach Park (it’s not technically in Newport but close enough). We played in the sand for an hour and a half. The kids ran around having the time of their lives and I couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear!

Playing their heart out

It was a beautiful day

The kids and I had the best day. We finished it all of by sitting on one of the nearby benches, all snuggled up and watched the sunset. It was a simple day, yet so magical all at the same time.

Our view of the Sunset

Our unplanned day trip turned out to be an unforgettable one. We had so much fun and made some incredible memories and we hardly spent a dime. I hope you can jump in the car and just head down somewhere fun. No planning, simple fun and incredible memories!