Every year, millions of visitors and residents experience the finest of recreation in Huntington Beach. Perhaps nowhere else in the world can one experience such a multitude of diverse recreational activities within such a small geographical area: beach, harbor, wetlands, parks, equestrian center, public pier, nature center, a sports complex and more!
Nicknamed "Surf City" for its beautiful wide beaches and consistently breaking surf, Huntington Beach residents enjoy a wide variety of outdoor activities. Surfing, sailing, volleyball on the beach, fishing, tennis, golf, and many city recreation programs are available for all ages. Our community features one of the largest recreational piers in the world, public parks, riding stables and equestrian trails, a marina, a wildlife preserve, and an eight-mile biking, inline skating, jogging, and walking trail along the ocean. The crown jewel of the recreation system is the 8.5 miles of wide, spacious beaches where in the summer, large crowds gather to watch the U.S Open of Surfing, AVP Pro Beach Volleyball, Hello Kitty Boardfest and other sporting events.
Beaches
Operated by the city, Huntington City Beach is one of the best beaches on the west coast, extremely popular with surfers. Home to the longest recreational pier in the state, the landmark HB Pier is located at the heart of Downtown. Originally built in 1904 and rebuilt most recently during the early 1990’s, it is the longest concrete municipal pier in CA. Stretching 1,856 feet into the Pacific Ocean, it is a favorite spot for fisherman, families and romantics who flock here daily to enjoy the “million-dollar” sunsets. For more than a century, the Pier has been an iconic coastal symbol. Surfers can always been seen from the Pier since surfing still remains one of the most popular activities at Huntington City Beach. The waves here have a unique natural effect caused by edge-diffraction of ocean swells by the island of Catalina. Because of the curve of the coastline at Huntington Beach, the beach actually faces southwest. This beach is also very popular for kite surfing. Throughout the year, numerous activities are held on the beach including surf and other sport competitions and community events. Dog Beach is a part of Huntington City Beach. This area of the beach is dog-friendly and a paradise for dog owners. It is not unusual to see a dog and his owner tandem surfing.
The northern and southern beaches, Bolsa Chica State Beach and Huntington State Beach, respectively, are state parks. Only the central beach, Huntington City Beach, is maintained by the city. The Bolsa Chica State Beach is located across Pacific Coast Highway from the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. Bolsa Chica’s surf is mellow and rolling with consistently ride-able waves, making it a perfect place for beginners. Huntington State Beach is very popular with families. More than 600 fire rings are available on the city and state beaches for nightly bonfires, a favorite activity among Huntington Beach locals.
Central Park
Central Park is one of the largest city parks in Southern California and home to many of the city’s major attractions and a pair of inviting restaurants. Boasting an expansive 354 acres punctuated with mature trees, rolling lawns and placid lakes, Central Park is the region’s largest and most diverse greenbelts. The park is vegetated with native plants and wildlife. Thick forests encircling the park are supplemented with Australian trees, particularly eucalyptus.
The Huntington Beach Central Library and Cultural Center is located in Central Park, which houses almost a half-million volumes, as well as a theater, gift shop and fountains. The park is also home to the Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center, a top class boarding facility that offers horse rentals to the public, with 25 acres of public bridle trails, guided trail rides, and a riding school. The world’s second oldest disc (Frisbee) golf course is available in the park as well and has been touted as the most beautiful course of its kind in Southern California. The Sports Complex, which provides 45-acres of recreation including eight softball fields overlaid with an equal number of soccer and seven batting cages, is another popular feature of Central Park. Adventure Playground for kids, the Huntington Beach Playhouse, and the Donald D. Shipley Nature Center, an 18-acre forest that for the past 25 years has remained a wild and natural area for native wildlife, can all be found within Central Park.
Huntington Harbour
Huntington Harbour offers serenity, abundant wildlife and calm waters. The Harbour is comprised of five man-made islands bounded by a network of navigable channels and the land surrounding them. The Harbour is home to multi-million dollar homes and serves as a pleasure craft port. This area is very popular for sport fishing, private charters, electric boat rentals and kayaking. Huntington Harbour is also home to the Annual Cruise of Lights, a series of narrated evening cruises during the winter holidays when the area is decorated with festive decorations and elaborate lights. The County of Orange runs Sunset Marina Park next to Huntington Harbour and is part of Anaheim Bay.
Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve
Between Downtown and Huntington Harbour lies a large marshy wetland, much of which is protected within the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. A $110 million restoration of the wetlands was completed in 2006. The Bolsa Chica Wetlands contain numerous trails and scenic routes. The wetlands themselves have recently been connected with the ocean again, in an effort to maintain its previous, unaltered conditions. The Reserve is popular with bird watchers and photographers. Great blue herons and snowy egret stake their majestic place among the nearly 200 species of birds that can be seen at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. The Ecological Reserve also features an Interpretive Center for visitors.
Special Events
The City of Huntington Beach offers activities year-round to visitors and residents alike. A recent Los Angeles Times article noted the Huntington Beach Farmers Market and Craft Fair “…enjoys the most beautiful location of any market in the Southland-right along the beach.” Located at Pier Plaza at Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway, the Farmers Market and Craft Fair is open Friday afternoons from 1:00 to 6:00 PM (or sunset, depending on the season) and features a wide variety of freshly-picked fruits and vegetables, flowers and more. The Arts and Crafts feature over 60 booths of handmade items, ranging from candles and soaps to jewelry to art to clothing. Residents and visitors alike stroll through the Farmers Market and Craft Fair for the constantly-changing offerings.
The city holds the oldest Independence Day Parade in the western United States. This is televised locally on the public access cable channel, HBTV-3. In 2004, Huntington Beach celebrated the 100 year anniversary of the 4th of July Parade.
Huntington Beach plays host to numerous other annual events. Every summer, Huntington Beach hosts the World Surfing Championships and the U.S. Open of Surfing, the largest surfing competition in the world, which drew 100,000 people its final day in 2005. The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tournament is also held on the beach each year. Huntington Beach holds an Annual Cruise of Lights Boat Tour every winter holiday. This is a parade of colorful lighted boats through the Huntington Harbour bayside neighborhood. In late February, kite fliers flock to the Annual Kite Party. Professional kite fliers hold demonstrations and kite fliers of all skills come and show off their varied and amazing kites. Huntington Beach is also the host city of the National Professional Paintball League Super 7 Paintball Championships. The NPPL holds its first event of the year traditionally in March. Other annual events include the Huntington Beach Pier’s Polar Plunge on Jan. 1; Miss Huntington Beach Scholarship Pageant; Easter Hunt; Duck-A-Thon, Concours d’Elegance; Surf City 5K Run; City of Huntington Beach Distance Derby; Huck Finn Fishing Derby; Civil War Reenactment; SoCal Independent Film Festival; Senior Saturday Community Festival; Oktoberfest; Running for the Birds 5K/10K Run; Main Street Halloween Celebration; and New Year’s Eve Senior Ballroom Dance.
The City of Huntington Beach holds monthly events including Ballroom Dance run by the Huntington Beach Council on Aging, Bolsa Chica Wetlands Tour, and Huntington Beach Disc Golf Tournament. Some events are held every week as well. These include a Farmer’s Market and Art-A-Faire, Saturday Sunrise Car Cruisers, Surf City Nights Street Fair, and a Swap Meet at Golden West College.