Costa Mesa sits in the heart of Orange County, sandwiched between Newport Beach and Irvine, and it punches above its weight in shopping and performing arts. South Coast Plaza is the anchor — one of the largest shopping centres in the United States, with every luxury brand you can name. But Costa Mesa also has The LAB, a converted warehouse turned alternative shopping complex on Bristol Street that is the anti-mall antidote.
The Segerstrom Center for the Arts hosts ballet, opera, and touring Broadway shows, and South Coast Repertory next door is one of the most respected regional theatres in the country. East 17th Street has an eclectic strip of independent shops, restaurants, and Hi-Time Wine Cellars, one of the best wine shops in Southern California. On the city's southern edge, Upper Newport Bay is one of the last intact coastal wetlands in Southern California — a significant birdwatching and kayaking destination that most visitors to Orange County miss entirely.