Huntington Beach bills itself as "Surf City USA" and backs the claim with thirteen kilometres of unbroken beach, the International Surfing Museum, the Surfers' Hall of Fame plaques set into the sidewalk on Main Street, and some of the most consistent waves in Southern California. The long concrete pier — the longest on the California coast — is the centre of the action, with surf competitions, concerts at the amphitheatre, and a boardwalk that fills up at sunset.
Main Street runs inland from the pier with a casual village atmosphere: coffee houses, beach boutiques, taco shops, and restaurants. To the north, the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve protects a stretch of coastal wetlands that is home to more than 200 bird species — an unexpected pocket of wildness in the middle of Orange County's suburban sprawl. The reserve is best visited at dusk, when the light is soft and the birds are most active.
Further out from the pier, Pacific City sits across PCH for an upscale shop-and-dinner stop, and the inland Huntington Central Park covers 354 acres with two lakes, a dog park, and the city's main library. At the northwest end of town, the older, lower-rise neighbourhood of Sunset Beach is the most characterful corner of the city — quieter sand, mellower waves, and the original Don the Beachcomber tiki bar.