6 Prettiest Downtown Strips In Southern California

Only in California could a visitor travel from Denmark to Shangri-La in less than two hours. That feat is not only possible, it’s also an important part of the itinerary for anyone seeking the Golden State’s prettiest downtowns. 



Solvang’s Copenhagen Drive brings Danish cultural traditions to life in the Santa Ynez Valley. Ojai, in the shadow of the fleetingly pink Topatopa Mountains, is the cinematic realm of Shangri-La made real. These captivating destinations join Laguna Beach, San Juan Capistrano, Carlsbad, and Solana Beach on a very special list: the most beautiful downtowns in Southern California. To best experience these treasures, slip behind the wheel of a cherry-red Mustang convertible and begin your exploration with a drive down the legendary Pacific Coast Highway.



Carlsbad

In the constellation of beach towns arrayed along the northern San Diego County coast, Carlsbad shines with a bright, kinetic intensity. During the day, visitors and residents surf, swim, and build sand castles on the wide sandy beaches. Crowds gather at sunset to paint, photograph, or simply stand in awe of the beautiful pastel sunsets. Downtown is brimming with dining and entertainment choices, including such community favorites as The Coyote Bar & Grill, Vinaka Café, Witch Creek Winery, and Pizza Port. The most popular spots are found along Carlsbad Village Drive and its coastal cross-street, Carlsbad Boulevard, the city’s renamed part of Highway 101.

In May and November, the Carlsbad Village Faire draws tens of thousands of visitors to more than 800 booths, featuring an extraordinary range of crafts, art work, home-sewn clothing, and artisan food vendors. Each Wednesday the downtown stages a smaller version of the Faire with its sprawling State Street Farmers Market. Downtown’s ornate nineteenth-century Carlsbad Village train station provides easy access to the fun, efficient Coaster rail system. 



Solana Beach

Two stops down the Coaster’s southbound line, trains pull into the distinctive Solana Beach station, designed by noted San Diego architect Rob Wellington Quigley. Amtrak’s Great American Stations Project recognized the station for its graceful exceptionalism, noting: “Viewed from Old Highway 101, the trackside composition alludes to ancient hilltop temples where the visitor must ascend a symbolic staircase to a higher plane.” This higher plane is an often-overlooked oasis, a place of delightful surprises. Turn right after exiting the station and you find yourself at the portal to the Cedros Design District, the commercial core of downtown. Its boutiques, galleries, and cafes charm visitors by day, and at night iconic music venue Belly Up Tavern offers up a smorgasbord of trendy bands and established acts, from the Black Eyed Peas to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. One block away you’ll find the social heart of this close-knit community, Fletcher’s Cove, a beachside park that hosts family picnics and summer music festivals. Jazz bands and swing orchestras play to the ocean’s gentle percussion, as children scramble to collect opalescent seashells.



San Juan Capistrano

You might expect that a town that inspired the song “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano” would be a sentimental place. Generations of artists from the Ink Spots to Elvis have crooned the hit’s hopeful lyrics. San Juan Capistrano celebrates the intrepid birds and the melody they inspired with events culminating in a springtime parade through downtown. Along Los Rios Street, Camino Capistrano, and El Camino Real, the town remembers other traditions, as well. Visitors flock to the 18th-century Mission San Juan Capistrano, photograph bells and arches of well-preserved adobe Spanish buildings, and savor authentic Mexican food at El Adobe de Capistrano or margaritas at Verdugo’s Cantina. Kids enjoy Zoomers at River Street Ranch, the downtown petting zoo populated with ponies, goats, sheep, and pigs, along with a llama, an alpaca, and an emu.



Solvang

Visitors cruising east on State Highway 246 often have the unique sensation of traveling through time. From the coast, they motor past the dreamlike scenery of the Santa Ynez Valley until suddenly, up ahead, a centuries-old European town appears, with thatched roofs and four large windmills rising in the distance. They have discovered Solvang, a village founded by Danish Americans in 1911 to preserve and promote the culture of their home country. Today, it is a popular stop for tourists exploring the valley’s wine country and surrounding attractions. Modern-day Danes chuckle at the anomalies in this exquisite diorama — you’re much more likely to see a windmill in Holland than Denmark, for example — but the recreations of Danish designs and traditions make for a lovely homage. Downtown’s Copenhagen Drive is the best place to experience the attractions and timeless beauty of Solvang. Sample authentic pastries at the Solvang Bakery, discover the jam-topped Danish version of an ice cream cone at the Solvang Trolley Ice Cream Parlor, sip cabernets at Sanger Family Wines, or enjoy Lost Chord Guitars’ live folk music. Fun seasonal celebrations include The Danish Days Festival, the Taste of Solvang Food and Wine Festival, and Julefest, a weeks-long Christmas event that includes a parade, a tree lighting ceremony, and choruses of caroling. 



Laguna Beach

Long before the MTV reality show made Laguna Beach the place to be, the town was already cool, cutting-edge, and quintessentially Orange County. Every OC symbol and cultural touchstone can be found here, especially along its Pacific Coast Highway downtown. Alive with beachfront cafes, galleries, boutiques, surf shops, fashion statements, and the polished colors of vintage muscle cars, the strip is the social epicenter of southern Orange County. Students, tourists, and young professionals browse rare finds at Laguna Beach Books, admire the work of California impressionists at the Laguna Art Museum, unfurl yoga mats at Main Beach Park, enjoy live reggae nights at Mozambique’s rooftop bar, and play on the town’s 20 beaches. Amid all the ocean fun, the town hasn’t forgotten its art colony heritage, hosting the acclaimed Sawdust Art Festival, which draws thousands of art (and OC) admirers to its postcard-perfect downtown each summer. 



Ojai

For visitors who puzzle over the correct pronunciation of Ojai, the town has devised a simple solution: It often refers to itself as “Shangri-La,” an allusion to the hidden idyllic valley of Frank Capra’s 1937 classic, Lost Horizon. Strolling through downtown, the monicker suddenly seems to make sense. Ojai Avenue is enchanting, quirky, and often countercultural. Organic, holistic, and spiritual pursuits are joyfully embraced; chain stores are officially banned. With the Topatopa Mountains as a dramatic backdrop, visitors linger at Beacon Coffee or the open-air Bart’s Books, enjoy art and performances at the historic Ojai Art Center, sample delicious farm-to-fork recipes at Nocciola, admire the sublime Spanish Revival architecture, wander through the Ojai Certified Farmers’ Market, or enjoy live jazz at the Vine. Once a year, the Ojai Film Festival highlights the best of new indie films. Visitors and residents alike agree on what is Ojai’s most spectacular work of art: the “pink moment,” when the setting sun casts rays of refracted light onto the Topatopa Bluffs, illuminating the mountains with shades of pink against bands of red and orange.



True Beauty



In Southern California, the best downtowns dovetail perfectly with their surroundings. Oceanfront cities embrace the fun, exhilaration, and splendor of their pristine beaches, and invite visitors to stand in awe of nature’s most spectacular sunsets. Valley and mountain towns draw vitality from nature’s rugged grace. The hills, the vineyards, and the pastel peaks blend seamlessly with the commercial and social excitement of downtown. In the end, that is what makes these extraordinary places truly beautiful.