10 Small Towns in Southern California with the Best Downtowns
Southern California is gifted with walkable communities, each reflecting a specific time in the region's cultural and architectural evolution. Solvang recreates a slice of Denmark with windmills and half-timbered facades. Downtown San Juan Capistrano shows its Spanish and Mexican heritage.
Fillmore freezes a different era, one that is deeply connected to its agricultural and railway industries. You'll find a European-style village in the town center of Claremont, while Big Bear Lake has an alpine-inspired streetscape.
Here are the small towns in Southern California with the best downtowns. They turn a simple walk on the streets into an immersive experience, showcasing history and culture block by block.
Solvang
Less than an hour northwest of Santa Barbara, the Southern California charm quietly fades into a nordic immitation of Denmark. Downtown Solvang is filled with timbered facades, steep gables, and historic windmills and the dark brown blades of the Hamlet Square Windmill command Copenhagen Drive.
Less than five minutes away on foot, the Hans Christian Andersen Museum takes over the second floor of The Book Loft. Its small collection celebrates one of Denmark's most popular storytellers through rare books and translated anthologies.
The town was built as a decorative replica to showcase the town's Danish heritage. Solvang's Danish identity is documented at the Elverhøj Museum of History & Art. A miniature town diorama is on display, alongside a Vikings exhibition, rotating regional art, and a traditional Danish kitchen. Your walk ends at Solvang Bakery on Alisal Road with its fairytale-style exterior that is impossible to miss. The highlights, however, are its Danish butter cookies, almond kringles, and cardamom pastries.
Fillmore
The visual identity of downtown Fillmore leans towards its agricultural and rail heritage, with a nostalgic vibe that makes it a favorite in Hollywood productions.
Central Avenue is lined with low-rise storefronts, vintage lamps, and the marquee of the Fillmore Towne Theatre. Providing local entertainment under different names since 1916, the 325-seat venue hosts movie screenings, live concerts, and community theater.
A few blocks away, the Fillmore Historical Museum occupies the 1887 Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, documenting the railroad history that built the town. The museum grounds also include the 1905 Craftsman-style Hinckley House and the 1919 Rancho Sespe Bunkhouse.
Along Santa Clara Street, ReGEN Haus has everything antique and odd. The shop of wonders sells industrial objects, anatomical models, movie props, and salvaged furniture. Giessinger Winery stands along the same street, pouring small-batch French-Algerian wines and hard ciders.
Claremont
Less than 45 minutes east of Los Angeles, downtown Claremont is set in a European-style village shaded by a dense canopy of towering trees.
Your morning starts at Some Crust Bakery on Yale Avenue. The family-owned bakeshop serves almond croissants, bear claws, and sticky buns. Continue up the street, and you will arrive at the Folk Music Center & Museum with instruments from around the world crowding its walls, some of which you can play.
A 1927 Spanish Colonial Revival-style train station is now the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art. It hosts thought-provoking exhibits throughout the year, featuring local and regional artists. The Claremont Packing House is also on first Street. From its beginnings in 1909 as a citrus packing facility, it is now a social hub with creative spaces, hip boutiques, and gourmet restaurants.
Big Bear Lake
Downtown Big Bear Lake is locally known as The Village, an alpine streetscape with timbered storefronts, stone facades, and tall pines. Big Bear Riddle Route turns your walk into a fun game with its 1.5-mile scavenger hunt that threads through The Village, while you solve puzzles, answer trivia questions, and uncover stories behind local landmarks.
The Pine Knot Marina is one of the stops along the way. Here, you can charter pontoon boats, rent a kayak, or hop aboard Miss Liberty for a 90-minute narrated cruise.
Head to the Village Faire Upstairs Mall for some retail therapy. More than a dozen local vendors sell Big Bear souvenirs, winter clothing, books, pottery, jewelry, and handcrafted goods. Then end your day at Rotary Pine Knot Park, where a shaded stretch of lawn and picnic tables offer waterfront views.
Laguna Beach
The town center in Laguna Beach exudes a bohemian-coastal aesthetic, combining Mediterranean and Spanish Revival architecture with an artistic colony. Main Beach makes the Pacific part of downtown. Classic beach recreation awaits, from sunbathing to beach volleyball and basketball.
From the beach, walk towards Forest Avenue, and you'll reach the Promenade on Forest. The pedestrian-only stretch replaces vehicular traffic with restaurants, shops, and public art displays.
The Laguna Art Museum anchors the north end of downtown. Its permanent collection spans over 3,500 works, including regional Impressionism, pop art, and contemporary installations. Adjacent to the museum, Heisler Park features elevated walking paths, succulent gardens, and oceanfront sculptures.
Dana Point
Just south of Laguna Beach, downtown Dana Point centers around the Lantern District. White stucco and palm trees frame the town center, with streets named after colored lanterns. Del Prado Avenue brings art to town through its creative spaces, such as the Gallery Dana Bay. It represents over 40 artists, with diverse works ranging from paintings and sculptures to photography and prints.
La Plaza Park is a short walk from the gallery. The park has a decorative mosaic fountain, a small amphitheater, and a small grassy area that doubles as the venue for the Dana Point Certified Farmers Market. Held on Wednesdays, the open-air community market sells farm-fresh produce, artisanal foods, and handmade crafts.
Avalon
Take the Catalina Express from Dana Point, and you'll step into Avalon's Mediterranean-style waterfront with hillside homes and pastel facades wrapped around a crescent harbor. The wooden wharf at Green Pleasure Pier is the launch point for boat excursions and tours. Tackle and bait shops surround the pier for those who want to go fishing, alongside seafood restaurants.
Head inland to Metropole Avenue for the Catalina Museum for Art & History. It preserves over 8,000 years of Santa Catalina Island history, which is documented through rare tiles, pottery, historic photographs, and film screenings.
Return to the waterfront and follow it towards Catalina Casino, the island's biggest architectural statement. Despite the name, the circular Art Deco building isn't a gambling facility. Instead, it houses the Avalon Theater with a 50-foot domed ceiling, the world's largest circular ballroom, and an open-air wrap-around balcony.
San Juan Capistrano
Whitewashed walls and red clay tile roofs give downtown San Juan Capistrano a Spanish Colonial look. Mission San Juan Capistrano offers the grandest version of this aesthetic. Walk through its flower-filled courtyards, step inside the Serra Chapel, or explore the open-air ruins of the Great Stone Church.
Just across the tracks, the Los Rios Historic District is the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood in California. Within this enclave stands the Montañez Adobe, an authentic mud-brick homestead with preserved artifacts that document early life. Finish beside the railroad at Trevor's at the Tracks, a former 1894 train depot has been converted into a farm-to-table restaurant with an open-air garden patio.
Julian
Julian channels its Gold Rush heritage along Main Street, lined with rustic wooden storefronts, elevated boardwalks, and old-fashioned signs. Begin at the Julian Town Hall & Visitor Center, the starting point for the town's History Hunt. The interactive self-guided tour follows clues to key landmarks in the town, including the Julian Pioneer Museum, a former blacksmith shop and brewery with Victorian-era pianos, 19th-century clothing, and vintage gold mining equipment.
Julian Cider Mill pours fresh apple cider, alongside shelves of raw local honey, pumpkin butter, and old-fashioned candies. Apples take another form at Julian Pie Company. Their original apple pie is the star, made with a flaky pastry crust and filled with Granny Smith apples.
Solana Beach
Winding down to the coast in North County San Diego, Solana Beach fills its downtown with repurposed World War II Quonset huts, reclaimed storefronts, and subtle Spanish influences. Spanning two and a half blocks, the Cedros Avenue Design District breathes new life into old industrial space that have been converted into working studios, furniture showrooms, and independent boutiques. One of those shops is the Aaron Chang Ocean Art Gallery, showcasing large-format surf photography and coastal landscapes.
Heading west across Highway 101, Fletcher Cove Beach Park spreads across a grassy bluff with picnic areas and ocean views. After a day of sun and sand, Solana Beach gets louder at Belly Up Tavern. Acclaimed as one of the best live music venues on the West Coast, the 600-capacity room has hosted the Red Hot Chili Peppers, No Doubt, and the Rolling Stones, who played a private event there in 2015. The concert venue connects to a restaurant and bar decorated with rock-and-roll posters.
Ten Downtowns, Ten Distinct Looks
Southern California does not succumb to one aesthetic. Instead, many of its town centers have unique visual identities rooted in their past. From the Gold Rush to rail heritage, the small towns in Southern California with the best downtowns wear their stories on the streets. That could be in the form of a Danish windmill, an Art Deco entertainment venue, or a Mediterranean-style waterfront.
