Experience the best of Dana Point

Dana Point takes its name from Richard Henry Dana, whose 1840 memoir Two Years Before the Mast described the headlands here. The harbour holds a marina of sailboats and fishing boats, and a waterfront of seafood restaurants and shops looks out over it. A replica of the brig Pilgrim, the ship Dana sailed on, is moored in the harbour.

Doheny State Beach has gentle surf and picnic lawns, while Salt Creek and Strands beaches lie beneath the bluffs. Boats go out to watch gray whales, which pass on their migration from about December to April, blue whales in summer, and dolphins through the year. Mission San Juan Capistrano, founded in 1776 and famous for its swallows, lies a few miles inland.

Fish tacos, clam chowder and the day's catch from the harbour are the staples, with Mexican cooking from the surrounding towns. A Mediterranean climate brings morning fog in early summer, known as June Gloom, and bright, clear afternoons.