BEACH FREEBIES, LAND DEALS : O.C.’s Cheap Summer Thrills Range From Bonfires to Crashing the Ritz

As an international tourist destination, Orange County is home to more than its share of amusement parks and themed attractions. As a resting place for bloated real estate fortunes, the county also has a growing number of upscale restaurants and beachside resorts.

But while there may be lots to do, much of it is pricey. For those not operating with vacation savings or trust-fund disbursements, and with the recession putting extra pressure on entertainment budgets, ferreting out new and interesting--and cheap--things to do can be an ongoing challenge.

In that spirit, OC LIVE! offers a few suggestions, in the first of a recurring series of articles to focus on the county’s inexpensive attractions.

* Beach bonfires. The county’s beaches have always been among its chief attractions on summer days, but at local strands with fire rings, the goings-on continue well into the night.

Cooking over an open fire is not dead, at least at these beaches. As night falls, bonfires dot the sand, and the aroma of roasting hot dogs replaces the scent of sun block.

The eight beaches with fire rings neatly divide into two categories: those that allow alcoholic beverages and those that don’t. The two that do are Huntington and Bolsa Chica state beaches, which together offer more than 200 rings. The minimum drinking age of 21--identification is required--is strictly enforced, and rangers are quick to crack down on public drunkenness.

Of the remaining beaches, the most popular is Corona del Mar State Beach. There are fire rings near Balboa Pier, south of the Huntington Beach Pier (on Huntington City Beach) and at Doheny State Beach. Aliso Beach County Park has about 10 rings, and San Clemente Beach has a single ring.

Besides burgers, firewood and other raw materials, the only cost involved is parking, which ranges from $6 a car at the state beaches to nothing at Aliso (if you find a spot along the Coast Highway). Most beaches are open until midnight, although users at Doheny must be out by 10 p.m.

The fire rings are all first-come, first-served. The main thing to remember is that these spots go fast in summer, especially on weekends. On a warm weekend at Huntington and Bolsa Chica state beaches, people will start claiming spots by noon, and the fire rings will all be taken long before sundown. Even on weekdays, an open ring might be hard to find.

To be claimed, a fire ring must be physically occupied. Set up chairs, throw the wood in the ring--anything to let people know it’s yours--and don’t stray too far. Families will often drop their kids off to spend the day on the beach and hold a spot. The adults come back later for the evening revelry.

Final safety notes: Don’t bring glass containers, and don’t burn plywood or particle board--they produce toxic gases.

* Disneyland Hotel. Admission into the Magic Kingdom runs $27.50 for adults these days. Throw in the family, food and souvenirs, and the price tag really starts to climb.

A quick Disney fix is available right across the street, however, at no charge to get in (except, once again, parking). The Disneyland Hotel offers a number of attractions that, while no match for Splash Mountain or Pirates of the Caribbean, offer a bit of the Disney touch. Besides that, the Monorail glides right overhead, and you can get a free glimpse of the nightly Disneyland fireworks (9:30 p.m sharp).

Most of the action is centered on the lagoon between the hotel towers. At one corner, visitors can take in the free Dancing Waters show, an electronically choreographed lights-and-fountains-and-music attraction designed to make the folks from Iowa ooh and aah . There are radio-controlled boats to guide through the water and radio-controlled cars to guide along a track ($1 a pop for each). There’s a big arcade with the latest in games, including Sega’s spectacular new hologram entry (watch someone else play--you’ll save 75 cents and have just as much fun).

Sgt. Preston’s Yukon Saloon and Dance Hall, with its live floor show, is the flashiest of the food concessions, but there are other choices ranging from relatively inexpensive snack bars on up to pricey rooftop joints.

For those romantic (if somewhat prefab) evening strolls, a walkway winds over, under and around a series of lighted waterfalls. There are lots of shops, too, offering glassware, clothes, international crafts and, of course, Disney souvenirs. Go on, get yourself some mouse ears--why let those people from Iowa have all the fun?

* Grunion. Back to the beach for the time-honored ritual of harassing small fish as they try to lay their eggs in the sand.

California grunion (Leuresthes tenuis) come ashore to spawn for about two hours just after highest tide (around midnight) following each full and new moon, from mid-March through August. One of the few fish species to lay eggs on land, grunion were reportedly described by California Indians as “fish that dance on the beach at the full moon.”

The female grunion rides the surf to its highest point, then digs in tail-first and deposits as many as 3,000 eggs. As many as eight males surround her, releasing milt to fertilize the eggs. At the next extreme high tide, the eggs hatch and the young ride to sea on the surf.

In April and May, the fish are protected. But for the other runs, licensed anglers are allowed to bring in as many of the sardine-size fish as they can catch with their bare hands. Licenses are $21.50 and are available at most sporting goods or bait and tackle shops. Grunion enthusiasts under 16 don’t need a license. It is illegal to use a net, bucket or any other utensil to catch the fish.

The exact beach where the fish will come ashore can be difficult to predict, but the times are almost as regular as clockwork. The final runs this year are: Aug. 11 to 14 and 27 to 29 (see accompanying story for exact times).

The fish are edible. Some grunion aficionados gut and scale them, cut off the heads and tails and fry the fish in oil; some dip them in cornmeal before frying. If you don’t intend to eat the fish, don’t keep them.

* Angels. With tickets for many professional sporting events rising ever further out of the reach of many fans, the great American pastime of baseball remains a pretty good bargain at Anaheim Stadium. And the other good thing is that the stadium has plenty of seats (64,593 total, 11,050 of them general admission), so the games almost never sell out.

Even the most expensive seats (field and club box) top out at a reasonable $11, but seasoned cheapskates will always be found in the unreserved View section. These general admission seats, on the stadium’s highest level, are just $4--less than the cost of a movie.

Sure, the seats are way up there. But this is the party section, the first to break out the beach balls and the paper airplanes if the game gets a bit tedious, the most likely to start a wave. Many denizens of the section seem to make up in beer purchases what they saved on the ticket price.

Moms and dads looking for a less rowdy atmosphere can spend an extra $2 a ticket for reserved seats in the Family section, also on the View level. Parking, meanwhile, is $3 a vehicle.

The Angels had a one-day hold on first place back on July 3, but have since hit some rough times. They return to Anaheim Stadium on Friday for a nine-game home stand against the Seattle Mariners, the division-leading Minnesota Twins, and the defending American League champion Oakland A’s. The regular home season continues through Oct. 6.

True cheapskates know to watch out for special promotions. Everyone attending Sunday’s 1 p.m. game against the Mariners will get a free nylon “beach wallet.”

* Ritz-Carlton. No, that’s not a misprint. It is possible to play rich at Orange County’s swankiest resort and get out the door for about $5 a head, plus whatever you decide to pay the valet.

The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel commands a bluff-top perch overlooking Salt Creek Beach, and the spectacular view is almost matched by the sumptuous interior, which does its best to look old-money rich: lots of marble and rugs and glass bookcases.

There are two main restaurants in the hotel, but there is also a limited menu offered in the Library. Sit down, enjoy the ocean view, the tinkling piano and the Old World decor. Take your pick of the daily cake selection, at $5, and if you really want to splurge, add a cup of coffee ($2), espresso ($2.50) or cappuccino ($3.50).

Hors d’oeuvres run from $8.50 to $12.50 (not counting the caviar--$40 for sevruga and $75 for beluga). And, for those who really want to see how the other half lives, there’s an afternoon tea service, 2:30 to 5 p.m. weekdays and 2 to 6 p.m. weekends. Light tea service is $11, the full service is $15 and the royal tea service (with champagne) is $20. Keep those pinkies extended.

* Balboa Fun Zone. Disneyland, as Walt used to say, will never stop growing as long as there is imagination left in the world. The Fun Zone, meanwhile, seems to have had its growth arrested sometime in the 1930s.

This most low tech of amusement parks offers a quaint array of unassuming attractions: a tiny Ferris wheel, bumper cars, arcades that boast Skee-ball alongside the video games, and a carnival-style attraction with a humorously literal name--the Scary Dark Ride.

The Fun Zone, which was started in the ‘30s, is on the landward side of the Balboa Peninsula. The historic Balboa Pavilion is nearby, and a short walk across the peninsula is the Balboa Pier and a kite-flying haven, Peninsula Park.

Back in the Fun Zone, there are snack stands along the harbor edge and nearby shops and restaurants. There is also a final step back in time: the Balboa Ferry. For a quarter, a pedestrian can take the three-minute ride across the harbor to Balboa Island (65 cents for a car and driver, plus 25 cents for each passenger) and explore the boutiques and the expensive real estate. John Wayne lived here once, as the harbor tour operators will be more than happy to tell you.

The Fun Zone is crawling with teens on summer nights. If that’s not your scene, come in early on a weekend morning. You might even find free parking on Balboa Boulevard, and a table at Ruby’s on the pier.

* Fullerton Arboretum. Not exactly boasting a high-thrill quotient, the arboretum is nevertheless a pleasant place to while away an hour or three. It’s a great place to walk and enjoy the gardens, and to pick up a little local history at the same time.

A counterclockwise stroll through the 25-acre garden starts off with plants of temperate zones--dry conifers and deciduous trees--and continues through a tropical section. A recirculating pond and stream, with a waterfall, run through these areas. The walk continues into the arid zone, the garden’s largest collection. This area features not only plants of our own deserts and coastal areas, but holdings of plants and trees from Australia and South Africa.

The center of the arboretum houses the cultivated collections, including orchards, a rose garden, kitchen gardens and a rare fruit grove. There is also a historical orchard, focusing on varieties of fruit tree used in the early years of county agriculture. The Heritage House and surrounding structures complete the scene: Built in 1894, the cottage served as the home and office of Fullerton’s first physician, George C. Clark.

Heritage House is open for tours on Sunday afternoons. The suggested donation for admission to the arboretum is $1.

Important Particulars to Know

Beach bonfires

The following beaches have public fire rings:

Bolsa Chica State Beach, between Warner Avenue and Huntington Pier.

Huntington City Beach, between Huntington Pier and Beach Boulevard.

Huntington State Beach, between Beach Boulevard and Santa Ana River jetty.

Balboa Beach, near Balboa Pier west of Balboa Boulevard.

Corona del Mar State Beach, Ocean Boulevard and Iris Avenue.

Aliso Beach County Park, 31000 block of Pacific Coast Highway, South Laguna.

Doheny State Beach, Del Obispo and Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point.

San Clemente Beach, west end of Avenida del Mar.

Disneyland Hotel

At 1150 W. Cerritos Ave., Anaheim. Dancing Waters operates at 9 and 10 nightly. Information: (714) 778-6600.

Grunion

The final grunion runs this year are:

Aug. 11, 10:55 p.m. to 12:55 a.m.; Aug. 12, 11:45 p.m. to 1:45 a.m.; Aug. 13, 12:35 to 2:35 a.m.; Aug. 14, 1:35 to 3:35 a.m.; Aug. 27, 11:05 p.m. to 1:05 a.m.; Aug. 28, 11:45 p.m. to 1:45 a.m.; Aug. 29, 12:40 to 2:40 a.m. (Where the start time is after midnight, date of previous evening is used.)

Angels

Anaheim Stadium is at 2000 S. State College Blvd. Unreserved View level seats go on sale 1 1/2 hours before game time. For general ticket information, call (714) 634-2000.

Ritz-Carlton

At 33533 Ritz-Carlton Drive, Dana Point. Information: (714) 240-2000.

Balboa Fun Zone

At 600 E. Bay Ave., Balboa, just off Balboa Boulevard. Information: (714) 675-9152.

Fullerton Arboretum

At the northeast corner of the Cal State Fullerton campus, off Associated Road. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. daily; Heritage House tours on Sundays, 2 to 4 p.m. Information: (714) 773-3579.