Laguna Beach Among Top 30 Charming Beach Towns In America

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Travel writers at TravelMag.com agree that Laguna Beach is one of the top 30 most charming beach towns .

Hanging with such charmers as Key West, Fla., Cape May, New Jersey, Hanalei, Hawaii, and the California beach towns of Capitola and Carmel-by-the-Sea, TravelMag.com reviewed America's coastal beauties for such attributes as "diversity and natural beauty."

Laguna Beach has both in spades.

Forget the reality television shows and the Instagram-worthy backdrops of anywhere in Laguna at sunset, TravelMag.com was far more interested in the famous folks who've called Laguna Beach home.

Many famous residents have called Laguna Beach home, from astronauts to actors.

Buzz Aldrin, lived in a quaint Emerald Bay ocean-view cottage. John Steinbeck rented a room in a small shingled cottage on Park Avenue for $15 a month with his wife before he was a known author. Bette Middler lived in the Norman House that houses the Pirate's Tower of Victoria Beach in the late 1980s. Bette Davis also called the Norman House home in the 1920s.

Harrison Ford and even Warren Buffet have called Laguna Beach home, among many other notables.

Artist Wyland, known for his Whaling Wall murals and sculptures and paintings of marine life, has a gallery and home in two TravelMag.com beach towns: Laguna Beach and Key West.

According to the review, Laguna Beach is a "self-professed artist colony has a little bit of everything."

This year, we will miss summer events such as the Pageant of the Masters, where art comes to life. Still, the advent of Laguna Beach's outdoor alfresco dining experience:Promenade On Forest Avenueshows Laguna won't give up its heritage even in a pandemic.

The beaches in Laguna also got rave reviews for the stunning water, low cliffs, arches, and the Pirate Tower of Victoria Beach.

Why do you think Laguna Beach is one of the nation's most charming beach towns? Let us know in comments, or by writing your Patch editor!