May 15, 2019
From Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, families flocked to Crystal Cove to set up camp for the summer In the early days at the cove, after the highway was completed in the mid-1920s, people began to discover the beauty of Orange County’s coast. No longer the well-kept secret of Hollywood insiders and Irvine Ranch employees, the cove was now open […]
Apr 12, 2019
“Who’s going to see the ocean first?” That was the question Bill and Vivian Taft asked their grandchildren on the drive to Crystal Cove back in the 1960s. The first glimpse of the ocean from her grandfather’s old yellow Cadillac convertible is just one of Jennifer Steele’s childhood memories of her grandparents’ beloved beach cottage […]
Mar 15, 2019
Cottage #14 began as a simple palm-frond hut hastily built during The Great Depression. Over the years, the once tiny hut evolved into a spacious light-filled cottage available for overnight lodging. Known now as “South Beach Suite” for its South Beach location and views, and as “McCloskey Cottage” for the family who lived there […]
Feb 7, 2019
“Bless that darling old house!” wrote one longtime occupant of Cottage #12, the white two-story cottage that has watched over the North Beach for ninety years. Tucked into the hillside at a slight tilt, Cottage #12 is a familiar feature of the iconic North Beach silhouette. Captured by photographers and artists for nearly a century, […]
Jan 17, 2019
Crystal Cove Historic Cottage #7 still stands fenced off among the other North Beach cottages preparing for renovation, but the memories spent within them are still alive for Dale Carter, grandson of the original Carter family that built the cottage. Dale was kind enough to share some of his early experiences spent at Cottage #7 […]
Jan 17, 2019
On a beautiful autumn day in early November of 2018, the California State Parks dive team convened on a boat offshore of Crystal Cove State Park, ready to take a plunge. The visibility was excellent that day, and would make for a fascinating survey. The mission? To conduct a condition assessment for a very precious […]
Nov 14, 2018
Every year, the historic seaside bungalow now known as The Beachcomber Cafe gathers more than 150,000 people for casual ocean-front dining. This follows a long and happy tradition of sharing memories and meals at Crystal Cove. The Beachcomber is closed on Thanksgiving Day, but at one time Cottage #15 hosted as many as 75 people […]
Oct 18, 2018
Crystal Cove is known for its one-of-a-kind vernacular architecture as well as its celebrations and traditions, and one historic cottage combined these concepts in its annual Costume and Charades party. The party, held during the 1950s and 1960s by the Browning family of Cottage #26, incorporated a ¨no-store-bought¨ element of vernacular design with the […]
Aug 10, 2018
It wasn’t an exaggeration when longtime Coveite Mike Fenderson described the heyday of Crystal Cove’s tent camping era as “going to live all summer at the beach.” Families pulled up to the sand over Memorial Day weekend with trucks and trailers full of supplies for ingenious tents that they lived in through Labor Day weekend. […]
Jul 13, 2018
Celebrating the Summertime Anniversary of Crystal Cove Beach Cottages “Happiness to All Who Visit This Cottage” “We feel like California time travelers …. we never want to leave. Don’t change a thing; everything is perfect!” This 2009 hand-written entry from the guest journal of restored historic cottage #29 is one of many reflections recorded […]
