Excitement is ramping up for The 2023 Hoag Classic Tournament held March 13th through March 19th at the Newport Beach Country Club. Raising over $20 million dollars for charity since its conception, the classic holds bragging rights as the “only PGA Tour Champions Event in Orange County''. Tens of thousands of fans come out each year to cheer on their favorites and support the world-renowned Hoag Hospital and other worthy charitable organizations.

Lush and lovely state of the art grounds, The Newport Beach Country Club sets the scene for this annual and critically acclaimed event. Beckoning both players avidly seeking to play the course and fans wishing to be a part of the experience there’s nothing quite like it. Two days of private events start things off with the Opening Shootout on Monday and Hoag Classic Hall of Fame Community Breakfast on Tuesday. The Legends Pro Am fills the calendar on Wednesday and Thursday, March 15th and 16th respectively. Weekend play is eagerly anticipated with gates swinging open at 8 am on Friday, March 17th to an eager public with approximate tee times scheduled for 10:30 a.m.

The 2023 Hoag Classic Tournament celebrates local communities in spirit and design. As a longstanding recipient of the tournament, Hoag Hospital continues to improve the livelihood of its patients and staff. Charitable proceeds benefit medical and research improvements as well as educational needs of valuable Hoag workers. Several military charitable organizations are also honored. The Tournament salutes members of the Armed Forces with complimentary admission granted to active, former, and reserve military members on Military Appreciation day, Saturday March 18th. In addition, hardworking students are also recognized on Student Appreciation Day. Students under 18 receive free admission on Sunday March 19th with students under 10 also admitted for free Wednesday through Sunday as well.

Parking is limited and patrons attending the Hoag Classic are recommended to plan ahead. Parking lot information is available here. Those unable to attend the event can still catch all the action by tuning into the Golf Channel Broadcast from 1 to 4 pm Friday through Sunday.

Get green thumb and garden ready during the 2023 Tomatomania held at Roger’s Gardens. This annual event dubbed “the world’s largest tomato plant sale” takes place from Friday, March 3rd until Sunday, March 12th, from 9 am to 6 pm. Over 250 varieties of tomato plants from heirloom to hybrid are showcased front and center for tomato and gardening enthusiasts alike to gawk over.

Tomatoes are a staple in every backyard garden and for twelve years now Tomatomania experts have made themselves available to impart wisdom and share their knowledge during this wonderful event. Tips flow freely ranging from advice on soil solutions to plant selection. Live streams and online learning programs are also accessible as refresher and introductory courses, featuring types of tomatoes, gardening tools and problem solving.

Staff members are willing and waiting to assist in garden planning. Attendees can get ready to talk tomato while plotting the perfect garden space. Tomato varieties grow in all sizes and fit in all types of gardens from the tiniest trek to the largest lot. All varieties of tomatoes are good to go and range from cherry to grape to beefsteak. While meandering around Tomatomania and selecting your favorite plants be sure to check out the 2023 tomato plant of the year ‘Dwarf Melanie’s Ballet’. Juicy and delicious, this delightful plant boasts smaller produce making it great for small spaces including container gardens. Small in stature, this little tomato plant is available for online presale along with numerous others.

Roger’s Gardens is the horticultural hub of Orange County striving to meet all local gardening needs. Folks shopping for plants, supplies or just seeking inspiration somehow find themselves here. Regular events including the yearly Tomatomania keep the gardens fresh and range from workshops to holiday themed spaces such as the acclaimed Halloween and Christmas boutiques. Tomatomania is the perfect opportunity for tomato lovers and first time visitors to discover the hidden wonder of Roger’s Gardens.

Times are tasty in the neighborhood during the 2023 Orange County Restaurant Week. Held on March 5th through 11th, this scrumptious annual event will have tummies talking. For fifteen years, area restaurants have come together to satisfy cravings by offering up their best service and style.

Orange County Restaurant week strives to serve just about everyone. Choices keep getting better and better with multiple menus for all occasions including date nights, family meals, luxury dining, cocktail fun, girls night out and more. From American to Asian, Italian to Mexican, the cuisine is all here and then some.

It’s easy to spice up date night when you let OC Restaurant Week do the planning for you. Seemingly unlimited dinner menus for two feature romantic and adventurous meals. Family menus offer entrees that all the kids with love, even the pickiest eater in the bunch. A large list of restaurants and eateries boast options for every friend in the squad. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and there are plenty of places offering mouthwatering menus exclusively for breakfast and brunch. Diners can even find help staying within budget by checking out menu options by price before heading out.

Participating restaurants are spread out all around Orange County. Fashion Island, Irvine Spectrum, The District at Tustin Legacy and The Market Place all house participating restaurants making it easy to shop until you drop before dinner. Other popular dining establishments taking place stretch throughout the county. From fancy to simply fare, hungry patrons are sure to find something to please their palates during this culinary extravaganza. The only bad thing about Orange County Restaurant Week is deciding what’s for dinner.

If you are looking for a special night out with dinner and entertainment for family and friends, consider going to The Art of Flamenco Dinner Show at Cafe Sevilla in Costa Mesa. You will not be disappointed in the longest running Flamenco show in Southern California. It is $89.50 per person, not including tip, surcharge, and drinks. The doors open at 6pm every Saturday with the show starting at 6pm sharp. It includes a three course dinner with a two part Flamenco show. The meal starts with a shaved salad, followed by a delicious paella, and topped with a lemon tart with cherries for dessert. The dancers are at the top of their field with training in Spain and are teachers of the art. You will be delighted by this delicious and invigorating taste of Spain right here in Orange County.

To help prepare for an evening to remember, a short history of Flamenco is interesting. Flamenco originated in Southern Spain, in Andalusia and Murcia, and was shaped by musicians and performers from Northern Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe. It spread quickly in the urban areas of Spain in the mid 19th century, but did not have a good reputation among the elites who tried to suppress Flamenco. Flamenco, however, continued to flourish and was popularized around the globe at World Fairs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It became particularly popular with French artists Claude Debussy and Sergei Diaghilev, leading to a rise in stature for Flamenco even amongst the Spanish elite. It was popular until the end of the Spanish Civil War, when it was again repressed by the new leaders, but was kept alive underground and outside of Spain. In the 1950’s it started flourishing again to help increase economic growth and tourism in Spain. Since then it has grown in popularity and there are many styles of Flamenco from traditional to fusion to modern.

If you are interested in a night of beauty, art, and Spanish cuisine, you can buy your tickets here.  There are shows every night and you can see who the scheduled dancers are as well. This show is for ages 10+ and also has a show on Valentine’s Day for a very special evening. 

Enjoy historic and beautiful San Juan Capistrano with the whole family on a walking tour of the city. It is about a 45 minute walk and the suggested donation per person is $5. Meet up at the Verdugo Street train station at the Information Kiosk. You will stroll down Los Rios Street, which is the oldest street in California! Then you will ​​visit the SJC Historical Society grounds which includes the O’Neil Museum, the Leck House, Silvas Adobe, and the jail.

Los Rios Street will take you to the oldest neighborhood in California with nearly forty homes including three original adobe homes. Be sure to check out the Montanez, the Rios, and the Silva adobes that housed the mission workers from the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. Today, many of the other homes are private residences, but some of the homes are businesses that are open to the public. Do not miss the willow trees amongst the eucalyptus and palms. There are also admirable cactus and wild flowers that are under cover of bouganvia. Do not miss the unusual gifts at the Hummingbird Cottage, tea from The Tea House, and other wonderful businesses.

The O’Neill Museum was the Garcia/Pryor residence built between 1870 and 1880 by Jose Garcia for his wife. He was a saloon owner and was unfortunately murdered in 1896 and his ghost has been said to sit on the porch occasionally, smoking a cigar. It was originally built as a 4 bedroom home with no bath or kitchen, but a kitchen was added in 1895. Albert Pryor purchased the home in 1903 from the Garcia family and lived there through 1955. The home was donated to the San Juan Capistrano historical society in the 1970’s and was turned into the museum it is now.

The Leck House was built on the vast land owned by Jasper and Alicia Leck. It was situated high up and has wonderful views of the surrounding county and the Pacific Ocean, but when the owners passed on, their land and hundreds of acres were sold and the house going to be destroyed. Happily, the city opted to move the home due to the historical value of the home to the community. In May of 2005, the home was moved to the Historical Society property.

The historic jail was built in 1896 and served as a holding cell for lawbreakers and a holdover point for prisoners that were being moved between San Diego and Los Angeles. The jail was moved from its original location which was on the west side of Camino Capistrano at the intersection of Ortega highway and then later moved near the Montanez Adobe, until it was moved to its current location at the Historical Society. You will see that the prisoners must have hoped for mild weather in that jail cell!

If you would like to purchase tickets for this historical tour of San Juan Capistrano, they are held on Saturdays at 1:00pm. You can choose your date and get the tickets here. You may also want to go to go over to the mission the same day if you have time in your itinerary!

Are you looking to add a bit of excitement to your weeknight, a way to get in cardio without going to the gym or hitting the pavement? Every Tuesday night, Legacy Night Club and Lounge in Newport Beach offers an evening of Bachata, Salsa & Zouk dancing for adults 21 and over. There are two dance floors with five DJ’s and tacos and a full bar for when you work up an appetite and need to hydrate. If you do not know these dance styles, they offer classes in Salsa and Bachata every Tuesday and Zouk every 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. There are three levels, so if you are a beginner, you do not need to feel embarrassed that you may be the only one in the class just starting out.

Bachata originated in the Dominican Republic in the 1960's and is full rhythm and love stories. It was banned during that time, taking a back seat to Merengue, but grew underground nonetheless.. Most of the dancing is in the lower body up to the hips with knees bent making the swaying of hips more easily. The swaying of the hips is the heart and soul of the dance. There are three main branches of Bachata: the original Dominican the truest form which has a lot of footwork but is free and bouncy, Bachata Moderna which is heavily influenced by Tango and Bolero, and Traditional Bachata which has a lot of turns and dips. Be sure to listen to Juan Luis Guerra’s 1992 Grammy winner, “Bachata Rosa” to get in the Bachata spirit.

Salsa developed its own particular style in the 1940’s heavily influenced by Afro-Cuban dance styles such as Mambo and Guaguanco. It is a very fluid and passionate dance, some prefer to be freestyle and others prefer more set choreography. Generally dancers take 3 steps during a 4 beat measure and either kick or turn or tap on the 4th beat, with many, many variations. There are many, many different styles of salsa, from Latin America, to Los Angeles, to New York and many international salsa competitions.

Zouk is the most recent dance style originating in the 1990’s in Brazil, evolving from the very popular Lambada dance. Zouk is partner dancing and has a lot of upper body movement. It is very versatile and has even moved from Zouk music to R&B, pop, and Hip Hop. Two of the most popular Zouk styles are Traditional or Rio style, which is both linear and circular based on basic patterns, and Lamba Zouk, which is very close to the Lambada with constant motion. It is very popular and always evolving.

To take advantage of this wonderful Tuesday night dance opportunity in Newport Beach, it is recommended to buy tickets in advance and are $12 per person. It starts at 8pm and you can eat, drink, and dance the night away until 1am. 

Enjoy a Friends Tour or Kayak Tour with family and friends, exploring northern Newport Beach with the Newport Bay Conservancy. Perhaps you are longing to get into nature, eager to get some healthy exercise, or just interested in your local habitat. The Newport Bay Conservancy has plenty of ways to get involved and become educated about the local ecology, wildlife, and environment. Every Saturday they offer their Kayak Tour for people 8 and older from 10AM - 2PM. They offer free Friends Tour  for 90 minutes once a month, a legacy that started 56 years ago to educate the interested public on their beautiful and fascinating surroundings. They offer several educational programs and other ways to get involved.

In the 1960’s and 1970’s through the present, Newport Bay Conservancy has been a leader in educating the public on the importance of conserving some coastal wetlands. Through their reserve, they have been teaching the public about the natural habitat of the land and the environment of our local wildlife. They also teach the public about how they can help keep the environment clean by keeping trash and chemicals out of the bay. Picking up after your pet, keeping good maintenance on cars, and using environmentally friendly cleaning products are ways they suggest to help keep the bay clean.

If you are interested in buying a ticket for the Kayak Tour, please know that teens 12-17 can ride together as long as there is an adult party with them also in the water,, but kids 8-11 need to ride tandem with an adult. Most participants really love going in the winter, due to the exciting Canadian and Alaskan birds that migrate down for the winter. You will received a kayak safety lesson beforehand and you should also be prepared to carry your kayak down to the water with your partner. Do not forget to bring a hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses.

If walking is more your speed, the Friend Tour reservations for the 2nd Saturday of every month can be made here h You will meet up with the Naturalist at the Vista Point lookout at the corner of Eastbluff and Back Bay Drive. This educational experience will last approximately 90 minutes and cover 1 mile hiking. If you are not able to go in person, you can experience this wonderful tour virtually here. 

Perhaps you are an ardent classical music connoisseur, you love high drama on the stage, or one of your New Year’s Resolutions is to experience more art in your life. Whatever may be your particular draw, Laguna Playhouse will enliven you with Hershey Fedler in “Chopin In Paris” which will light up the stage starting January 4, 2023 through January 15, 2023. There are both matinee and evening performances to choose from, allowing you to also experience a delicious lunch or a romantic dinner at one of the many restaurants within walking distance of the theater.

Hershey Fedler, the internationally renowned pianist and actor, will reveal the story of the Polish pianist-composer Fryderyk Chopin in his spectacular and unique style. It will delve deep into the psyche and music of this musical giant through the backdrop of his love affair with the prolific French authoress who went by the nom de plume, George Sand. The music and character of the “Poet of the Piano” will be brought to life on stage for you.

Chopin was born to a French emigre father hired in Poland to teach aristocratic children and showed tremendous interest and talent in music from a very young age. He went abroad in 1830 to Vienna with the intention of going to Italy and Germany as well, but geopolitical stirrings left him without money from his Polish homeland for a while until he was able to make it to Paris. Paris was a great boon for him and he became very popular and wealthy through his talent, wit, and charm. In 1838, Chopin first began his liaison with his beloved novelist and also soon after acquired tuberculosis. Over time they continued their affair, but eventually Chopin became petulant and moody and their relationship became strained and eventually caused a deep rift.

Do not miss this opportunity to experience Chopin’s March 4, 1848 piano lesson in Paris for yourself, it will truly be an experience to remember. The Chicago Sun Times heralds it “Emotionally charged and GLORIOUS” while the San Diego Tribune reports that “Hershey Felder brings Chopin to vivid life”. One would surely be moved by this exquisite performance and be pleased by attending. Everyone living in coastal Orange County who is interested can purchase tickets for this masterpiece here. 

There are many options for ringing in the new year in or near your Newport Coast home. You can plan a quiet night playing games and munching on snacks with family and friends at home, head out on the town, or consider a more unique way to celebrate. The 20th Annual New Year's Eve Yacht Party will be available on December 31, 2022. Everyone over the age of 21 is invited to celebrate New Year’s Eve in style on the water. This event includes a yacht cruise through Newport Harbor, an open bar all night long, a champagne greeting, a taco bar buffet, and a DJ with dancing.

The boat includes three levels and various ways to party. Level one includes the bar and lounge. Level two contains the main room and dance floor and level 3 consists of a scenic outdoor deck. Eat, drink, dance, and enjoy a fun night with friends or that special someone. Check-in begins for this event at 8 p.m. at 2901 West Coast Highway in Newport Beach. The yacht will begin boarding shortly after check-in and the yacht will return at 12:30 a.m. Be sure to leave your Newport Coast home early. You don’t want to be late to catch the boat.

In addition to this party yacht, there is also an option for the Newport Beach Premium Edition. On the premium edition yacht, those aboard will have all of the perks mentioned above, however, the meal is a multi-course gourmet dinner and everyone will get New Year’s Eve party favors. The premium yacht boards at 9 p.m. and returns at 12:45 a.m. The price for tickets for this party is $269. Everyone living in Newport Coast real estate is invited to read about the options for the New Year’s Eve Yacht Party and other yacht parties that take place throughout the year here. 

Everyone living in coastal Orange County is invited to get in the holiday spirit and decorate cookies. Not only will you feel the holiday spirit, but you will walk away with some tasty treats to feed your guests at your coastal Orange County home on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. This cookie decorating event will take place on Friday, December 23 at Lido House, Autograph Collection, which is located at 3300 Newport Blvd. in Newport Beach. The festivities will occur from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Guests will be able to work with the Lido House Culinary team to create a cookie masterpiece. Those in attendance can get cozy in the Boathouse, watch classic holiday movies, munch on popcorn and cotton candy, decorate cookies, and enjoy apple cider or hot cocoa. In addition, there will be a special visitor in attendance from the North Pole. The cost to attend this event is $49 per person. Get your tickets here.

This event is open to anyone living in coastal Orange County or guests who are staying at the hotel. While you are at the hotel, consider grabbing a bite to eat at one of the restaurants. The Mayor’s Table Pacific Pub + Kitchen is the signature restaurant. Come in for wine and dinner at this vibrant restaurant located on the site of the old City Hall. If you are looking for a lighter experience come to the Topside Roof Deck. Enjoy wine, cocktails, and a tasty meal at Newport Beach’s only rooftop bar. Take in the sunset and spend time with family and friends. If you arrive before 1 p.m., you can grab a drink at crew Coffee + Cremerie. This shop is open every day from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In addition to accommodations, events, and restaurants, Lido House, Autograph Collection is a terrific place for meetings and weddings. There is also a spa, fitness center, and a gorgeous swimming pool. If you’d like to learn more about this hotel and all it has to offer, find more details here.