Laguna Beach Main Beach - Kelpfest 2013

So, I posted earlier about kelpfest and thought I would share how our trip went.  I have to state how much I despise parking at the beach on weekends on beautiful days.  Then add onto that special events or holidays and it is just awful.  After driving around for what felt like forever, I finally found a lot that let me pay $10 for all day parking.  I hated doing it because I knew we wouldn't be there all day but better that then driving around some more so I just submitted.

Thankfully, the beach was a short walk from where we ended up parking and there were a lot of people there.  Kelpfest was at Main Beach which is beautiful, and busy.  There were a lot of cool booths there for the kids to explore all featuring things on either the ocean, kelp forests, or just being green.

After we explored the festival area we just had to go on the playground!  This was also very busy and crowded with a lot of kids.  Green Bubbles loved having all the instant 'friends' to play with and created his own game of follow the leader.  Little Miss just liked playing in the sand and swinging.

Just a few steps away was the actual beach so we went to get our toes wet and play in the sand for a few minutes before packing it up and returning home.

Now the best part, pictures!

Boy Scouts had a touch tank!

Even Miss Miss touched!

Closer look.

Artists painting the kelp forest.

Inside the pretend Kelp Forest

Wearing her 'kelp' necklace.

Playing some kelp animal games.

Planting a tomato. (This tipped over in the stroller and alas, I don't believe the tomato will make it.)

Hydroponics...

Decorating a fish.

'Face' painting, shark.

Playground.

The playground had a lot of signs like this as well as information about the different tidal zones, animals, and just good safety information.

Kelp, seen from the top of the ocean.  The paddle boarders were checking it out.

We (I) even saw a couple dolphins swimming by.

A rare group photo courtesy of a nice passerby!