I was so excited to go to Crystal Cove State Beach in Newport, California to see the cottage from the movie Beaches. Garry Marshall is one of my favorite directors and I been in love with his movies since I first saw The Princess Diaries. My Mom introduced me to Beaches several years ago and while it is a sad movie it is one I enjoy watching. Earlier this year I learned that you can see the cottage in person which I immediately put on my to do list.
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For those of you who have seen Beaches, you might remember that when Hillary Whitney gets sick she decides to go to her family’s beach house. She brings her best friend C.C. Bloom along to help take care of her daughter. The cottage used in the movie is located at Crystal Cove State Beach in Newport. It is free for anyone to visit. You can sit on the porch and enjoy the wonderful view.
I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that I could actually sit on the porch. It was my understanding that I would have to see the house from a distance. While the house did look different on screen it is still recognizable and visiting was such a special memory to create and share with my Mom.
Getting to the Cottage From the Movie Beaches
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Parking for Crystal Cove State Beach is at the Los Trancos parking lot. From the parking lot, you can either take the trolley for $1.50 per person for a one-way trip or walk there via the trail located to the south. I opted to walk and it was a relatively easy walk that took about ten minutes. I did eat at The Beachcomber Cafe during my visit which gave me three hours of validated parking for free. If you do not eat at the Beachcomber parking is $5 an hour with a $15 max rate. However, if you have a library card you should see if your library has the California State Parks Library Pass in stock. I have successfully used it for free parking at Crystal Cove since it is a State Beach/State Park. You can read more about the park pass here.
This beach is really family-friendly and in such a gorgeous area. Most of the cottages are available for rent which I think would be so much fun! Ruby’s Shake Shack overlooks this area which I have been to multiple times and love. Little did I know that this filming location was right under my nose on those visits.
