If you are looking for some family friendly restaurants after going on my walking tour, here are my current Top 5 Picks in no particular order:
#1 Avila's El Ranchito - kids menu with colors, free chips and salsa, fast service, casual atmosphere, mexi food, on PCH beach side, inside/outside seating.
#2 Alessa - kids menu, no coloring page, inside/outside seating, Italian food, Forest Ave, can get loud which is perfect for kids.
#3 BJ's Pizza - kids menu + coloring page, great pizza but also great salads, PCH Main Beach.
#4 Big Fish Cold Beer - kids menu + coloring page, large variety on menu, didn't have chicken fingers the last time we went, PCH inland side 2nd floor (small sign), same owner as K'ya.
#5 Lumberyard - kids menu + colors, more upscale than the others mentioned, dress up a bit,  inside/outside seating, my daughter says they have the best mac and cheese in town! This restaurant gives back to the community by hosting fundraisers and donating to the schools.

Tickets went on sale yesterday for the 8th Annual Raffle, which benefits the Ocean Institute and Irvine Public Schools Foundation among other eligible non-profits. Ticket buyers will have the chance to win a beautiful Laguna Beach home or the alternate prize of $1 million in cash. 

This is my sister-in-law's home and it is amazingly beautiful!!!  Buy a ticket, win, and move to Laguna Beach!

Tickets are $150 and only 22,000 tickets will be sold. To purchase tickets and for information on the raffle, call (949) 542-3600 or visit www.ocean-institute.org.

Ok, after taking some time off to take my daughter to the National soccer tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee, (they won!!!) I am back and ready to take guests on my walking tour!  Check out the piece that is running in the Laguna Beach Independent this weekend:

By Ole Nielsen, Special to the Independent

After a successful year winning regional tournaments, the Blue Lagunas girls under 10 team tested their mettle in last week’s heat wave at the AYSO Nationals Cup in Knoxville, Tenn., and came home national champions.

After a day of acclimating to 95-100 degree temperatures and high humidity, the 10-member team would string together five victories (6-0 vs. Florida, 3-0 vs. Santa Monica, 10-0 vs. Tennessee team #1, 5-0 vs. Chicago and 7-0 vs. Tennessee team #2) earning them a spot in the finals.

The finals match would be against La Quinta, in 100+ degree heat and threatening thunderstorms. As winners of their pool, La Quinta came ready to compete. Both teams fought a physical back and forth battle that saw Laguna Beach up 2-0 at half time. At the beginning of the third quarter La Quinta scored off of a corner kick and redoubled the pressure. With literally five seconds to go, Laguna girls were able to score off of a break away, giving them a 3-1 victory over a tough opponent, and the title of division champions of the Nationals Cup!

The match concludes 11 months of soccer for the Blue Lagunas that saw a record of 40 wins, 1 loss and 3 ties, with 163 goals for and 21 goals against.

The team would like to thank its many supporters for their generous contributions to making this cross-country trip possible.

Ole Nielsen co-coached the winning Blue Lagunans.