Welcome back to Biola everyone! It’s the start of a new semester which means the Out & About blog is up and running again!

Going to the beach in February

Even though it’s not summer yet, Sarah and I decided to visit Huntington Beach. Surprisingly this is a great time of year to spend a day on the coast.

During this time of the year, Huntington offers the same amount of fun activities and attractions that you would normally see during the summer minus the overwhelming about of beach goers. It’s the perfect time to get a large group of friends together for a bonfire or just a relaxing day at the beach.

Having fun on a budget

The great thing about Huntington Beach is the price. It’s practically free. Get some friends together, pack some snacks, and carpool down to the coast for a fun day in the sun.

If you do have a few extra bucks to spare, there are numerous restaurants and coffee houses along the Pacific Coast Highway; there’s even a Ruby’s Diner at the end of the Huntington Beach Municipal Pier. There are also several stores and hotels located across the street from the beach like a VANS store and Forever 21.

Farmer’s Market offers fresh produce

An event that is popular right now is the Huntington Beach Farmer’s Market and Craft Fair, which is open every Friday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. You can buy anything from homemade bread to different kinds of salsas. What’s most impressive is some of the produce is freshly picked in the morning then brought directly to the market.

If you’re not into the Farmer’s Market or Craft Fair spend the day tanning with friends or taking advantage of the well paved biking and running track. The Huntington Beach website also keeps a good calendar of events coming up at the beach like marathons and surf competitions.

Because Huntington is only 30 minutes from Biola and offers something for everyone to do, even on a budget, we gave it 4 out of 5 stars. We hope this helps you find something fun to start off this new semester right!

_Check our blog next week for some creative and budget friendly ideas for Valentine’s Day. _