Victoria Beach Pirate Tower & Other So-Cal Pirate Adventures

Ye come seekin’ adventure and salty ol’ pirates, eh? Sure ye come to the proper place. That’s what they tell you when you embark on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland but it isn’t the only place in Orange County you can get a taste of that pirate life. The Victoria Beach Pirate Tower in Laguna Beach will transport your imagination to another time and place and make you wish you could set sail on the Black Pearl yourself!

Once our kids got old enough, we introduced them to Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl and and they’ve been obsessed with pirates ever since. So when I heard about a pirate tower in Laguna Beach, I just had to take the kids and explore it for ourselves.

What is the Victoria Beach Pirate Tower in Laguna Beach? 

Pirate Tower is just a nickname given to this unique seaside building by locals. In reality, a retired Senator named William E. Brown built the Victoria Beach Pirate Tower in 1926. Lucky for us, his vision for the ultimate dream home on top of the famous sandstone cliffs included a 60-foot tall stone turret built as an enclosed staircase from his estate down to the beach. In the 1940s, the next owner was a former naval captain named Harold Kendrick, known for hiding coins among the stones and stairs for local children to find. Who knows where the nickname originated but between the local history and the general look of the unique tower, it’s easy to see why the name stuck.

How do you get to the Victoria Beach Pirate Tower? 

Getting to the tower is a little adventure in and of itself. For starters, you can only access it during low tide. That and the lack of an easy way down is part of why the Victoria Beach Pirate Tower remains somewhat of a hidden gem. Victoria Beach is lined with private homes and doesn’t have a public parking lot. You’ll need to park along the Pacific Coast Highway, so try to avoid going during rush hour or on the weekend. Be super careful and watch out for oncoming cars as you walk along the highway. People probably thought we were nuts doing it with four kids but I’ll never forget it! Head down to the nearest stop light, then back to Sunset Terrace.

Walk down the hill on Sunset Terrace and you’ll see some stairs that lead to the beach. Here’s a Google Maps link to the stairs. Once you reach the beach, hang a right. You’ll walk along the sand until you turn the corner along the cliffs and you can’t miss it! You’ll have to scramble over some rocky tidepools to get there and along the way you’ll come across a strange circular stone ring that fills with water at high tide.

What Is There to Do At the Victoria Beach Pirate Tower? 

The tower itself is private property and closed to the public, so you can’t actually go inside it. But it does make for a great photo opp. Just think of it as a hunt for treasure and the tower is the ultimate prize. Enjoy the tidepools and scenery along the way, watch the waves crash against the rocks, and roam around the base of the tower. After that, there’s not much else to do than head back to Victoria Beach and enjoy a sunny day lounging on one of Orange County’s best beaches.

Watch this Instagram Reel of our family exploring the pirate tower!

X Marks the Spot at Treasure Island Beach

If you’re still craving more adventure after that, then head back to your car and take a short drive to the next closest beach, which also happens to have a pirate-themed name – Treasure Island Beach. Don’t worry, this one has a parking lot. This is a much larger beach with pristine sand and crystal clear water. This makes it a fantastic spot for snorkeling as well as scoping out tidepools when the tide is low.

My favorite part of the beach is the cool sea arch at the north end of the beach. Our kids loved running through it, scrambling over the rocks, and peering down into the tidepools looking for little creatures. Both Victoria Beach & Treasure Island made for some magical memories. In the words of Jack Sparrow, “not all treasure is silver and gold, mate!”

Where to Stay Near Laguna Beach  

The Renaissance ClubSport AlisoViejo is a Marriott hotel near Laguna Beach and is one of our favorite places to stay when we visit Orange County. A massive two-story fitness center is attached to the hotel, including on-site daycare. If parents want to take advantage of one of the fitness classes or even just take a kid-free break to lounge outside by the pool without having to worry the kids, you can just drop them off at the daycare for a couple hours. The hotel also has a cool kiddie pool and splash pad area that will entertain the kids for hours. Plus, it’s also only about a 15-minute drive to the Victoria Beach Pirate Tower and less than 30 minutes from Disneyland. Honestly, this is our favorite place to stay when we visit California. 

Or check out one of our other favorite places to stay – the best Marriott hotels in Southern California and learn how you can earn 3 free nights at any one of them!

More Pirate-Themed Adventures in Orange County

• Pirates Dinner Adventure in Buena Park  – an interactive theater dinner show with swashbuckling pirates, special effects, and stunts near Knott’s Berry Farm
• Check out an Aliso Viejo family’s Halloween exhibit – a local family recreates a miniature version of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride in their yard every Halloween (or you could just go to Disneyland and ride the actual ride – and potentially meet Jack Sparrow himself!)
• Newport Beach Pirate House – a home near Newport Beach Pier with dozens of pirate statues adorning the yard like giant lawn gnomes
• Clipper Cove Park in Laguna Niguel – a local park with a pirate ship playground for the kiddos
• Set sail on the Spirit of Dana Point – a tallship schooner whose massive sails will make you feel like you’re on a real-life pirate ship
• Sail over to Catalina Island for a day

California Bucket List

For more ideas of family-friendly things to do around other cities in California, like San Francisco or Los Angeles, make sure to download check out our California Bucket List!

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Drink up me hearties, yo ho!

–JJ 🤘🏻