Pirate Tower of Victoria Beach
DETAILS:
Location: Victoria Beach. 2713 Victoria Dr., Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Directions: Once you park, the entrance down to the beach is the stairway at Sunset Terrace and Victoria Drive. These stairs are really easy to miss so keep an eye out! Once you get to the bottom, turn to your right and the tower will appear around the bend.
Hours of Operation: Sunrise to sunset.
Parking: Metered parking along PCH (Pacific Coast Highway).
Cost: current parking meter pricing.
Time Commitment: 1hr is plenty to explore the tower and surround beach area.
Miscellaneous: If at all possible, make sure to coincide your visit with low tide since close access to the tower will not be possible during high tide. Tidal Calendar provided under “resources” below.
Winter is coming… although you might have to wait awhile since this particular location sits on a beach in Southern California, and while you might not see dragons flying overhead or have to fight off an invading army of White Walkers (thankfully), it wouldn’t be hard to believe that you’re roaming the coastline of Westeros when visiting the Pirate Tower of Victoria Beach. I could go on and on with the Game of Thrones references (kidney pie, anyone?) in lieu of the less than mythic origin story behind this 60 foot tower, but I suppose it’s time for a little information dump. The tower was been built in 1926 for state senator; William E. Brown, as a stairwell to the beach from his house on the cliff above (rich people). But in a comic case of poetic justice for this overindulgence, the tower could only be used part-time since they somehow forgot to factor in tidal patterns during construction. So it wasn’t until the tower was complete that they realized it was pretty useless during high tide. But it sure does look pretty.
It’s a short walk north (about a quarter of a mile) to tower once you’ve reach the bottom of the current stairway access. Victoria Beach is covered in craggly rock, so if you were hoping to find a soft stretch of sand to practice your Baywatch slow-motion run, you’ll need to look elsewhere. But this particular setting only enhances the motif and definitely makes for some good tide pool exploring, especially in the ocean pool at the foot of the tower that slowly fills with water as the tide comes in. The tower is perpetually locked now, so you won’t be able to step inside when visiting. If you’re lucky though, maybe you’ll find an old coin buried in a one of the tower’s nooks & crannies since legend has it that another former owner; Harold Kendrick, used to regularly dress up as a pirate and hide coins around the tower for the neighborhood kids to find. Either way, I promise you’ll be completely enchanted by this hidden treasure.
