Rows of early wooden surfboards along a wall of the SHACC permanent collection hallVisitors fill the SHACC hall under a wood-beamed ceiling and paper lanterns, with surfboards along the wallsA bronze sculpture of a surfer riding a board in the SHACC hall, with visitors behindA full house at SHACC for an evening program, seen from aboveArchival photo of paddlers racing on surfboards, from SHACC's 1930s: The Race to Compete displayArchival photo of early surfers and their boards outside a wooden surf club, from SHACC's Santa Cruz display

Photo: Courtesy of SHACC

Things to Do

Surfing Heritage and Culture Center (SHACC)

The Surfing Heritage and Culture Center (SHACC) is a free surf history museum on Ocean Avenue in downtown Laguna Beach. Follow a thousand years of surfing through boards, photos and stories from an 80,000-object archive, and catch talks and film nights in the SHACC Theater.

(949) 388-0313 shacc.org Tue–Sun 11am – 6pm, Mon Closed

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About

The Surfing Heritage and Culture Center, known as SHACC, tells surfing's story through the boards themselves. Dick Metz, who grew up surfing in Laguna Beach alongside Hobie Alter, gave the vision, the first funding and the first objects when it was founded in 2000. Today the collection holds about 80,000 objects: some 2,400 surfboards, 12,000 magazines and more than 60,000 photographs. SHACC calls it the world's largest publicly accessible archive of surf culture.

The permanent collection is laid out as a timeline in four eras. It starts with surfing's first thousand years in Polynesia, then follows the sport as it meets the modern world, explodes into pop culture and goes through the revolutions in boards and competition that followed. Solid wood planks line one long wall, and glass cases fill the hall under a wood-beamed ceiling and paper lanterns.

The featured exhibit, PAE KA NALU: Catch the Wave, is about Duke Kahanamoku. A century ago the Hawaiian Olympic swimmer called this stretch of Southern California his home away from home, and he turned his California swimming friends into the state's first generation of surfers. Two smaller displays look at Santa Cruz, where California's surf story began, and the 1930s surfboard races that shaped modern competition.

Admission is free, and SHACC is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. In the evenings the SHACC Theater hosts author talks, film nights, opening receptions and an annual gala. Members get priority seating, and most programs are open to everyone. If you want to dig deeper, the archive takes research requests.

What to know

  • Admission is free.
  • Closed Mondays. Hours can change on holidays and for private events, so check What's On at shacc.org before you go.
  • Reserve seats ahead for evening talks and film nights. Members get priority.
  • Step-free access to all galleries and the theater, with ADA restrooms. Service animals are welcome.
  • Large-print guides, an audio tour, sensory guides and a theater hearing loop are offered on request with a reservation.

Getting there

232 Ocean Ave, Laguna Beach, CA 92651

SHACC is on Ocean Avenue in downtown Laguna Beach, just off Pacific Coast Highway. It's about 15 minutes from John Wayne Airport (SNA) and 45 minutes from LAX. The museum's own parking lot and main entrance are at 232 Ocean Ave. OCTA Route 1 stops at Broadway and PCH, two blocks away, and the Laguna Beach Trolley runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Bike racks are by the front entrance.

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FAQs

Yes. Admission to SHACC is free.

SHACC is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed Mondays. It can close early for special events and on holidays, so check What's On at shacc.org before you go.

SHACC has its own parking lot at the main entrance, 232 Ocean Ave in downtown Laguna Beach.

The featured exhibit is PAE KA NALU: Catch the Wave, about Duke Kahanamoku's time on the Southern California coast. The permanent collection traces surfing through four eras, and smaller displays cover Santa Cruz and the 1930s surfboard races.

About 80,000 objects, including some 2,400 surfboards, 12,000 magazines and more than 60,000 photographs.

Yes. The SHACC Theater hosts author talks, film nights, opening receptions and an annual gala. Most programs are open to the public, and members get priority seating.

Yes. All public galleries and the theater have step-free access, and there are ADA restrooms and a family restroom at the main entrance.

SHACC was founded in 2000 by Dick Metz, who grew up surfing in Laguna Beach, with co-founder Spencer Croul.

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