Socal 4/7 - 4/15

The family and I will be in Socal Easter weeeknd for a week. I have spent a fair amount of time in LA but never been to Disneyland/OC

 

We are staying in Garden Grove Sat thru Wed and then heading down to san Diego to visit family.

 

Other than Disneyland, Knotts Berry where would you suggest on taking a 8 yearl old boy? I was under the impression that Magic Mountain was for older teenage and up.

 

 

Morrisok

The family and I will be in Socal Easter weeeknd for a week. I have spent a fair amount of time in LA but never been to Disneyland/OC

 

We are staying in Garden Grove Sat thru Wed and then heading down to san Diego to visit family.

 

Other than Disneyland, Knotts Berry where would you suggest on taking a 8 yearl old boy? I was under the impression that Magic Mountain was for older teenage and up.

 

 

Morrisok

 

Hey Morrisok,

 

Hope you enjoy your stay in So Cal! Welcome, Subie brother!

 

Some possibilities:

 

1. Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach, CA): So Cal's largest Indoor & Outdoor Aquarium. And next to it is Shoreline Village & Pike @ Rainbow Harbor (lots of good restaurants, Wharf / Pier area). And 3 minutes away from The Queen Mary.

http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/

 

2. Angels Baseball Game (Anaheim, CA): Not sure if your kid's a baseball fan or not, but you could catch an Angels Baseball game while you're in the area (or a Ducks / Kings game if you're into Hockey )

http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/schedule/index.jsp?c_id=ana&m=4&y=2007

 

3. Or if you all enjoy Rollerblading / Bicycling / Skateboarding, etc., you could bring them to one of the many cool Beaches of So Cal. Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Laguna, etc. Should be great weather.

 

 

Kinda tired; I'll post more when I can think of stuff.

 

Peace~

Hey Morrisok,

 

Hope you enjoy your stay in So Cal! Welcome, Subie brother!

 

Some possibilities:

 

1. Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach, CA): So Cal's largest Indoor & Outdoor Aquarium. And next to it is Shoreline Village & Pike @ Rainbow Harbor (lots of good restaurants, Wharf / Pier area). And 3 minutes away from The Queen Mary.

http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/

 

2. Angels Baseball Game (Anaheim, CA): Not sure if your kid's a baseball fan or not, but you could catch an Angels Baseball game while you're in the area (or a Ducks / Kings game if you're into Hockey )

http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/schedule/index.jsp?c_id=ana&m=4&y=2007

 

3. Or if you all enjoy Rollerblading / Bicycling / Skateboarding, etc., you could bring them to one of the many cool Beaches of So Cal. Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Laguna, etc. Should be great weather.

 

 

Kinda tired; I'll post more when I can think of stuff.

 

Peace~

 

Hey Legacy_Otaku,

 

Yeah I will have to bring them to Venice beach and drop the wife at the Promenade in Santa Monica.

 

As for baseball, our son is a huge fan. He and my wife are both from Cuba and as you probably know baseball in Cuba is like nothing else here in the US. It's in is blood.. :-)

 

How does the Aquarium of the Pacific compare to Seaworld in San Diego. I ask because we are planning to go there later in the trip?

 

And will it be warm enough to enjoy one of the water/splash parks in Socal in mid April?

 

Morrisok

Are you going to hit up Legoland on your way to San Diego. My 6 year old loves it there. It's a lot smaller than Disneyland but it has interesting things to do for younger children. Depends if your son is into that kind of stuff.

 

Check hours and rides before you go. During winter, a lot of rides are closed for maintenance. Not sure if they're open by April.

 

My son didn't like San Diego Zoo. Although it's a great zoo, the wide open expanse just didn't have enough activity to keep a 6 year old entertained.

San Diego Sea World is a lot bigger than the Aquarim of the Pacific in Long Beach...and im pretty sure its better too since there are more activities to do there with the shows and stuff...

Sea World has more interaction with its guests, while the Aquarium is more just "through the looking glass". Both are nice places to go to, though.

Lego Land!!!!

Hey Legacy_Otaku,

 

Yeah I will have to bring them to Venice beach and drop the wife at the Promenade in Santa Monica.

 

As for baseball, our son is a huge fan. He and my wife are both from Cuba and as you probably know baseball in Cuba is like nothing else here in the US. It's in is blood.. :-)

 

How does the Aquarium of the Pacific compare to Seaworld in San Diego. I ask because we are planning to go there later in the trip?

 

And will it be warm enough to enjoy one of the water/splash parks in Socal in mid April?

 

Morrisok

 

Hey Morrisok,

 

Nice! Yah, Angels fans are pretty cool; should be some nice So Cal weather to enjoy a Baseball game while you're down here.

 

The Aquarium of the Pacific is different and less scope than Sea World. I haven't been back to Sea World in like 6-7 years , but they have lots of cool Water Animal Shows, etc. I'd say browse the Aquarium's site & Sea World's site and see what you think of both offerings.

 

I liked the Aquarium in its own way; it's a cool local place, lots of varieties of fish, you can pet certain aquatic life, and the new downtown Long Beach is pretty nice for the family and couples in general .

Oops, forgot to answer your other question -

 

So Cal Water Parks: Yah, April in So Cal is pretty warm, so I think Raging Waters and other locales should be just fine, temperature-wise.

 

You're Eight years old and you're driving a LGT?

 

 

Saawwweeeeeet!

Magic Mountain is pretty ghetto, but you won't find better rollercoasters anywhere else in SoCal. If your 8-year-old is under 42" or so, it'll be tough for him to ride anything. You may also want to check in advance to see if they're open... MM is closed during the off-seasons (I found this out the hard way).

 

Disneyland is kinda crazy on holiday weekends, just as a warning. Expect insane crowds and long waits (last time I was there was July 4th weekend, and my GF and I spent more time at the hotel than inside the parks). Get there early and get Fast Passes for all the major rides you want to hit first. You may just want to go on a recon mission by yourself to do this (bring all the ticket stubs for your family so that you can get enough Fast Passes), and that way, you won't waste 3/4 your day miserable standing in lines.

 

Since you're going to be in the Venice/Marina Del Rey area, be sure to grab a bite at C&O Trattoria (link). I would highly recommend their shrimp ravioli w/ lobster cream sauce :drool:, and they have endless free killer garlic rolls... careful, you'll probably eat about 50 of 'em. Good wine, and the service/outdoor dining is excellent and very homestyle. They have stuff for kids, too.

 

And if you like art and want to get some culture into your young one , do NOT miss The Getty Center, a little ways up the 405, and if you're lucky, the Getty Villa in Malibu (although last I checked, it was booked for months in advance).

 

Universal Studios is also an option, although you'll probably blast through everything they have to offer within half a day.

 

Hope that helped!

 

-Mike

Just a couple of quick notes:

 

The Getty Villa is best visited by checking availability for the following day. It will show booked for months, but you can often find that the next day is open. My wife & I visited it that way...

 

Magic Mountain isn't THAT ghetto! Height wise though, Ghibli's got it right. The best rides are reserved for those 42-54" or taller. Unless you're 6'6"+ in which case you're also not able to ride certain rides. They are open every weekend during the year, but aren't open weekdays during the offseason.

 

The Wild Animal Park in San Diego is another option. A bit easier in many respects for youngsters, because of the tram ride and such. Not nearly as much walking as the Zoo.

Just a couple of quick notes:

 

The Wild Animal Park in San Diego is another option. A bit easier in many respects for youngsters, because of the tram ride and such. Not nearly as much walking as the Zoo.

 

Didn't they close the Wild Animal Park already?

dont forget theres california adventure and downtown disney, if its not busy you can do all 3 in a day

Didn't they close the Wild Animal Park already?

 

 

Close? What do you mean? It's definitely still open... Not sure about the hours for April, but you can always look it up online.

Mmmm garlic rolls from C&O Trattoria....

If you're going to Legoland, buy your ticket at Costco best price I've seen so far.

Griffith Park Observatory is open, nice place if your son is into astronomy.

Close? What do you mean? It's definitely still open... Not sure about the hours for April, but you can always look it up online.

 

Ah my bad then.

 

A good buddy of mine mentioned (what I thought was) Wild Animal Park (or some famous attraction in San Diego area) being closed down.

if you are staying in garden grove, Wild Rivers is in Irvine and closer than raging waters. the wild animal park is a long haul. i thought the zoo was more interesting when I was yougner. if you're kid is into science, there is the Discovery Zone in Santa Ana (4-5 miles from Disney).

Hey you could swing by my place. I'll give you a tour and at the end of the tour you'll get a coupon for a 32oz. Big Gulp from 7-11. Sweet huh?? LOL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

edit: Sorry, just realized the coupons were for Circle K. Hope that doesn't change your mind.

mmmmmmmmmm I C&O. I go every chance I get! Sometimes if the time is right the whole restaurant sings and toasts to "that's amore".

 

Also, some other attractions:

 

The Science Museum Downtown is a great place for Kids and it has an IMAX theatre.

Balboa Island is a fun place to walk around and you can take a ferry across.

All the other suggestions are very good as well.

 

If your in Long Beach try Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles (my niece loved it!)

mmmm delicious

They have a plave down the street from Knott's Berry farms called adventure city. It's a park just for kids under about 14. I take my 8 and 4 yr old there all the time. You kid will be able to ride everything there. I work for the city(DWP) and get a discount on all the tickets. when I get work I will get the book and let you know the prices.

Thanks everyone for your input.

 

I checked Disneyland discounted tickets (man there expensive) at Costco and it turns out that you need to be a SoCal resident and supply them with your zip and recent id to use that at the park.

 

ITSME, if you could let me know the ticket pricing for the place down the street from Knotts Berry.

 

Any other leads on ticket discounts that dont require SoCal residency?

 

 

Morrisok

Thanks everyone for your input.

 

I checked Disneyland discounted tickets (man there expensive) at Costco and it turns out that you need to be a SoCal resident and supply them with your zip and recent id to use that at the park.

 

ITSME, if you could let me know the ticket pricing for the place down the street from Knotts Berry.

 

Any other leads on ticket discounts that dont require SoCal residency?

 

 

Morrisok

 

Hey Morrisok,

 

I know if you're a member (or get a friend/relative) of "AAA" Automotive Club, they have discounts to some of these major attractions. Also, some major Credit Card companies may have special offers (call in to Customer Service and have them help you out).

 

Good luck~