m0mmaBuck Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 We are thinking of driving to the LA/So Cal area over Spring Break and will have 6-7 days to be tourists. We can stay with family in the LA area and the San Diego area. We will definitely be going to Disneyland for 1-2 days. What are other hive recommendations? Knott's Berry Farms? Natural History Museum? Universal Studios? Legoland? Sea World? San Diego Zoo? Santa Monica Pier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 I suggest getting a SoCal CityPass It is good for 14 days so you don't have to do everything back to back http://www.citypass.com/southern-california But I also miss The Getty Museum, LaBrea Tarpits, The Queen Mary, Holocaust Museum (http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/pp.asp?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=6212365) and I am sure I can come up with a few more. And, since you will be near San Diego: http://www.balboapark.org/ These threads make me homesick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eight_gregorys Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 The Natural History Museum is great. My kids also like La Brea Tar Pits. The San Diego Zoo is one of the best zoos we've been to (and we've been to a lot of zoos). I'm going to ask my husband when he wakes up, as he's lived here his whole life and knows all the cool things to see in SoCal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 Two days at Disneyland, of course. :-) You can do Knott's in a day, if you want another theme park. Yes to Universal Studios. The Birch Aquarium at Scripps in La Jolla would be nice. Low key, and it's in La Jolla. We love La Jolla. Oh, and you could go through the Cave Store to the beach below. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted December 26, 2011 Author Share Posted December 26, 2011 Hmmm... Looks like the City Pass is for 3 days at Disney... I'm not seeing that happening... 3 days at Disney including CA Adventure, Universal Studios, and Sea World.... does sound fun though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 (edited) Well, price out what you are planning to do, it might still be cheaper to buy the CityPass and forgo one day of Disney if you want to. Just looked and it seems that they are eliminating the SD Zoo after January 1. That stinks. Dawn Hmmm... Looks like the City Pass is for 3 days at Disney... I'm not seeing that happening... 3 days at Disney including CA Adventure, Universal Studios, and Sea World.... does sound fun though... Edited December 26, 2011 by DawnM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 We recently went to Legoland and it was a blast! San Diego Zoo was also a hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMom Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 We love Legoland! The Getty is fantastic! And, it's very close to Santa Monica so you could do the Santa Monica Pier on the same day? Do your kids like Star Wars? There's an exhibit at the Science Center in Santa Ana showing through April 15th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Running the race Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 San Diego Zoo Legoland There's an aircraft carrier you can tour in San Diego. It's great if your kids are into that. California Science Center (next to Natural History Museum) in LA Disneyland Sea World the beach (tide pools by La Jolla) I wouldn't do the Holocaust Museum with young kids. I love the Getty. They have family days on some Saturdays with activities for children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 I've lived in So Cal all my life. ;) I wouldn't bother with Universal Studios. We've been three times and each time we go we say what a waste of time and money it is. Don't bother. :tongue_smilie: We go to Knotts Berry Farm every year, but we get in free. If we didn't, we probably wouldn't go. Disneyland is of course a must. I would also highly recommend the San Diego Zoo, but the Los Angeles Zoo is quite nice as well. Sea World is a lot of fun, and uniquely different. We always enjoy ourselves when we go. LOVE going to the Queen Mary. It's really neat...but it might be rather boring to your youngers. Legoland is definitely different and fascinating. If your kids like Legos they would probably enjoy that. It's really geared toward the younger crowd though, so your oldest might be a tab bored with it. We adults really enjoyed ourselves though, so ya never know. ;) They have a great water playground in the park...so if it's warm enough, definitely have the kids wear something they can get wet in. Fun, fun. I think if I just had 6-7 days I would do 2-days at Disney/California Adventure, a day at LegoLand, a day at Sea World and a day at the Zoo. Then I think I'd spend a down day at the beach relaxing (either somewhere in the LA area or San Diego), or go to City Walk which is next to Universal Studios for some fun shopping and dinning. Then if we weren't beat tired, perhaps a day at the History Museum/Tar Pits. I personally would skip Knotts and Universal Studios myself. Knotts IS a nice place, and very family oriented...they even play Christian Christmas music during the Holidays...but it isn't a not-to-be-missed park, kwim? Whatever you decide to do, I hope you have a great time in So Cal! =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 Hmm! Definitely the Getty! Love that place. Descanso Gardens! Disneyland We don't get down there much. Hate the traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted December 26, 2011 Author Share Posted December 26, 2011 Thank you for all the recommendations. My oldest probably won't be going with us... Besides the fact that nothing we do as a family appeals to him, his Spring Break does not coincide with MIL's. We have to choose who to exclude and most likely it will be him since our plan is to stay with her family down in CA. I need to check out military discounts at the various places. I know I can get a 3 day park hopper at Disney for $99 so I can piece together a deal cheaper than the City Pass based on that alone! Yay! CAMom, my kids loved that Star Wars exhibit when we saw it last March at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. Very cool. I'd love to go to the Getty but I'm sure that will be vetoed by the others in our party. The Natural History Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits, on the other hand, will probably be very well recieved. I forget about the beach... We have the beach here, but it is so different from the CA beach. I can't see us spending the day there but we will definitely spend an afternoon! The tide pools at La Jolla sound nice. We could do that and the Birch Aquarium one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 La Brea Tarpits is a must-see :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristineW Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 La Brea Tarpits is a must-see :) I don't get all the love for the tar pits. We went with the kids a couple years ago when we lived in LA and were terribly disappointed. It was small and we spent more time travelling down Wilshire than we did viewing the one pit accessible to the public and the attached museum. We loved the Natural History Museum and the Griffith Park Observatory. The Huntington Garden and Museum in Pasadena is a great family friendly attraction. We miss it terribly. Christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 Can you make reservations for the Getty Museum in Malibu? It is free - but due to limited parking they require either a parking reservation or you arrive by bus/cab. It is so cool - we took the kids a couple years back and they loved it. We also hit the other Getty close to the 405 freeway. Enjoyed Malibu one more - you could do both in a day. Or try and get to the La Brea Tar Pits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 I don't get all the love for the tar pits. We went with the kids a couple years ago when we lived in LA and were terribly disappointed. It was small and we spent more time travelling down Wilshire than we did viewing the one pit accessible to the public and the attached museum. We loved the Natural History Museum and the Griffith Park Observatory. The Huntington Garden and Museum in Pasadena is a great family friendly attraction. We miss it terribly. Christine Huh - there were so many pits we didn't see them all. They also had a pit in the process of being dug out - with all of the tools and bones they had pulled out on display. The museum was pretty cool, and there are are free guided tours. We had just gotten done with 4 days at Disneyland, and I was afraid my sons would be too jaded to enjoy it, but they loved it and still talk about it (it's been two years). To each his own :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanne in MN Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 We did La Brea Tar Pits and Hollywood Blvd. Really enjoyed both! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 San Diego Zoo has two zoos, the one in the city, and Wild Animal Park northeast of SD, both are very different and great! In SD, Old Town, Cabrillo National Monument (Point Loma), walk around La Jolla (shores area and in town), trolley to Mexico, Seaport Village, Balboa Park (near the zoo), the mountains (Julian is nice, and kind of near Wild Animal Park), there is an observatory at Mt. Palomar, Coronado Island, downtown (there is an Old Spaghetti Factory in Gaslamp Quarter), Torrey Pines State Park, Mt. Laguna is closest mountain to SD, and much more. You have just succeeded in making me homesick!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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