Laura Kath - Fun with the Family Southern California: Hundreds of Ideas for Day Trips with the Kids

All the information in this guidebook is subject to change. We recommend that you call ahead to obtain current information before traveling.

Copyright 2011 Morris Book Publishing, LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

Editor: Amy Lyons

Project Editor: Heather Santiago

Layout: Joanna Beyer

Text Design: Nancy Freeborn and Linda R. Loiewski

Maps: Rusty Nelson Morris Book Publishing, LLC

Spot photography throughout Photodisc and RubberBall Productions

ISSN 1541-8952

ISBN 978-0-7627-5723-7

Printed in the United States of America

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To Anna Hubble Kath, my inspirational mom, the matriarch

Laura Kath

To Harris Jacob Lechtman, my darling travel-minded grandson

Pamela Price

Coauthors Laura Kath and Pamela Price have more than 60 years combined travel and life experience in sunny Southern California; and in addition to this volume, are proud coauthors of Day Trips from Los Angeles (Globe Pequot Press, 2010). Pamela resides in Palm Springs when she is not globe-trotting and writing/broadcasting about her adventures. She is the author of 100 Best Spas of the World (Globe Pequot Press) and consults with her children and grandson for the hottest trends in family travel. Laura is the author of eighteen nonfiction books and president of Mariah Marketing, her Santa Barbara Countybased consulting business. She is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association and the Society of Incentive Travel Executives. She credits her active nieces and nephews for keeping her in the latest know. This dynamic duo blend the best of real-life family travel experience with the most up-to-the-minute tourism and visitor informationmaking this book a must-read.

Researching the best family fun throughout Southern California could not have been accomplished without the invaluable assistance of so many generous individuals, organizations, and attractions. From the tips of our achy fingers to our swollen feet, we gratefully acknowledge just a few of the many (and hereby apologize if weve neglected to mention anyone).

Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau; Big Bear Lake Resort Association (Dan McKernan); California Travel & Tourism Commission; Casa Cody (Frank Tyson & Marilyn Will); Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce; Disneyland Resort; Janet Newcomb Public Relations; Grand Amore (Philip Alvidriz); Janis Flippen Public Relations; Joshua Tree National Park; Jackie Olden of The Jackie Olden Show on KNEWSAM Palm Springs; Los Angeles, Inc., The Convention and Visitors Bureau; Long Beach Area Visitors and Convention Bureau; Oxnard Convention and Visitors Bureau; Palm Springs Art Museum (Bob Bogard); Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism (Hillary Angel); Palm Springs Desert Resorts Convention and Visitors Bureau (Mark Graves); Palm Springs Follies (Greg Purdy); Riverside Convention and Visitors Bureau; San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau; San Luis Obispo Conference and Visitors Bureau; Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau; SeaWorld; Smoke Tree Ranch (Tracy Conrad); Solvang Conference & Visitors Bureau (Tracy Farhad); Sunnylands Rancho Mirage (Mary Perry); Universal Studios; Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau; West Hollywood Marketing & Visitors Bureau.

Pamela thanks her son Tony for his continued outspoken opinions on what families will find festive in Southern California and her son Artie, his wife Pam, and grandson Harris for their unflagging enthusiasm in exploring dozens of attractions on and off the road maps. Laura especially appreciates her supportive family members and friends who are always eager to explore the wonders of SoCal attractions with her. Ant Laura thanks nieces and nephews John, Lisa, Emi, Eli, Jen, Bill, Alexandra, Amanda, and Cameron for their special insights. Laura gratefully acknowledges the caring author encouragement provided by Jane Baxter, Rev. Dr. Sandra Cook, Thomas Keough, Fred Klein, Mr. Bill Morton, Peggy Wentz, and Lee Wilkerson. Ultimately, Laura will always treasure the Kath Party for providing her very first fun with the family car trips!

Last but never least, we acknowledge the supportive staff at Globe Pequot Press for giving us the opportunity to write about all this Southern California fun starting back in 1994!

Southern California is a kaleidoscopeno matter which way you turn, something amazing appears! There is just no way we can include every fun-worthy thing and place for your family in a volume this size. However, we do believe that this guide will give you and your family a very practical, yet comprehensive way to experience the Golden State, starting from the Central Coast and heading south all the way to the Mexican border.

Both of us, along with our families, have traveled thousands of miles by trains, planes, automobiles, horses, mules, and aching feet to discover the best in Southern California family fun. We are very proud of our adopted home statePamela originally hails from Minnesota and Laura from Michiganand have spent more than 60 combined years as journalists researching and describing life on the left coast of the United States. We are thrilled to share the adventure with you!

We believe the most important element to family fun in Southern California is time. Be sure you allow yourself and the kids plenty of it. Concentrated in this golden nugget of real estate are enough activities, sights, sounds, and sensations to fill a dozen or more visits. Be sure to carefully select the elements that satisfy your familys unique tastes. Dont kid yourself; Southern California is not as laid-back as you might think. Just ask any parent who has been done in by a day at an amusement park or managed to hit one of our famous freeway rush hours near dinnertime. Distance between activities can be deceptive. Five miles does not necessarily mean five minutes away. Be sure you plan kick back timeto relax on a beach or bench and to soak up some of Southern Californias 300-plus days of sunshine. Dont worry, we will be sure to save more for your next visitpromise!

If you and your family seek natural beauty, Southern California offers you the Pacific Ocean and its awesome beachessome favorites include Moonstone Beach near Cambria, Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara, Venice Beach near Santa Monica, and the pristine sands of Coronado Island. The mountain ranges, inland valleys, rivers, and freshwater lakes such as Nacimiento, Cachuma, Big Bear, and Arrowhead are wonderful total recreation zones. Deserts such as Anza-Borrego, Palm Springs, Mojave, and Death Valley provide amazing contrasts to the palm-lined shores.

How about recreation? Participant or spectator, you can experience it all here. Teams such as basketballs Los Angeles Lakers, hockeys Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, baseballs L.A. Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and footballs San Diego Chargers offer the thrill of professional action. Needless to say, waterfront activity should rate high on your list when visiting Southern Californiaboating, fishing, sailing, sunbathing, surfing, and swimming are what California dreams are made of. If you visit between December and April, whale watching along the Pacific is an absolute must-see thrill. You and the kids can get into the swing of golf and tennis at hundreds of public facilities. Of course, biking and hiking trails abound to explore, yet they preserve all the areas natural beauty. Dont forget to pack a picnic basket and take time to smell the perennially blooming flowers.