Theme Parks Archives - SoCal with Kids

Family-Friendly New Year’s Eve Celebration at Knott’s!

December 18, 2012 By socalwithkids

No more need to stay in on New Year’s Eve now that you have kids! Ring in the New Year at a family-friendly celebration at Knott’s! This event offers something for everyone, including all-day admission to the park until 1am, PLUS the following:

Fun NYE Show at the Camp Snoopy Theatre
Watch “Happy New Year Charlie Brown!” at the Camp Snoopy Theatre where Charlie Brown & the Peanuts Gang will ring in the New Year in song & dance, including some audience participation!

Memory Making with the Peanuts Gang
Grab a hug & take a memorable photo with the Peanuts Gang!

Incredible Seasonal Ice Skating Show
Catch a performance of the incredible “It’s Christmas, Snoopy” ice skating show. Believe me, it’s great! Phenominal skating, which we can’t wait to see again!

Snoopy’s Magical Night of Lights
See “Snoopy’s Magical Night of Lights” in Camp Snoopy, featuring thousands of beautiful lights and holiday music starting at dusk, and continuing until 1am.

Comedian Magician
Watch a Kenny Metcalf, a family friendly comedian magician and a trip back to the 70’s with Elton John- The Early Years.

Dance The Night Away
Join in the Salsa Dancing at Knott’s Fiesta Plaza, or Country Line Dancing in Knott’s Wilderness Dance Hall. Don’t worry if you’re a beginner, there will be instructors to guide you on how to move those hips!

Live Music
See a live performance by the popular band Clueless Remix Featuring DJ Resso!

Fireworks & Celebrations
Countdown to Midnight at Calico Square with an aerial fireworks display, stilt walkers, party hats and horns!

We’re excited to make some great memories at Knott’s family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration. It sounds like it’s going to be a great time, with something for everyone in the family. Click HERE for further details about the event. Perhaps we’ll see you there!

P.S. Knott’s is expanding the park this coming year, including a new California Boardwalk with games, rides, and more. Now, for a limited time, Knott’s 2013 Season Passes are just $66.99, with NO blackout dates, certain discounts at food and merchandise locations, AND include one visit in 2012, which may be used for Knott’s NYE! This is an awesome deal, and could make a great holiday gift, and you even have the option of paying 6 low payments of just $11.16. You can find more info about Knott’s Season Passes HERE.

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Disclosure: We were invited to attend Knott’s Family-Friendly New year’s Eve. We wanted to share info about it with our readers, as we believe many would also enjoy the event with their families. Our opinions are our own. Many thanks to Knott’s, LaLa Castro, and Giga Savvy.

Filed Under: Knott's Family-Friendly NYE

Knotts Merry Farm Sparkles During the Holiday Season!

December 12, 2012 By socalwithkids

During the holiday season Knott’s Berry Farm is transformed into Knott’s Merry Farm with beautiful holiday decor, delicious treats, special seasonal shows, and and much more! We went to Knott’s to check it out ourselves, and had a great time! Some of the fun of Merry Farm includes is as follows:

“It’s Christmas, Snoopy” Ice Show
This ice skating show is spectacular! The kids, my husband, and I were all impressed by the performance. The skaters were incredible, and just as good as those you’d see in a professional ice skating performance at a large ice arena. We highly recommend you see it! The show is running December 1-2, 8-9, 15-18, 20-24, 26-31, and January 1, 3-6, 2013.

“A Peanuts Holiday Parade”
The Peanuts Holiday Parade includes seven themed floats featuring the Peanuts Gang. We missed the parade during our visit, but plan to see it on our next visit, later this month. I’m a huge Peanuts fan!

Knott’s Christmas Craft Village
Here you”ll find strolling carolers, dozens of artisans selling unique treasures, and beautiful Victorian decor. The kids loved some of the wooden toys, knitted hats, and other potential holiday gifts we saw in this area. The Christmas Craft Village is where we saw Santa, who’s available for pictures daily (additional fee), until December 24th.

Bird Cage Theatre Productions
If you enjoy live theatre, or want to introduce your kids to it, head over to the Bird Cage Theatre to see a live performance of Charges Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, or O’Henry’s “A Gift of Magi”. We enjoyed “A Gift of Magi”, which ran approximately 25 minutes.

Elf Mountain
Get a peek at Santa’s Elves getting ready for the big day when you go on Timber Mountain Log Ride!

Snoopy’s Magical Nights of Lights
Be sure to walk through Camp Snoopy after dark to experience hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights set to a festive holiday soundtrack. We spent a few hours here, and loved it!

Winter Wonderland
Catch Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, and JT perform on a wintery wonderland stage at Camp Snoopy!

Calico Christmas Tree Lighting
The Peanuts gang deck the halls in a fun-filled musical show as part of the nightly Christmas Tree Lighting. If you miss the show, be sure to check out the beautiful 45′ tree once it’s lit. It’s beautiful!

While we were at Knott’s we sampled a few of the stuffed churros, Canadian Maple Syrup Lollipops, decorated gingerbread cookies, and ate a delicious meal at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant. The churros were absolutely delicious, the lollipops (which are a holiday treat there for Merry Farm), the kids gobbled up their gingerbread, and our meals at the restaurant were all delicious! My personal favorite were the biscuits from Mrs. Knott’s restaurant. Melt in your mouth delicious!

We also enjoyed going on many rides, strolling through the shops decorated in beautiful holiday decor, seeing Snoopy Santa in the park, and all that makes Knott’s so much fun. Merry Farm is happening now through January 6th, 2013.

Right now, through January 13th, 2013, Knott’s 2013 Season Passes are just $66.99, with NO blackout dates, and include one visit in 2012! This is an awesome deal, and could make great holiday gifts. You can find more info about Merry Farm HERE, and more about the Season Passes HERE. Perhaps we’ll see you there!

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Disclosure: We were invited to attend a Media Day at Knott’s to experience Merry Farm. We were not asked to write a formal review, but we had a wonderful time, and wanted to share info about it with our readers, as we believe many would also enjoy Merry Farm with their families. Our opinions are our own. Many thanks to Knott’s, LaLa Castro, and Giga Savvy.

Ideas To Make Your Trip To The Disneyland Resort Even More Special!

October 19, 2012 By socalwithkids

We’re huge Disney fans, and are often asked for ideas of how to make a visit to the Parks even more special. There are quite a few ways to make your Disney experience more unique and memorable. Here are some ideas we came up with to share:

Free Pins
Pick up your free pins such as “I’m Celebrating”, “Birthday”, “1st Visit”, “Anniversary”, etc… from City Hall, when you enter Disneyland. You may also pick them up at the Guest Relations office at the entrance to California Adventure. You’d be surprised how attentive the Cast Members are to guests wearing the pins, with greetings throughout the visit.

Character Dining
Get lots of face-time with characters, including many photo opps by eating at one of the Character meals at the Disneyland Hotel, Grand Californian, Disneyland, or California Adventure.

Search For Hidden Mickeys
Buy a Hidden Mickey book at one of the gift shops at the entrance to Disneyland and search for Hidden Mickey’s throughout the Parks. This is a lot of fun, and a great thing to do with the entire family. Once you start, you’re hooked!

Signature, Please!
Buy an Autograph Book, or bring your own, and have characters sign it during your visit.

Visit Downtown Disney
Be sure to take a walk around Downtown Disney. Visit the shops and restaurants, listen to music by one of the live performers (from our experience they mostly perform at night), sit, relax and take in the moment.

Pin Trading
Trade pins that you’ve purchased with pins belonging to Cast Members or visitors wishing to trade. Pins are available for purchase throughout the Resort. These are different pins than the ones that are free from Town Hall. Many times we see people trading near the bakery inside Disneyland, but if you see a Cast Member with a pin you’d like, stop them anywhere and ask to trade.

Pressed Coins
Collect pressed coins from around the Parks. You can pick up a free map showing where you can find the coin pressing machines from Town Hall, inside Disneyland.

Eat One Special Meal
Eat one special meal within the Parks, such as at the Blue Bayou. Here you can watch the boats of Pirates of the Caribbean float by the restaurant as you dine.

Get A Photo Pass
Have Park photographers take photos of your family, which they’ll put on a free Disney Photo Pass. Each time you have a Park photographer snap your shot, hand them the Photo Pass to add the photos on for you. You can view them for up to 30 days from the time they were taken, purchase the ones you’re interested in, or buy nothing at all. Sometimes it’s hard to get all of the family in the same shots on your own, but it’s easy to have a Disney photographer do so, and add to a Photo Pass.

Special Tours
Take a special tour, such as Walk in Walt’s Footsteps. This is one thing that we have yet to do, but have heard great things about. Sounds super fun!

Jump On Board the Main Street Vehicles
Take a ride on the double decker bus, horse drawn carriage, and old car at Disneyland. You can hop on one of these modes of transportation from either Main Street, or in front of the Disneyland Castle for a one-way trip. We’ve often taken one after the other for a fun and memorable experience just as we enter the Park. You can now also take a ride on the trolley inside California Adventure. The trolley is also a one-way trip, so ask the attendant the details prior to boarding. Super fun!

Get A FASTPASS®
Whenever possible, get a free FASTPASS® for each member of your party, for each ride you’d like to go on. The FASTPASS® kiosks are located near the rides and will give you a return time for you to get on the ride. You could potentially save yourself a lot of time by using the FASTPASS® option.

Take It All In
Find a comfortable spot, buy a treat, sit, and take in the atmosphere. Part of what makes Disney so special are the little things, like the music, the smell of freshly popped popcorn, and beautiful decor. Be sure to take some time to simply sit and enjoy your surroundings.

These are some of the things that we thought of that can make your trip to Disney even more special. What ideas do you have to enhance a trip to The Happiest Place On Earth? Perhaps we’ll see you there!

Not a sponsored post. We are big Disney fans, and visit the Parks often. Our opinions are our own.

Filed Under: Making Disney Even More Special Tagged With: california adventure, celebrate, disney, disneyland, family, kids

Pirate Reef to Make a Big Splash at LEGOLAND® California Memorial Day Weekend!

May 25, 2012 By socalwithkids

Pirate Reef at LEGOLAND® California

Pirate Reef is making a giant splash at LEGOLAND® California just in time for Memorial Day weekend! The multi-million dollar new ride at the family theme park in Carlsbad invites guests to plunge 25 feet down a chute between two massive pirate ships making a giant splash beneath a bridge below. The fun doesn’t stop there: Upon exiting, guests aim water cannons at each other from the ship of either Captain Blue Brick or Captain Red Brick and take a chance on getting drenched again as they walk the bridge between the two ships.

“Pirate Reef encompasses three things we know are already a hit with children: Water, LEGO® and pirates,” said LEGOLAND California Resort General Manager Peter Ronchetti. “This is an amazing addition to our rapidly growing Resort and I’m excited to see our guests’ reactions when they get to experience Pirate Reef for the first time this Memorial Day weekend.”

Throughout Pirate Reef, guests encounter more than 30 pirate-themed models including pirates, monkeys, parrots and frogs, all created out of more than 223,000 LEGO bricks. Pirate Reef is located between Pirate Shores and LEGOLAND Water Park making it the first of the more than 60 rides, shows and attractions at LEGOLAND California Resort that is accessible from both LEGOLAND Water Park and LEGOLAND California. Splashing down at 26 miles per hour, guests are guaranteed to get soaked on this new interactive ride at LEGOLAND California!

LEGOLAND® California Resort includes LEGOLAND California and SEA LIFE™ Carlsbad Aquarium, both geared for families with children between the ages of 2 and 12. At LEGOLAND California, you’ll find more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including the 5.5 acre LEGOLAND® Water Park, the all-new LEGO Star Wars Miniland and Pirate Reef opening this summer. SEA LIFE incorporates LEGO models into a child’s voyage to the depths of the ocean and features play zones, fun facts and quiz trails and its newest attraction, Claws. For more information, log on to www.LEGOLAND.com or call (760) 918-LEGO.

: Pirate Reef at LEGOLAND® California

: Pirate Reef at LEGOLAND® California

: Pirate Reef at LEGOLAND® California

Images courtesy of LEGOLAND® California

Filed Under: Pirate Reef at LEGOLAND® California Tagged With: family, fun, kids, legoland, pirate reef, san diego, socal

Disney California Adventure® Park

May 15, 2011 By socalwithkids

Disney California Adventure® Park, located at the Disneyland Resort, and adjacent from Disneyland, California Adventure, is fun for the entire family! You can easily spend a few days here. If your family is into PIXAR, you’ll love all there is to see and do at this park. It’s one of of favorites!

Website: Disney’s California Adventure
Twitter: @disneyland

Get a FREE full-color guidebook with the purchase of a Go City Card or Explorer Pass

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Filed Under: Disney's California Adventure, Featured Tagged With: disney's california adventure, family, fun, kids, socal

Six Flags Magic Mountain

May 14, 2011 By socalwithkids

Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park known for their thrilling roller coaster rides, located in the Valencia area of Los Angeles, California.

Website: Magic Mountain
Twitter: @sixflags

Get a FREE full-color guidebook with the purchase of a Go City Card or Explorer Pass

Filed Under: Six Flags Magic Mountain

LEGOLAND

May 14, 2011 By socalwithkids

LEGOLAND is a theme park in the Carlsbad area of San Diego, California. If your kids like LEGOS, this theme park will be like a dream! They have rides, play areas, shows, and much more!

Website: LEGOLAND
Twitter: @LEGOLAND_CA

Get a FREE full-color guidebook with the purchase of a Go City Card or Explorer Pass

Filed Under: Featured, LEGOLAND Tagged With: carlsbad, family, fun, kids, legoland, socal

Universal Studios Hollywood

May 14, 2011 By socalwithkids

Universal Studios Hollywood is a theme park located just north of downtown Los Angeles.

Website: Universal Studios Hollywood

Get a FREE full-color guidebook with the purchase of a Go City Card or Explorer Pass

Filed Under: Universal Studios Hollywood Tagged With: family, fun, kids, so cal, universal studios hollywood

Knotts Berry Farm

May 14, 2011 By socalwithkids

Knotts Berry Farm is a theme park located in the Buena Park area of Orange County, California.

Website: Knotts Berry Farm
Twitter: @knotts

Get a FREE full-color guidebook with the purchase of a Go City Card or Explorer Pass

Filed Under: Knott's Berry Farm Tagged With: kids, knotts berry farm, orange county, socal

Disneyland

May 14, 2011 By socalwithkids

Disneyland, located in the Anaheim area of Orange County, is likely the most popular theme park in Southern California, and for good reason! There is so much to see and do! You could easily spend several days at the park. It’s one of our family’s favorite SoCal destinations!

Website: Disneyland
Twitter: @Disneyland

Get a FREE full-color guidebook with the purchase of a Go City Card or Explorer Pass