Ideas, tips, & destinations for FUN with kids in Southern California!
• “It’s Christmas, Snoopy” Ice Show
This holiday ice skating show is spectacular! The kids, my husband, and I were all impressed by the performance last year. 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 check it out while at the Park.
• Santa’s Christmas Cabin
Stop by Santa’s Christmas Cabin, featuring photo opportunities with the jolly big guy himself, a treat at Santa’s Sundae bar, plus Wine and Craft Beer tasting opportunities for the adults. My husband sampled some of the wine and craft beer selections last year, and was very impressed!
• Christmas Craft Fair
Within Ghost Town you’ll find the strolling Calico Carolers, dozens of artisans selling unique treasures, and beautiful Victorian decor. It’s fun to stop and listen to the carolers.
• 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”, which each run approximately 25 minutes in length.
• Snoopy’s Magical Night 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. This really got me in the festive spirit last year! We spent a few hours here riding the rides and enjoying the ambiance.
• Winter Wonderland
Catch some of your favorite Peanuts characters perform on a wintery wonderland stage at Camp Snoopy Theatre! This is a lively outdoor production. Our kids always enjoy catching the shows here.
• Snoopy’s Merriest Tree Lighting
Join Snoopy in a fun-filled nightly Christmas Tree Lighting. If you miss the show, be sure to at least check out the beautiful 45′ tree once it’s lit. It’s beautiful, and another great spot for snapping some nice family photos.
Other highlights of Merry Farm include the Calico Saloon Christmas Show, the Ghost Town Miners Show at the Spurs Stage, and Christmas Aboard Engine 41, at the Calico Steam Train. We also love strolling through the shops decorated in beautiful holiday decor.
Summer is here and the Knott’s Berry Farm Boardwalk has just been expanded and reopened for family fun in the sun! We were invited to visit Knott’s to see the improvements first-hand. Additions to the Knott’s Berry Farm Boardwalk include Coast Rider (the kids favorite Boardwalk ride), Surfside Gliders, and Pacific Scrambler.
The new Knott’s Berry Farm Boardwalk is very colorful and fun! When you enter you hear the sound of the coasters, lively music, laughter and screams from people enjoying the area. The Boardwalk includes games and food aside from the rides and attractions.
Coast Rider is the ultimate family coaster! Each car can fit up to 4 people, and takes you 52 ft. in the air for a 2 1/2 minute ride at a speed of 37 mph. It wasn’t too high, fast, or too scary for our 5 year old. Our daughter said she loved it too, although I will admit, by the look on her face, she wasn’t so sure about it for the first few seconds. That initial fear faded quickly!
Surfside Gliders are two-person aircrafts that zip through the air and allow guests to become pilots of their own gliders. The 1 minute and 50 second ride goes up 28 ft., and rotates at 10 times around per minute.
Pacific Scrambler, a classic midway attraction has been a thrill for families for decades. This ride goes 25 mph, and lasts 90 seconds.
If you love roller coasters, be sure to check out Boomerang before you head out of the Boardwalk area. Don’t worry, you can’t miss it! None of us had the guts to ride it, but it’s obvious it’s a popular attraction!
Also be sure to take a ride up the Sky Cabin. The view is incredible! It’s a lot of fun to climb high above the Park and get an aerial view of the surrounding area.
Our favorite restaurant in the Boardwalk is Coasters Restaurant. Here you’ll find a fun diner type atmosphere and food. The burgers are good, and the chicken strips rock. The shakes look delicious, and are on our “must-try” list for a future visit. They have both indoor and outdoor seating, and are located next to Coast Rider.
Aside from the Knott’s Berry Farm Boardwalk expansion, Knott’s just finished a huge renovation on the classic Timber Mountain Log Ride. The upgrades to this family favorite ride include new scenes and additional animatronic characters. We rode it multiple times on our recent visit, and had a blast!
It’s hard to go to Knott’s without getting a little (or big!) sweet treat! Our family favorite is the Cookiewich. As you can see in the image above, it’s huge, and a great dessert to share! It’s reasonably priced at under $6, and available at Mix-It-Up, close to the Calico Railroad.
There’s lots of things to do in southern california with kids! One thing we’re most looking forward to this summer is checking out Knott’s Soak City OC! Surprisingly, we have yet to visit this Water Park, but have been invited to visit it as part of a media event on opening weekend 2013. We can’t wait!
Knott’s Soak City OC Water Park has something for everyone! Since we’ll be visiting with our baby, we look forward to splashing and playing at Gremmie Lagoon, a play area for kids 54″ and below. I know our 8 year old daughter is looking forward to floating down Sunset River, a 1/3 mile long lazy river! Some of the other features of the 13 acre Water Park are as follows:
• Banzai Falls
• Laguna Storm Water Tower
• Malibu Run
• Old Man Falls
• Pacific Spin
• Tidal Wave Bay
• Toyota Beach House
• Toyota Beach House Slides
As mentioned above, this will be our first visit to Knott’s Soak City OC. We look forward to sharing pics from our visit, as well as insider tips in a separate post once we experience it ourselves. Visit this LINK for further details about the attractions within Knott’s Soak City OC.
Knott’s Soak City OC is offering a 2013 Season Pass Special Offer which includes members only benefits and unlimited visits throughout the season. One such benefit is that Season Passholders may bring a friend between June 3-6th, 2013 for just $25 for the day! Passes start as low as just six payments of $9.49 for a Junior/Senior Pass, but this Special Offer is only valid until May 27th, 2013. Season Pass details can be found HERE.
Knott’s Soak City OC is adjacent to Knott’s Berry Farm Theme Park, located in the Buena Park area of Orange County. Opening day is May 18th, 2013. Perhaps we’ll see you there!
Scooter’s Jungle is a fun, safe, clean, and active tropical-themed indoor play setting offering worry-free kids birthday parties, open play, fundraisers, team events and children’s and family activities. The kids and I visited the Aliso Viejo location during one of their All Ages playtimes, and had a blast!
The kids ran, made friends, and played the entire two hours we were there. They enjoyed playing on the huge inflated slide, taking turns on the zip-line, and playing on the inflated obstacle course. They burned off tons of energy, and got lots of exercise.
While we were there, one of the nice employees showed me around the facility and explained about the parties they offer. She gave me a tour of the two large rooms they have with inflatables suitable for different ages. They have one area called the Junior Jungle Arena, which is best for ages 1-5, and the Ultimate Jungle Arena, which is geared toward ages 6+. Both areas have incredible activities for kids, as well as designated dining areas for party-goers.
Pop-in-playtime includes a 1 1/2 hour Toddler Play Time, 2 hour All Ages Play, and 3 hour Family Fun option. The Toddler Play happens weekly, All Ages is offered a handful of times each month, and the Family Fun Play can be enjoyed once a month. Contact Scooter’s Jungle for specific pop-in play dates & time, plus pop-in play and party pricing. Perhaps we’ll see you there!
A handful of great museums, located from OC to LA, are participating in Museums Free-For-All this coming weekend, January 28th & 29th! Participating museums include the following:
• The Annenberg Space for Photography ~ Participating 1/28/12 & 1/29/12
• Autry National Center ~ Participating 1/28/12 & 1/29/12
• California African American Museum ~ Participating 1/28/12 & 1/29/12
• California Science Center ~ Participating 1/28/12 & 1/29/12
• Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles ~ Participating 1/28/12 & 1/29/12
• Fowler Museum at UCLA ~ Participating 1/28/12 & 1/29/12
• The Hammer Museum ~ Participating 1/28/12 & 1/29/12
• The Getty Center ~ Participating 1/28/12 & 1/29/12
• The Getty Villa ~ Participating 1/28/12 & 1/29/12 (Timed tickets are required. Visit www.getty.edu.)
• Laguna Art Museum ~ Participating 1/28/12 & 1/29/12
• Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial ~ Participating Saturday, 1/28/12 ONLY
(Both Hollywood and San Pedro locations)
• The Museum of Tolerance Zimmer Children’s Museum ~ Participating Sunday, 1/29/12 ONLY
• The Museum of Contemporary Art ~ Participating Saturday, 1/28/12 ONLY
• Museum of Latin American Art ~ Participating 1/28/12 & 1/29/12
• Pasadena Museum of California Art ~ Participating 1/28/12 & 1/29/12
• Santa Monica Museum of Art ~ Participating Saturday, 1/28/12 ONLY
• Skirball Cultural Center (Our favorite!) ~ Participating Saturday, 1/28/12 ONLY
(Timed entry to the Noah’s Ark exhibit at the Skirball will be on a walk-up, 1st-come, 1st-serve basis on this date.)
• Zimmer Children’s Museum ~ Participating Sunday, 1/29/12 ONLY
Regular museum parking fees apply, and admission is only good toward general museum admission. Free admission may not apply to museum ticketed exhibitions. Click HERE for direct links to the participating museums. Perhaps we’ll see you there!
Zoomars Petting Zoo, located in beautiful San Juan Capistrano, in Orange County, is one of our family’s favorite destinations! They have a large, walk-in bunny & guinea pig petting area, goat and sheep petting area, pony rides, a little train for kids to ride, gem panning area, playground, corn box, hay bale maze, lots of other assorted animals including cows, chickens, mule zebras, and much more! Check out their website for further details. Perhaps we’ll see you there!
Website: Zoomar’s Petting Zoo
Twitter: @zoomars
Facebook: Zoomars on Facebook
The Bowers Kidseum is located down the street from the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California. This unique children’s museum educates kids about different cultures through hands-on play. Check the link to their website for more info. Perhaps we’ll see you there.
Website: Kidseum
Twitter: @bowersmuseum
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