From north to south Orange County, here’s your guide to fun family travel while staying local.
North
Buena Park
From Knott’s Berry Farm and Soak City to Medieval Times and Pirates Dinner Adventure, there’s no lack of things to do in this busy city. Knott’s Hotel offer several packages for those wishing to stay a night or two. The Summer Nights Vacation Package is themed around the park’s summer entertainment and food. Summer at Knott’s is running now through Sept. 5 and includes activities both day and night — from the interactive Ghost Town Alive! to Knott’s Summer Nights bands and DJs. The Summer Nights Vacation Package includes: hotel stay, park admission for one day for each registered guest, one Summer Nights Tasting Card, one single-use Fast Lane ticket per registered guest and parking. | knotts.com
Anaheim
Of course for Disney fans, there really is no happier place on Earth than the Disneyland Resort. Families who wants to spend days packed with activities, entertainment and Mickey ears have definitely come to the right place. Disneyland Resort is currently offering California residents a special, limited, summer ticket offer. Three-day, one-park-per-day tickets start at $249 for admission on Mondays through Thursdays, or $299 for any day, including weekends, for eligible guests. The 3-Day Park Hopper ticket is available for an additional $60. California residents can redeem their tickets on any three eligible days through Sept. 15. The tickets can be purchased at disneyland.com. Remember, too, that Disneyland Resort features three hotels for a true staycation experience: Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and the Disneyland Hotel. | disneyland.disney.go.com
Garden Grove
Great Wolf Lodge Southern California is a little bit theme park, a little bit resort and a whole lot of family fun. The 603-room, all-suite resort, houses a 105,000-square-foot (heated) indoor waterpark. It offers body slides, tube slides, raft rides and splash areas, as well as a lazy river, wave pool and activity pool for all ages. Other attractions include MagiQuest (a live-action adventure game where kids use wands while embarking on quests throughout the resort); Ten Paw Alley mini bowling; Howl at the Moon Glow Golf; Northern Lights Arcade; Build-A-Bear Workshop; and Lazer Frenzy. There’s also an Evening Story Time by the fireplace — a Great Wolf Lodge tradition. The Lodge also offers eight dining options including Hungry as a Wolf (pizza, sandwiches and pasta), Bear Paw Sweets & Eats (fresh-baked pastries, ice cream, lodge-made fudge) and Loose Moose Family Kitchen (buffet). | greatwolf.com/southern-california
Orange
The 495-acre Irvine Regional Park is home to an assortment of family-friendly activities, including a three-mile equestrian trail, a paved bicycle/walking trail through the central park, six playgrounds, four softball fields and two horseshoe pits. A pond with waterfall and footbridge is located in the center of the park. Bicycle and aquacycle rentals are available throughout the summer, weekends and holidays. Children’s pony rides are available year-round, every day except Monday. The Irvine Park Railroad is located across from the pony rides and is open every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A 10-minute train ride runs past the two lakes and circles through an oak woodland. Last but not least the OC Zoo is located in the park. The Zoo’s focus is on animals and plants native to the southwestern U.S. and it houses many animals who are injured, orphaned, confiscated or not releasable into the wild. Animals on exhibit include black bear, bald eagle, kit fox, ocelot, beaver, great-horned owl, porcupine, coyote, turkey vulture and more. The OC Zoo recently introduced their new two-acre Large Mammal Exhibit in May — housing an adult mountain lion, three orphaned mountain lion cubs and an adult jaguar. Make it a day — or two —at Irvine Regional Park with a stay at nearby ALO Hotel by Ayres in Orange. | ocparks.com/irvinepark
Central
Irvine
If you’re looking for a day or two at the park, the Great Park has plenty to offer as well. The Great Park Balloon takes guests on a trip 400 feet above the park with a 360-degree view that can span 40 miles on a clear day. And what makes it even better is that balloon rides are free. Meanwhile, the Great Park Carousel has been renovated — with repainting, replacement of the carousel floor and mirrors, and new vintage-inspired artwork. Single rides are $3 and an All-Day Pass is $10. There’s also the Farm + Food Lab, an interactive outdoor classroom —with themed, raised bed gardens; fruit trees; vertical gardening; a worm compost bin; and solar and wind-powered lights — with a mission to educate visitors about gardening, inspire innovations and bring people together. Visitors can experience the Pizza and Spaghetti Garden, Butterfly Garden and chicken coop, or take classes on pickling and canning. Admission is free. Of course you can’t have a park without playgrounds. The Great Park offers various themed playgrounds, including newly opened play areas near the Sports Complex, and Kids Rock, with a goal of educating about conservation ecology and the water cycle while providing plenty of fun. The park also has trails comprised of 1.5 miles of walking and biking space throughout the Upper Bee and Bosque area. For families wishing to cool off this summer, Wild Rivers returns to Irvine with a soft opening on July 1. After all the activity, treat the family to a night or two at the Courtyard by Marriott Irvine Spectrum. | cityofirvine.org/orange-county-great-park
Newport Beach
The federally listed Crystal Cove Historic District is a 12.3-acre coastal section of the 2,791-acre Crystal Cove State Park. It is made up of 46 vintage rustic coastal cottages originally built as a seaside colony in the 1930s and 1940s. Many of these beach cottages are available for overnight rental. Pricing is affordable — ranging from about $204 to $288 per night — but reservations are booked six months in advance. However, there are a couple of options to get in this summer: When making your reservation, scroll through the existing months of reservations and look for dates with blank green spaces, which means availability due to cancellation. You can also try walking in. At 11 a.m., walk-ins can check about same-day openings at reception. Once you book, make sure to bring your hiking shoes because the wilderness areas of Crystal Cove State Park offer 18 miles of hiking trails through 2,400 acres of native land. There are also a couple of restaurants to check out after you’ve built up your appetite: The Beachcomber at Crystal Cove and The Shake Shack. | crystalcove.org
Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort also has plenty going on this summer. And the great news is that the beach is public and nearly all Newport Dunes activities are available to the public as well. (Except the pool and spa area, reserved for overnight guests.) Unfortunately the cottages are all booked for the summer, but there is RV site availability for midweek staycations. Local RV rental options include El Monte RV, 1st Choice RV and Vintage Surfari Wagons. A big draw for summer is Newport Dunes’ Inflatable Water Park, with more than 26 oversized inflatables including a 17-foot slide, two trampolines, two climbable icebergs, monkey bars, bouncers and slides. All water sports activities can be booked online. Radiant Rides, a light-up SUP experience, is available on weekends by reservation. Guests can explore the tranquil waters of the Back Bay after sunset on illuminated standup paddleboards lighting the water beneath with neon. You can also check out Newport’s Back Bay during the day with kayaks, standup paddleboards, pedal boats and 21-foot electric Duffy boats. There are also private beach cabanas for daily rentals for a more luxury experience. And there’s Movies on the Beach after sunset every Friday and Saturday evening. For dining, there’s Moe B’s Munchies – Beachfront Grill & Bar, a walk-up lunch shop serving a menu of American favorites including hot dogs, pizza, sandwiches and salads as well as snacks, beer, wine and cocktails. | newportdunes.com
Costa Mesa
For those looking for a little more stage in their summer, Segerstrom Center for the Arts has plenty planned. In fact the Center has announced the return of its popular Movie Mondays. Five films — played for free under the stars for the community — are inspired by the upcoming 2022/23 Broadway series shows: “Moulin Rouge” on July 11, “To Kill a Mockingbird” on July 18, Disney’s “Frozen” on July 25, “Hairspray” on Aug. 1 and “Chicago” on Aug. 8. Movie Mondays takes place at the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza. Setup starts at 5:30 p.m. with movies beginning at dusk, at about 8 p.m. You can bring beach chairs, snacks and picnic dinners. There will also be rotating food trucks and beverages at George’s Café. All movies are free with an RSVP. If you’re catching another performance, you can also dine at steakhouse Leatherby’s Café Rouge located in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. And spend the night at Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa, across the street from the Center, which also houses Silver Trumpet Restaurant and Bar for additional dining options. | scfta.org
South
San Juan Capistrano
With a long tradition in the city, Zoomars at River Street Ranch has been family owned and operated since 1980. Attractions include Guinea Pig Pen; Goat and Sheep Pen; playground with four slides, climbing features, a bridge and an underneath play area; pony rides; panning for “gold,” real gemstones, fossils and other treasures; train rides; and mini-tractor and mini-excavator rides. It’s a petting zoo and also a feeding zoo. With the purchase of a feed basket, you can feed guinea pigs, rabbits, pigs, goats, sheep, llama, and/or alpaca with a mix of fruit and veggies. Other attractions may also cost extra. After you’ve spent a couple of hours — or all day — with these entertaining animals, you can walk through Los Rios Historic District and later dine at one of the many surrounding restaurants. Book a stay at the Inn at the Mission San Juan Capistrano to unwind after all the outdoor activity. | riverstreetranch.com
Dana Point
Dana Point Marina Inn in Dana Point Harbor has several packages available for much coastal adventure. The Catalina Express Package includes standard room accommodations with one king bed or two queen beds, free daily parking, free breakfast and round-trip tickets to Catalina Island aboard the Catalina Express for two adults. The Sleep and Paddle Package includes overnight stay for two in a standard room with one king or two queen-sized beds, free breakfast and parking as well as two all-day paddleboard rentals with life vests from Killer Dana Surf Shop. The package price includes paddleboards delivered to and picked up from Baby Beach. The Whale & Dolphin Watching Package includes overnight stay in a standard room with one king or two queen beds, free grab-and-go breakfast, free parking and two tickets aboard one of the vessels at Dana Wharf Whale Watching. The two-hour whale watching trip may feature gray and blue whales, dolphins, sea lions and pelicans. The Fish & Snooze Package includes five hours searching for prime catch with Dana Wharf Sportfishing. It includes overnight stay in a standard room with one king or two queen-sized beds, free grab-and-go breakfast, free parking and two spots on one of the Dana Wharf Sportfishing fishing boats. If you don’t have fishing equipment, free rental rods are included. | danapointmarinainn.com
San Clemente
For those wishing to spend some time with nature, San Clemente State Beach is a hotspot for surfing. The mile-long beach stretches between the ocean surf and the foot of a steep bluff. In addition to surfing, activities you can partake in include swimming, picnicking, fishing, hiking and skin diving. Campsites are available for RV as well as tent camping. Eight people max are allowed per campsite. The campground provides water, electrical and sewage hookups. The tent area provides fire pits, tables, shade and water. | parks.ca.gov
Laguna Beach
The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel and Pageant of the Masters have teamed up to give guests a unique artistic getaway experience. The package includes overnight accommodations, two Premier Loge Center tickets to Pageant of the Masters stage performance, admission for two to Festival of Arts, a welcome amenity and complimentary resort fee. The package is valid July 7 through Sept. 2. This year’s Pageant of the Masters theme is “Wonderful World” — a love letter to our common humanity and the countless ways in which artists have asked the eternal question: “Why are we here?” | ritzcarlton.com
By Jessica Peralta
