In addition to the fun activities you can expect from any megapolitan area, Southern California provides a special lineup of entertainment and recreation. Nowhere else in the United States will you find a region that also includes a sunny coastline, desert, mountains, lakes, Disney -- and Hollywood. Southern California’s mostly Mediterranean climate means lots of outdoor fun, while alpine and desert areas provide their own thrills. And abundant indoor attractions prevent fretting over a little rain.
From L.A.’s Malibu surf and Santa Monica pier with its Ferris wheel to San Diego’s mica-flecked, silvery sands and grand Coronado Hotel, Southern California’s coast awaits. At Long Beach, L.A., explore the haunted Queen Mary and the Aquarium of the Pacific. Huntington Beach, Orange County's official Surf City USA, offers surf lessons and rents bikes and skates for the boardwalk that connects 8 miles of beaches. And Fido can romp unleashed at the dog beach. Light a bonfire behind the pier after the sun sets or enjoy a harbor lights dinner cruise in neighboring Newport Beach. In Laguna, view translucent turquoise water from the cliff-side flower gardens of the Montage Hotel. At San Diego's Dana Point, dolphins and migrating whales delight.
Don’t let the storybook characters fool you. Disneyland isn’t just for kids. Many of the shows, parades, rides and attractions in Walt Disney’s original park appeal to teens and grown-ups. For more thrills, get a package that includes Disney Resort’s California Adventure park or head to Knott’s Berry Farm. In San Diego, LegoLand brings smiles to young children, while the San Diego Zoo entertains entire families. Raging Waters, one of the state’s best and biggest water parks, provides fun for all ages on hot summer days in San Bernardino County.
If you think shopping, entertainment and nature spell fun, go to Los Angeles. Take a shopping trip to the L.A. Fashion District bargain alley or to Beverly Hill’s ritzy Rodeo Drive. If there’s a budding paleontologist with you, visit La Brea Tar Pits. Greener nature awaits at Griffith Park. Hike the nature trail that leads up to a view of the Hollywood Sign, then be awed by a planetarium show, city lights and stars at Griffith Observatory. View stars of a different sort on a Hollywood tour. At Universal Studios, scream and laugh your way through rides that bring movie scenes alive with animatronics, and tour the “world’s largest working movie studio.”
At the Adventure Park in Huntington Beach, kid play is old-style -- building forts and sliding down tarps into mudholes. If you have cleaner outdoor fun in mind, cast a line or dip a paddle at one of the region’s many reservoirs, such as Frank G. Bonelli in San Dimas next to Raging Waters. Or beat the summer heat at alpine Big Bear Lake where the trout will be jumping and the pirate boat rides and parasailing will be in full swing. In winter, ski or snowboard the slopes above the lake. A California sport fishing license is required of those 16 and older fishing at these lakes. A drive down the backside of Big Bear leads you to Joshua Tree National Park in the Mojave Desert, a favorite of rock climbers and stargazing campers.
