Orange County is an area of southern California that is well-known for tourism and famous attractions such as Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. Though the roller coasters at these theme parks are too much for toddlers, families can enjoy some of the many other fun things for toddlers in Orange County.
Tanaka Farms is located in Irvine and offers different tours throughout the year including strawberry, watermelon, pumpkin and Christmas tree tours, depending on the season. Children under 2 years of age enter for free and can enjoy wagon rides, a petting zoo, corn maze, arts and crafts and picking your own fruit and vegetables. A produce stand is also open in both winter and summer seasons.
Tanaka Farms
5380 3/4 University Drive
Irvine, CA 92612
949-653-2100
tanakafarms.com
Noah's Ark is a hands-on exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center that incorporates arts and crafts, children's entertainment and interaction with handcrafted animals, puppets, music and games in an 8,000-square-foot gallery. Admission is free to children under 2 and free for all visitors on Thursdays, though timed-entry tickets are necessary when visiting the Noah's Ark exhibit. Walk-in tickets are generally available on weekdays but advanced tickets are recommended on weekends and Thursdays.
Skirball Cultural Center
2701 North Sepulveda Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90049
877-SCC-4TIX
skirball.org
Zoomars Petting Zoo is open every day of the year and only costs $5 to enter with infants under 12 months entering for free. At Zoomars, kids can feed and pet animals like goats, birds, ponies, guinea pigs and donkeys or go on train or pony rides. During the holidays, Zoomars hosts events like breakfast with Santa, reindeer visits, ornament making, crafts, cookie making, nativity and Christmas holiday shows and harvest days around Thanksgiving.
Zoomars Petting Zoo
31791 Los Rios Street
San Juan Capistrano, CA
949-831-6550
zoomars.com
Irvine Park Railroad is an attraction at Irvine Regional Park where kids under 12 months ride free and others pay only $4. There are many attractions for kids in this park including paddle boats, pony rides, pumpkin picking and Easter and Christmas events. In addition, Orange County Zoo is located in the park and has animals like black bears, owls, mountain lions, bald eagles, coyotes and a barnyard section with pigs, sheep, goats and pheasants.
Irvine Park Railroad
1 Irvine Park Road
Orange, CA 92869
714-997-3968
irvineparkrailroad.com
