The city of Irvine offers families several entertainment options when visiting southern California, from a museum that allows children to role play, to an amusement park that attracts kids of all ages. Irvine is located south of Los Angeles in Orange County, and it mixes a proud historical past of agricultural farming with new state-of-the-art attractions, including a Giant Wheel that measures more than 100 feet high.
Families looking for a thrilling adventure won’t want to miss Boomers, an amusement park filled with batting cages, miniature golf, go karts and rides. Whether it’s the Flamethrower, an upside down ride that produces plenty of screams, or the Sidewinder, which Boomers compares to a swinging pendulum, families will enjoy the thrills the park has to offer. The amusement park also has bumper boats, a 32-foot high climbing rock wall, laser tag and a game room. Boomers is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Boomers
3405 Michelson Drive
Irvine, CA 92612
949-559-8336
boomersparks.com
The Irvine Improv Comedy Club and Restaurant hosts world-class performers who are never short on laughs. Located in the Irvine Spectrum Shopping Center, the comedy club offers seating on a first-come, first-served basis. Comedians who have performed at the club have included Darryl Blackshere, host of a specialty show called “City Stars.” Featured comics have appeared on Comedy Central, HBO and Showtime. Guests who plan to dine during the evening with reservations may arrive 90 minutes before the show begins, and general admission guests may arrive 30 minutes prior to the show.
Irvine Improv Comedy Club and Restaurant
71 Fortune Drive
Irvine, CA 92618
949-854-5455
symfonee.com/improv/Irvine
As the only museum in the state of California that preserves and displays Impressionist paintings, the Irvine Museum specializes in works of art created from 1890 to 1930. The museum also showcases Impressionist art that celebrates the Southern California landscape. The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free.
The Irvine Museum
18881 Von Karman Ave.
Irvine, CA 92612
949-476-2565
irvinemuseum.org
History lovers will enjoy the Irvine Ranch Historic Park, which is the headquarters for the Orange County Parks Department. Several buildings encompass the grounds, which cover more than 16 acres, including the home of James Irvine II, who inherited the ranch in the late 1800s. In all, there are 24 ranch structures in their original form on the grounds, which were used for the production of Valencia oranges, sugar beets, barley and beans.
Irvine Ranch Historic Park
13042 Old Myford Road
Irvine, CA 92602
714-973-6609
ocparks.com
Two of the most popular attractions at the Irvine Spectrum Center are its 100-foot-tall Giant Wheel and its carousel. While the center offers more than 130 shopping stores, families also will enjoy scenic water fountains, restaurants and a movie theater that the mall’s website says is one of the largest in the United States. Retail stores are open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Restaurants are open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The carousel and Giant Wheel are open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Irvine Spectrum Center
71 Fortune Drive
Irvine, CA 92618
949-753-5180
shopirvinespectrumcenter.com
Imagination is emphasized at the Pretend City Children’s Museum of Orange County, which allows children to put themselves in the roles of citizens who run a city. The exhibit is designed for children through age 8 and includes a play farm, beach, construction site, grocery store and doctor’s office, among other professions. The children take on the roles of police officers, postmen and women, firefighters and artists. Pretend City is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the cost of admission is $2 for children younger than 12 months and $10 for other children and adults. Admission for military and family members is $8. After 4 p.m., admission is $1 for children younger than 12 months, and $5 for children, adults and military and family members.
Pretend City Children’s Museum of Orange County
29 Hubble
Irvine, CA 92618
949-428-3900
pretendcity.org
