So lost. Planning DL/SoCal trip w/ 3yo. Help!

branv

<font color=blue>The safety feature in my parents
Joined
May 20, 2005
We (Me, DH and DS 3yo) are starting to plan a trip. We are WDW vets, but this is our first DL and SoCal trip. And I am so mixed up about how to plan this darn thing and what to do!

Details I know: We will probably travel the first week of May. Like, Thu 4/27 - Fri 5/5 or Mon 5/1 - Mon 5/8. We'll do 2-3 days at either the beginning or end of the trip to tour SoCal.
For certain we're doing 3 full days at DL, arriving Monday afternoon to Anaheim with Tu/Wed at DL and Thursday at DCA. I have reservations at the new Homewood Suites (Convention center).

It's what to do outside of DL that's a challenge.

I know we want some beach time. I know we don't want to do any other theme parks (as in, no Legoland etc) and we're not really interested in the SD Zoo. I know that sounds nuts, but DS is always disinterested at zoos (not even Animal Kingdom at WDW!). DH and I can take or leave them as well.

DS is a very active, impulsive threenager (read: kuhraaazy), so museums or tours are not the best option.

A friend told us we HAVE to go to San Diego, but if we don't do the zoo or downtown, I'm not sure if we should make that drive if there are similar other activities closer.

Another person told us just to do the local LA area beaches, but I'm not terribly keen on just the in-city beaches. Other beaches with tide pools and more natural areas are more appealing.

I can see that there are SO many great looking towns in SoCal, but I don't know which have more for families with young kids (And maybe hotels that *aren't* all $300+/night, EEEK!). Any recommendations on places to visit, and are they day trips from LA or overnight stays? For instance, for visiting places like Laguna Beach, can you easily get there from a hotel in Anaheim for a day trip, or is traffic so bad, it would be crazy to not stay the night elsewhere?

Also, I'd like to spend a day in LA area just to eyeball some "landmarks", even if we just take a drive through and maybe eat a meal or two. Tips?

There's just so much info out there, but I'm having trouble narrowing it. Plus everything I keep reading seems better for much older kids or no kids at all. Please help! I don't even know if we should do all day trips from one hotel or multiple hotels!

Final question: I keep reading about the horrors of traffic. If we end up staying somewhere an hour or so from LA and have a morning flight out of LAX, is it better to just stay the last night at a hotel near the airport?

Thanks so much for any recommendations you can make. Any and all tips are welcome, including best hotels and restaurants for kids!
 
There is the
Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament in Buena Park. That is a family restaurant. You can do whale watching. You could go over to Catalina Island. The Island has a Zipline. You can rent a golf cart and drive around the island.
You can check out these sites under the cities around the area

Groupon.com
Livingsocials.com
Travelzoo.com

It could give you ideas for things to do and save some money in the process. Laguna Beach has tide pools. Look online for those.
The traffic can be bad, from car chases or accidents can have a horrible affect on the freeways and cause delays. I see them all the time online and watch them. One not long ago closed down freeways for hours. So leave yourself enough time for travel. There is also Knotts Berry Farm. There is Mrs. Knotts Chicken Dinner that is very popular.
If you are looking under different cities you can look online for different things for the kids to do there. Hope this helps you a little bit.
http://www.how-do-you-spell.com/restaurant
 
Unstructured beach time would be a big hit with your son. Even if he doesn't really get in the cold Pacific, there is endless sand and room to run. And many parks in the OC area.

It's not too bad to drive from Anaheim to Laguna as long as you go off-hours for traffic. Leave after 9 a.m., spend the day around a beach, eat dinner, and then drive back (or leave before rush hour for a shorter day).

Hotels get considerably cheaper just a few miles from the beach, so weigh easy beach access with price. And the pros/cons of switching hotels mid-trip with extra driving to non-Disney sites.

If you already want the day in LA for landmarks, consider doing that the day before you travel home and stay at the airport hotel like you thought.

Unless you have something special in San Diego that's a must-do, I'd consider just spending most of your time in Orange County. It's very family-friendly overall and you'll have far less driving. There is plenty to fill several non-Disney days.

PHXscuba
 
I agree with what everybody has said so far. If your son isn't into zoos and you're not interested in going to Legoland, then skip San Diego altogether. Normally, I'd recommend somebody in your situation to try out the Discovery Cube museum, which is 1 or 2 exits south of DL on I-5. It's supposed to have a lot of cool interactive exhibits (translation: stuff to touch and play with) for kids.

Since you don't want to do other amusement parks (which I totally understand!), then don't bother with Knotts Berry Farm.

You know what you COULD do that your 3 yr old would LOVE? Go to Pump It Up in Anaheim Hills. Their website is https://www.pumpitupparty.com/anaheim-hills-ca/. Most of those places have open "free play" times. Doesn't cost an arm and a leg either.

For 1 of your non-Disney days, go to the beach. Your son will probably love building sand castles and stuff like that. Eat lunch at the beach. Then when he's getting worn out or tired of it all after lunch, drive back to Anaheim and go to Pump It Up to get the rest of your 3 yr old's energy out. Eat dinner somewhere in Anaheim and go to bed early.

For a second non-Disney day, drive to Griffith Park and explore all of the trains there. Do that in the morning, but don't leave your hotel until 9am when rush hour traffic has subsided. Have lunch somewhere and then spend the afternoon with your son at your hotel pool. You could do dinner at Goofy's Kitchen at the DLH to round out the day.
 



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