Going South, you'll hit San Juan Capistrano. This would be a nice spot to stop and walk around a bit. One of the 21 California Missions is here and this is good to visit and get some California history. The mission is also set in a quaint part of town, and I enjoy walking along there & looking in the shops.
Carlsbad is a about an hour from Anaheim. Right off of I5 is theCarlsbad Company Stores. If you are looking for somewhere to eat in the same area, you will find Claim Jumper, In-N-Out Burger, Sammy's Woodfire Pizza, Marie Callendar, Ruby's Diner, Karls Strauss Brewery (to name a few).
In Carlsbad you can also walk along the cliff overlooking the beach atSouth Carlsbad SB. On the weekends, you will see people flying remote control planes just north of the state beach. There are also squirrels in the bluffs and surfers in the waves.
If you want something historic, you might check out Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside. This is the largest Mission in California.