Help on other destinations

[robsmom]

Hi,

My DH, DS (5) and I are thinking of heading from the east coast to Cal the last week of May. We had such a nice time at DL last year that we want to go again. We also would like another destination or 2. We did San Diego last year so would like something different. We have 9-10 nights total. We will probably fly into LAX as i have found round trip at @223 and don't think I will get better to another airport. We are willing to drive about 10-12 hours total in the trip (5-6 hours each way).

Any suggestions, thoughts.

thanks.

Lisa

 

[mobetsy]

Depends what you are looking for! Legoland is nearby, and with a 5 y.o., I would consider that one of the best add'l destinations. California beaches are always great. Santa Barbara is a wonderful location, with lovely beaches, a nice little zoo, a mission that would be a little bit interesting to a 5 y.o. (the one near Lompoc, La Purisima, is even better...it is another hour to the north), and lots of spots to explore and play. Los Angeles has plenty of good museums for kids. Not too far from DL (maybe 30 min) is the La Habra Children's Museum; it is little known but absolutely fabulous for your dd's age. Not high tech, but loads of hands-on stuff and a big hit with kids. There's also a good playground right outside. Even closer is the Discovery Center (?) in Santa Ana; I haven't been there but have heard good things about it. Both places have websites with more info. The tram ride in Palm Springs is fun as long as you all don't mind heights, with some good exploring at the top...and in the summertime getting up to the mountains is a lovely change of weather!

 

[almostGoofy]

As for towns to visit: I've always liked Cambria on the Central California coast but it's a place that would have more appeal to adults than a 5 yo. It's a town with art shops and is better know for nearby Hearst Castle. What would be of great interest to your ds are the elephant seals on the nearby beaches. We took our 6 yo DD and 4 yo DS to Cambria and they loved watching the elephant seals on the beach. The beaches are most populated from late Nov. to early Feb. for the birthing season. I would contact http://www.elephantseal.org/ for more info on when to see the seals.

On the way north to Cambria not too far from Santa Barbara is Solvang. It's a little Danish town with lots of shops and bakeries. It's worthy of a stop for a "look - see".

These are towns that could easily be added to a trip to Santa Barbara.

 

[FOV]

We are planning our first visit to DL from Massachusetts. Our kids will be 4, 6 & 10. Does anyone have a good interactive map of California so I can easily calculate the distances of DL and other attractions?

Robsmom - What did you do in San Diego? We were thinking of spending 4 days in DL and then going to San Diego for 5 days. We want to keep it low key and beach/nature oriented after running around DL! Of course if we are in San Diego we will have to spend one day at the zoo, but we don't want to wear the kids out too much!

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

For those of you wanting to relax after DL, you might want to consider a three or four day cruise. There are several that leave out of Southern California ports. With short notice discounts, a cruise might be cheaper than hotel, rental car, meals, etc. on land. Just something to think about...