Kids want to go to California....Need help!!!

Sandy Bickhart

Earning My Ears
Joined
Feb 25, 2018
My daughters, 18 and 15, want to go to California next summer for vacation. We have never been to California, so I have no idea where to start. I have never been to Disneyland, so I know that is definitely on my list of things to do. I think they want to see the California they see on TV. Maybe Hollywood, Beverly Hill sight seeing. What are some suggestions. What airport, things to do, places to see. I'm thinking we will do a week trip. Trip will most likely be last week of June or first week of July.
 
There is so much to see and do in California and it’s huge. If you’re sticking to Los Angeles and Orange County, a week will probably be OK. Three days at Disneyland Resort. I always suggest Laguna Beach for tourists. You could do a studio tour in LA.

If you want to see San Diego or San Francisco too, better make it two weeks.
 
Southern California has a lot of things to do. I would give them options and have them pick what they really want to do. In LA, Santa Monica pier, Hollywood walk of fame, Studio Tours, Rodeo Drive, The Grove, and Museums are popular tourists destinations. In addition to those, there are a few theme parks. There is Six Flags: Magic Mountain, which is in Santa Clarita. Knotts Berry Farm is in Buena Park (very close to Disneyland). Then there is Universal Studios which is in North Hollywood/Valley area.

For Airports, there is one in Long Beach, Ontario, and of course LAX. I don't mind LAX, I live near it, and don't find it horrific. Others hate it so it is your call.

I'm not as familiar with Orange County. I only really go there if I'm going to Disneyland lol. But Laguna is popular.
 
If you choose to go to Universal Hollywood Studio, consider flying into/out of Burbank.
It's only a few minutes drive from BUR to UHS.

When we will have a day at UHS we use the BUR airport for arrival to SoCal and then fly out of SNA/Orange County or LGB/Long Beach airport. I also like to end our trips at Disneyland.

It's easier on my traffic stress level. The drive between UHS and DLR can be ___________ . This way we only have to do it once.

G
 


Alright well my family recently took a vacation to SoCal. IMO Hollywood and Highland is a biggg tourist trap, but seeing the sign (Canyon Drive) and (on the walk of fame) stars for my favorite celebrities/Disney characters was cool. Don't go to Santa Monica, there are better beaches and it's quite dirty and crowded. Doesn't live up to the tourist hype. The Long Beach aquarium was really fun for my family. I'd set aside two to three days for DLR. San Diego Zoo and Safari Par were really fun, there's a lot of other really great stuff in San Diego as well so I would definitely plan to spend some time there, perhaps two to three days. We love watching the sunset at La Jolla.
 
You could go on a whale watching excursion in Newport Beach (Balboa Island). We went this year, the first week of June, and had an amazing time. We used East Meets West Excursions. The boat seats 6 so we had it completely to ourselves which made the trip really personal. We saw tons of dolphins and a Fin whale. My kids are 7, 11 and 16. Everyone could not stop talking about how "awesome" and "amazing" the boat trips was.
 
Definitely, if you visit Hollywood, as a local , lemme tell ya , Hollywood blvd. Is a tourist trap drag. But! Google Griffith park! A lot to do. Theres the Autry museum of western heritage, the l.a. zoo , public golf course, the Burbank equestrian center, which , on most weekends, has free horse shows. There's also horseback riding. Griffith park observatory, which is just beautiful! There's even a carousel where walt used to take his daughters and dreamed up Disneyland! Downtown Los Angeles has some neat things to see : Angel's flight (the oldest and shortest railway), Museums, Coles French dip , one of the oldest restaurants in l.a.. As far as a tour , i definitely recommend the Paramount tour. Paramount is still a working film studio. So , you definitely have a good chance of seeing some stars. Near there is Hollywood forever cemetery, lots of stars buried there. Valentino, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Chris Cornell. Not creepy at all. Id definitely recommend renting a car. Hollywood and Los Feliz, Beverly Hills, DTLA , are all pretty spread out. If you must! See the walk of fame, just be prepared for lots of street vendors and characters who can be pretty pushy. There's so much more to see than Hollywood blvd. Have a great time!
 


. I think they want to see the California they see on TV. Maybe Hollywood, Beverly Hill sight seeing.
Instead of thinking what they want to see or ask us: ask them.

They are old enough to verbalize why they want something. We can make assumptions and give 'best of'-lists, but for all you know they want to go to California because a best friend went there and they want to see/do want their friend saw/did.

Involve them.
 
Oh , also! There are hikes where you can see the Hollywood sign up close. In Beverly Hills, theres a neat place called Greystone mansion. It's a beautiful property. The actual building is not open to the public but the property is. There's a lot of Hollywood history involved in the property. Google it! Youll get a lot of info there. A fun , hip street to walk around is Melrose Avenue. Between La Brea and Fairfax. Cute shops. La Brea tar pits is neat. Thats between Melrose ave and Beverly Hills. A trek down Rodeo dr. Is definitely a must do! Sooo much glamour!
 
Alright well my family recently took a vacation to SoCal. IMO Hollywood and Highland is a biggg tourist trap, but seeing the sign (Canyon Drive) and (on the walk of fame) stars for my favorite celebrities/Disney characters was cool. Don't go to Santa Monica, there are better beaches and it's quite dirty and crowded. Doesn't live up to the tourist hype. The Long Beach aquarium was really fun for my family. I'd set aside two to three days for DLR. San Diego Zoo and Safari Par were really fun, there's a lot of other really great stuff in San Diego as well so I would definitely plan to spend some time there, perhaps two to three days. We love watching the sunset at La Jolla.

Are you serious? I thought Santa Monica was the cleanest beach I've ever been to in my life. I also loved Santa Monica, but the area is busy, I'll give you that.
 
Alright well my family recently took a vacation to SoCal. IMO Hollywood and Highland is a biggg tourist trap, but seeing the sign (Canyon Drive) and (on the walk of fame) stars for my favorite celebrities/Disney characters was cool. Don't go to Santa Monica, there are better beaches and it's quite dirty and crowded. Doesn't live up to the tourist hype. The Long Beach aquarium was really fun for my family. I'd set aside two to three days for DLR. San Diego Zoo and Safari Par were really fun, there's a lot of other really great stuff in San Diego as well so I would definitely plan to spend some time there, perhaps two to three days. We love watching the sunset at La Jolla.
I definitely second the fact that Hollywood blvd. Is sketchy and a massive tourist trap. La jolla is beautiful!
 
Are you serious? I thought Santa Monica was the cleanest beach I've ever been to in my life. I also loved Santa Monica, but the area is busy, I'll give you that.
I think Santa Monica beach is pretty nice. Venice beach is kind of sketchy. Touristy. Malubu beach is nice.
 
I think Santa Monica beach is pretty nice. Venice beach is kind of sketchy. Touristy. Malubu beach is nice.

We didn't go to any beach in the area other than Santa Monica, but I specifically *noticed* that there was no trash on the ground or even seaweed (could have been lucky on that).
 
We didn't go to any beach in the area other than Santa Monica, but I specifically *noticed* that there was no trash on the ground or even seaweed (could have been lucky on that).
Yeah. I like Santa Monica beach. Lol i never really get over there. I live in Hollywood. Santa Monica beach feels like its a million miles away lol
 
If they really want to experience what the see on TV, go to a live taping. Start here;
Television Audience info
Just Google anything else you might be interested in and add the word "tickets". You would be surprised what comes up.
I will say I have been to see sit-coms, variety shows, and talk shows. The talk shows (Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live) are the best because they are filmed in real time, meaning an hour-long show takes an hour to tape. Sit-coms are on the dull side because it takes time to re-set scenes, flub-ups, and sometimes they will film the scene multiple times with different lines to see what gets the best reaction. All-in-all, you will come away with a different appreciation for what you see on TV - totally worth it IMHO.

I would skip Hollywood Blvd and Venice Beach - both are really scungy and disappointing. If you do go to the beach, get there EARLY! This is coming from a surfer; I am usually in the water at dawn and leaving before 9a. The beach, any beach, is peaceful and parking is easy to find and usually free. After that time, especially on weekends, it can be an absolute zoo.

Do what you can to fly in and out of any airport but LAX. It's like a punch to the face - not a good way to start or end your vacation. Bob Hope (Burbank), Long Beach, and Orange County (SNA) are all great choices. If you are going to San Diego, that's a nice airport too, but 2 hours from Anaheim. Ontario is also nice, but a little out-of-the-way and limited flights.
 
If you do Hollywood, Rodeo Dr, Beverly Hills, my recommendation is that you take a guided tour. I did one (by Disney) and loved it. Went back w my husband and kids and it seemed like more of a dirty tourist trap. (and I generally like tourist traps.)
 
Take a Warner Bros Studio Tour in Burbank. I believe the tours show a lot more on the weekends as during the week, many of the studios are closed to the public because of recording.

If the like Harry Potter at all, I'd also take a Universal Studios tour. The backlot tour is a must do, however, most of the movies that they will be talking about are from too long ago for your daughters to know about.

You can see Hollywood Blvd and Rodeo Drive in one afternoon. I don't know what it is that they want to see, but keep in mind that Hollywood is a place full of transients and seedy characters. It's not a glamorous place, but you can probably eat in a restaurant that might be special.

3 Days at Disneyland is fine.
 
We are headed to California for my daughter's sixteenth birthday! We are doing a few days in Disneyland then driving up to LA. We have a bunch of things on the list right now that my daughter picked out. We shall see when we get there, so far: Universal, Warner Brother's Studio Tour, The Grove, Rodeo Drive, celebrity homes tour, Dolby Theatre tour, Walk of Fame, Madame Tussauds, Griffith Observatory, Santa Monica, Venice, decorating cupcakes at Duff's Cake Mix. We'd love to do a show taping but my kids aren't old enough for them. We are from the east coast and go to NYC a lot so we are prepared for seedy. It's a big trip for my kids so we want to see the touristy stuff. I have been to California but not some of the stuff we have planned. I can answer more when we get back!
 
I must defend my town. Yes, the homeless situation is pretty bad and very sad. But, in no way is Hollywood FULL OF TRANSIENT AND SEEDY CHARACTERS. Yes, Hollywood blvd. Has an abundance of this. But, as a local, no. Hollywood is full of nice , hardworking people who work in every aspect of the industry and beyond, just like any town. Just use common sense, like anywhere. I live here, i love it and I'm proud of it. If you want to see its magic , take a tour, rent a car, hit up Google and make a list. There's plenty to do in Hollywood!
 

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