Need SoCal Help - distances & attractions

[HappieMommie]

Hi again,

We've decided that we'd like to see a lot of the attractions in SoCal - but I am intimidated with the planning.

We are in the area for roughly 8 days. We have three days at DL/DCA, and want to check out the rest of the attractions that are covered with the CityPass. AND Legoland.

What's a good way to do this? We thought maybe renting a car for a day or two and taking in the farther away attractions. Maybe an extra night in a hotel in Carlsbad?

Also, I have never seen the ocean. (I am a landlocked Canadian!) Although it will be January and likely too cold to take a dip (will it?!), I would like to see a pretty beach. Any of these if we take the highway up the coast - which one?

Thanks for the help.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Some people like to stay some of the time in Disneyland and some of the time in San Diego. Carlsbad (Legoland) is about 20 minutes from San Diego. I would recommend staying near Disneyland for your Los Angeles portion of the trip, and San Diego for the San Diego portion. You can stay at a hotel, like the Catamaran or Embassy Suites, when you're in San Diego - both by the ocean. If you just want to drive to a nearby beach, you can spend a day driving the coastal area - Redondo Beach, around Palos Verdes Peninsula (check out Wafarer's Chapel), have a snack at Acapulco's at Port's O'Call, Drive over the Vincent Thomas Bridge, and drive along the coast to Newport Beach/Hwy 55, which will take you back to DL Resort. You can stop along the way, like Seaport Village at Long Beach, Main Street at Seal Beach, Main Street at Huntington Beach, etc.

Once you set a rough plan of things you want to do you can put down the details.

On he drive from Disneyland to San Diego is the San Juan Capistrano Mission, worth a stop in my opinion.

 

[LavenderPeach]

Yes, renting a car would probably be the best way for you to travel around to see other places in SoCal. And yes, staying in Carlsbad for your Legoland visit is a good idea that way you won't have to make a long drive both ways in the same day.

It will (probably) be chilly in January - although it might not feel very cold to you since you're from Cananda. The water here in Califonria never gets very warm so I wouldn't even go swimming in the middle of summer but there are still lots of people who like to swim in our cold water. It might be too cold (even for a Canadian) to go swimming in the ocean but you could at least take off your shoes and dip your feet in. There are lots of beaches to choose from, it depends on what you're looking for. I'm originally from northern california where the beaches are more rugged with cliffs and rocks and tidepools so that's the kind of scenic beach I like. I would probably pick one down in San Diego. If you're looking for a classic Southern California beach then Huntington Beach would be the one you might want.

Good luck planning your trip!